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History
Having disembarked in European ports at the same time as the indigenous peoples captured in the colonies, the addition of wild animals to menageries gradually became commonplace by the 1830s. But it wasn't until around 1880, with the creation of the Hagenbeck brothers' "central cage" nearly a century after Phil Astley created the traditional circus, that wild beasts entered the scene.
The use of wild animals is therefore not in keeping with the tradition of the circus, but rather was designed to add an "exotic" feel that ties in directly with colonialism. |
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Stating that the circus would be nothing without the use of wild animals takes away from the other circus arts such as balancing acts, acrobatics, aerial numbers, clowning, juggling, contortionism, and more.
Three Types of Circuses
At first glance there seems to be only two types of circuses: the traditional, touring sort which use all kinds of wild animals, and the more "contemporary" sort which excludes the use of wild animals in acts.
But it is actually a little more complex than that. The traditional circus branches off into two parts: nationally syndicated circuses and family-run events often referred to by the former as the "Attilas" of the circus. (1)
Most circus companies (Pinder, Amar, Médrano, Grüss, etc.) have corporate headquarters that oversee the travel of convoys and tents throughout the year. They are not necessarily managed by the direct descendants of a circus family (with the exception of Grüss). A number of acts are rented out by the season.
Examples:
Cirque Médrano - Manager: Raoul Gibault - Corporate Headquarters in Toulouse
Cirque Pinder - Manager: Gilbert Edelstein - Corporate Headquarters in Brie
Cirque Amar - Manager: John Falck - Corporate Headquarters in Saint Juéry, Albi
Family-run circuses are more often characterized by a shorter run, are family managed, and use animals directly linked to the establishment.
A number of these establishments use names aimed at attracting the public (Zavatta, Fratelini, Roger Lanzac, etc.), though they are thoroughly misleading, as many believe they will see the real Zavatta!
Cirque A. Zavatta fils - Manager: Arsène Cagniac
Cirque Zavatta fils - Manager: Falck
Cirque Luigi Zavatta - Manager: Dassonneville
An Inventory (2006-2008)
Nobody in France knows exactly how many traditional circuses travel the country, primarily due to the illegal operations of some, and the changing of name and/or management of others.
Listed below are the animal circuses we have been able to identify since 2006.
Name |
Manager |
Species |
Albaron |
Hart |
Lions |
Amar |
Falck |
Elephants, baboons, tigers, lions, camelids, etc. |
Androny |
|
Tigers, lions |
Apollo |
Dumas |
Ostriches, lllamas, camelids, etc. |
Bostok |
Dumas |
Lions , monkeys |
Buffalo Circus |
Loberot |
Ratites |
Cancy |
Cancy |
Baboons, llamas |
Carnaval cirque |
|
Camelids, ratites, llamas... |
Charly Circus |
Couget |
Llamas, bovines |
Cirque de Madrid |
Gontelle |
|
Joseph Bouglione |
Bouglione |
Tigers, camelids, bovines |
Carnaval cirque |
|
Camelids, ostriches, llamas |
Cirque de Bercy |
Prein |
Wild cats, zebras, camelids, bovines... |
Cirque de la famille Piedon |
Piedon |
|
Cirque européen |
Goujeon |
|
Cirque de France |
|
Tigers, lions , bovines |
| Cirque de France - Zavatta |
Lamberti |
Lions |
Cirque de Madrid |
Gontelle |
|
Cirque de Paris |
Goujeon |
Lions, crocodiles |
Cirque de Rome |
Dumas |
Lions, rhesus monkeys |
Dumas Alexandra |
|
Tigers, rhesus monkeys, camelids |
Dubois William |
Dumas |
Monkeys, other exotic animals |
Européen cirque |
Goujeon |
|
Festival de cannes cirque |
|
Llamas |
Français cirque |
Bourguignon |
|
Franco Italien |
Beautour |
Lions |
Francky |
Fleury & Goujeon |
