Sickening video shows poor dolphins being forced to jump through hoops of fire
HELPLESS dolphins are being forced to jump through rings of fire at an Indonesian circus in an unspeakable act of cruelty.
Harrowing treatment of dolphins kept in TINY boxes
Seventy-two captive Bottlenose and Stenella dolphins are being forced to perform tricks at a circus before having to travel miles to their next show.
The marine creatures are forced to leap out of the water and fly through narrow hoops with flames brushing their sensitive skin.
Trainers also beat the water with a metal pole when they make a mistake and reward them with a dead fish for successful tricks like carrying balls on their noses as well as other dangerous skills.
After the show, the six-foot long dolphins are then caught in nets and dragged away from the pools before being placed in water-filled wooden boxes before and being carried to their next destination.
They’re driven around in pick-up trucks for hundreds of miles across rough roads for up to 14 hours, sometimes even more, or flown in planes to various places across Indonesia.
The Ric O'Barry Dolphin Project, dedicated to the protection of dolphins, released the horrific footage after being tipped off by concerned visitors at the circus.
Lincoln O'Barry, from the group, said: ”As hard as it is to believe, dolphin traveling circuses are a big hit in Indonesia.
“It's pretty barbaric. It's the only time I've seen dolphins jumping through a hoop of fire. It's definitely something from a bygone era.
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The transportation is so stressful for the animals that many of the dolphins die
“The animals are frequently hauled out of their plastic performing pools and loaded into the back of trucks along with other animals as the circuses move from town to town.
“The transportation is so stressful for the animals that many of the dolphins die due to this stress and lack of proper care.
“There is also evidence that all of the dolphins have all been caught illegally from the wild.”
The cruel circus earns the equivalent of around £47,000 each month.
These types of circuses remain in Indonesia due to poor monitoring on the welfare of animals as well as the country's lack of enforcement on legal captures.
The plastic pools they perform in are filled with artificial salt water and high levels of chlorine which can cause blindness.
Loud music is also blared out to the crowds in the audience, which can be incredibly painful for the dolphins as they have sensitive hearing.
Other animals that perform at the circus include baby sunbeams, small-clawed otters, yellow-crested cockatoos and an orangutan.
