French animal advocacy groups have finally achieved something that they have long battled for: banning the use of wild animals in circus shows.
The modern circus should not be about animal cruelty and the exploitation of living beings, it should be about acrobatics and artistic performances. France became the latest country to ban the use of wild animals in live circus acts and the circuses have a two-year buffer time to stop all such performances.

The recently adopted law also offers protection to wild animals, such as lions, tigers, bears and the ban extends to marine shows as well. The law is part of a series of new regulations, which also include the ban of mink farming and monetary fines of up to 75,000 euros for animal cruelty. However, the ban does not apply to animals being kept in zoos and other permanent exhibitions and omits to apply penalties for hunting and bullfighting.
This caused quite a stir among animal rights activists who consider that the law is not extreme enough to discourage all types of animal cruelty-related practices.
Indeed, this is only a small step taken by the country towards ending animal cruelty, but hopefully more similar regulations will follow until the exploitation of animals is banned forever.

There is an amazing elephant sanctuary in Florida that will become the home of 35 rescued circus elephants. The 35 Asian pachyderms have been rescued from the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus and will start their new lives in Florida, having a 2500-acre reserve at their disposal.
The habitat is called The White Oak Conservation Refuge and it is located in Yulee, a beautiful area covered in wetlands and forests. The herd of 35 rescue elephants is considered to be the largest Asian elephant herd in the Western hemisphere. Since the elephants have spent their lives in captivity, they won’t survive in the wild, so they had to be moved to a sanctuary where they have a safe space guarded by caretakers. It is not an ideal situation, but it is still the closest thing for them to live a carefree life, just like other wild elephants.
The 35 Asian pachyderms have spent a short period getting accustomed to their new habitat and living arrangements, as well as to the other herds living in the refuge, but are now fully integrated into the everyday life of the sanctuary.

Circuses all over the world have started to gradually reduce animal acts in their shows, some countries even banning animals in the circus. This is a huge step in the history of animal rights and one that should be encouraged in every part of the world.
Some circus-enthusiasts argued that this will reduce the circus-experience and its popularity, but who says that there aren’t cruelty-free alternatives?
Circus Roncalli, is a prestigious institution that has been in the business for more than 40 years. They did something unexpected and amazing when they decided to substitute live animal acts in their shows with animal holograms.
Their show became even more spectacular this way, and their bold move was highly appreciated by the public. They managed to transform their shows, thanks to 3D holographic technology using projectors in a 105 feet wide and 16 feet deep arena.
The creation of this new and fascinating show was possible thanks to a partnership between Circus Roncalli, Bluebox, and Optoma who helped out with the laters technology and installed 11 ZU850 laser projectors around the arena.
The immersive 360-degree experience is a groundbreaking one for the circus industry and should be a must-visit if you want to enjoy a cruelty-free magic show with lots of acrobatics.

Entertaining the crowds since 1976, Circus Roncalli has done something unimaginable – they have swapped out horses, lions and elephants for holograms. And the show remains spectacular.