|
Franky |
|
Equines, caprines |
Fratellini A |
|
Lions, camelids, llamas |
Fratellini A. (Piste aux étoiles) |
|
Eléphants, camelids |
Fratellini Gilles |
|
|
Fratellini Jeanne |
|
Rhesus monkeys, llamas, |
Fratellini John |
Hart |
Lions, bison, camelids... |
Fratellini Sabrina |
|
|
Favrini (petit cirque) |
|
|
Festival de cannes |
|
Llamas |
Franco Italien |
Beautour |
Lions, camelids |
Gervais |
Klissing |
|
Gontelle cirque |
Gontelle |
Camelids |
Grand cirque royal |
Landri |
Hippopotamus, bison, lions, tigers, ratites |
Idéal circus |
Muller |
Tigers, lions, rhesus monkeys, snakes |
International cirque Europe |
Aucante |
Eléphant, tigers, baboons, camelids |
International zoo circus |
Muller |
Tigers, lions, rhesus monkeys |
International belgium circus |
Hart |
|
Jackson |
|
Lions , camelids |
Kinos |
Rech |
Elephants, bonobos, lions, tigers, wallabies, porcupines, reindeer, camelids, etc. |
Klissing |
|
|
Lanzac Roger |
Mordon |
Girafe, lions, camelids, bovines |
Lanzac Roger |
Mordon |
Lions, rhesus monkeys, camelids |
Lanzac Roger |
Rinaldi |
Camelids, bovines |
Loyal |
|
camelids |
Loyal show |
Loyal |
Bovines, camelids |
Maximum |
Masson |
Elephant, tigers |
Médrano |
Raoul Gibault |
Elephants, tigers |
Mickaël circus |
|
|
Moreno Bormann |
Moreno Bomann |
Tigers, lions, panthers, zebras, camelids |
Muller |
Muller |
Hippopotamus, lions, watussi, camelids |
Nouveau cirque Triomphe |
Goujeon |
Lions, snakes, camelids |
Olympia |
Cornero |
Elephants, lions, hamadryas, camelids |
Parade circus |
Goujeon |
Lions |
Parade des clowns |
Dumas |
|
Phocéen |
|
Tigers, camelids |
Pinder |
Edelstein |
Elephants, tigers, lions, zebras, yacht, camelids |
Piste aux étoiles (Reitz) |
Hart |
Elephants, lions, camelids |
Reynier cirque |
|
|
Rozel |
Rozel |
Tigers, baboons, camelids, buffalo |
Star |
|
Camelids, snakes |
Star circus |
Cancy ? |
Pumas, leopards, black panthers, hamadryas monkeys, camelids |
Ulllman |
Ullman |
Hamadryas monkeys, pumas, leopards, lions, bovines |
Venise |
Landri |
Tigers, lions, panthers, baboons, ratites, bovines, bison, zebras |
Vitalis |
Mauger |
Lions, baboons |
William's Francky |
|
Lions |
Zavatta Achille fils |
Falck |
Giraffes, elephants, tigers, panthers, lions, baboons, zebras, bison, bovines |
Zavatta A fils |
Cagniac |
Elephant, tigers, zebras, bovines, camelids |
Zavatta Alfonso |
Fricheteau |
Lions, camelids |
Zavatta Anthony |
Landri |
Hippopotamus, lions, bison, bovines, camelids, llamas |
Zavatta Céline |
Caplot |
Camelids, llamas |
Zavatta Eric |
Goujeon |
Boviness, camelids |
| Zavatta Eric |
Dassoneville |
Tigers |
Zavatta Eric |
Lamberty |
Lions, camelids |
Zavatta Fabio |
Prein |
Hippopotamus, tigers, lions, zebras,
ostriches, camelids, llamas
|
Zavatta Francesco |
Bayard |
Camelids, bovines |
Zavatta Gino |
|
Tigers, camelids, zebra |
Zavatta Louis |
Sénéca |
Hippopotamus, lions, bison |
Zavatta Luigi |
Dassoneville |
Lions, tigers, snakes |
Zavatta Lydia |
Zavatta |
Tigers, lions, snakess, camelids, llamas |
Zavatta Sébastien |
Douchet |
Lions, tigers, camelids, bovines |
Zavatta Stephan |
Klisson |
Elephant, tigers, camelids, bovines, llamas |
Zavatta Thierry |
(Ritz) |
Panthers, rhesus monkeys, lions, camelids, bovines |
Zavatta Willie |
Beautour |
Giraffe, lions, camelids |
Zavatta Willie fils |
Caplot |
Tigers, zebras |
Zavatta |
|
Tiger, bovines, camelids |
Zavattony (Monsieur Loyal) |
|
Tigers, bovines, llamas |
| |
|
|
Halley Nathalie |
|
Tigers, leopards |
Poliakov Sacha |
|
Brown bears |
Bauer Kid |
|
Felines |
Bovines : cows, yaks, watusi, buffalo, etc.
Camelids : dromedaries, camels
Ratites : ostriches, rheas, emus
(1) Statement by Syndicat National du Cirque representatives during a meeting on February 19, 2008, at Association des Maires de France.
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