Elsewhere on DAFF
Display Housing
Exercise facilities for animals are mandatory and must be provided at each venue.
These guidelines give minimum dimensions for display enclosures, but these should be maximised wherever possible.
Animals must not be kept in transportation wagons for more than two days without exercise.
Where animal trailers are used as display enclosures, the trailers must contain a dry platform raised off the floor where the animals can retreat while the floor is being cleaned, and until it dries.
Big Cats
At performance sites, big cats must have access to exercise areas in the form of large demountable enclosures annexed to their wagons for at least six hours during the day.
The annexes should be made of steel-tube, framed, interlocking mesh panels or other acceptable materials that are strong enough to contain the cats. They must also allow the cats to have contact with the natural ground (ie. grass or soil).
The minimum display enclosure for big cats is:
| Enclosure | Area |
|---|---|
| Minimum floor space for one animal | 20m2 |
| Floor space for each additional animal | 10m2 |
| Minimum height | 2m |
| Minimum width | 2.4m |
[m = metres]
Any enclosure for big cats must contain a suitable cage - either within or outside the enclosure - to enable physical restraint for safe veterinary examination or drug administration.
Access to the animals must be through a double-locked door that allows clear vision into the enclosure. The animals must be excluded from the area where the handler or keeper enters.
Enclosures must meet the needs of all the cats housed within, and must provide access to:
- sunlight
- shade from direct sunlight during daylight hours
- shelter from climatic extremes, and
- clean drinking water.
Dogs
The minimum display enclosure dimensions for dogs are:
| Enclosure | Small/medium dogs up to 15kg | Large dogs 15 kg or above 0.5m at rump |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum floor space for one pair | 4.5m2 | 6m2 |
| Floor space for each additional animal | 2.25m2 | 3m2 |
| Minimum width | 3m | 3m |
[kg = kilograms]
The enclosure material must be strong enough to contain the dogs.
Where dogs are confined by using wire running leashes, the minimum acceptable length of the wire is 4 metres.
When the dogs are not performing their display enclosures must meet the needs of all the dogs housed within, and must provide access to:
- sunlight
- shade from direct sunlight during daylight hours
- shelter from climatic extremes, and
- clean drinking water.
Ungulates and Camelids
At a performance site, ungulates and camelids must be confined to their area by ordinary or electric fencing.
The minimum compound dimensions for common circus ungulates and camelids are set out below:
| Enclosure | Horse / donkey / camel / pony / lama | Sheep / goat / cattle / alpaca |
|---|---|---|
| Area for one animal | 100m2 | 50m2 |
| Area additional animal | 50m2 | 25m2 |
| Minimum width | 6m | 2.5m |
Compounds must meet the needs of all ungelids kept within, and must provide access to:
- sunlight
- shade from direct sunlight during daylight hours
- shelter from climatic extremes, and
- clean drinking water.
Where possible, the ground underfoot must be clean, well-drained, non-abrasive and not stony.
The display compound must not contain any known harmful ingestibles within the animals’ reach. [1]
Under some circumstances it is accceptable to tether ungulates for a short period of time, and these include:
- during storms
- at night, or
- to isolate an aggressive male during breeding season.
Under these circumstances, the length of tether must be a minimum of:
- 6 metres for horses, donkeys, camelids and ponies, and
- 4 metres for sheep, goats and cattle.
Horses and ponies may be stabled, where outdoor compounds are not available. In these instances stables must be at least 2.5m high, with a minimum floor area of 12m2 for one horse, and 9m2 for one pony.
The animals must not be tethered within the stables and must have visual contact with others.
Stables must provide:
- appropriate bedding
- good drainage
- adequate ventilation, and
- as much natural light as possible.
Elephants
Elephants must be confined in a compound.
A circus holding elephants must be able to contain them by using electric fencing.
Except under special circumstances, it is unacceptable to tether elephants with metal leg bands, chains or equivalent form of restraint during daylight hours.
Elephants may be tethered for a short period during daylight hours:
- during storms
- when the elephant's trainer or handler is temporarily absent from the circus due to an emergency, or
- for the immediate safety of a person.
Tethers are allowed at night for safety reasons.
If an elephant is to be tethered, only a metal leg band may be used and must be placed around only one leg of the animal.The minimum length of the tether must be at least 4 metres.
The minimum compound dimensions for Asiatic elephants are:
| Enclosure | Area |
|---|---|
| Single or pair elephants | 600m2 |
| Each extra elephant | 200m2 |
| Minimum width | 10m |
Compounds must meet the needs of all elephants kept within, and must provide access to:
- sunlight
- shade from direct sunlight during daylight hours
- shelter from climatic extremes, and
- clean drinking water.
Where possible, the ground underfoot must be clean, well-drained, non-abrasive and not stony.
Monkeys and Chimpanzees
At performance sites, all primates must be given access to display enclosures in accordance with the dimensions in the table below.
If the travelling wagon does not meet the size requirements, demountable enclosures must be annexed to the wagon.
Annexes should be constructed from steel-tube, framed, interlocking mesh panels or other materials strong enough to contain the primates.
The exercise areas must always be available to the primates during daylight hours.
The minimum display enclosure dimensions for monkeys and chimpanzees:
Because they are extremely active, primates have one of the highest living space requirements. Cage size and height dimensions must be maximised, and the volume must be well utilised. Climbing facilities in the cage such as solid branches, mezzanine floors, etc must be fixed.
Primates of different species may mix in the display areas if there is no evidence of interspecies aggression.
Primates must be kept occupied as much as possible when they are not performing or being trained byproviding durable toys, swings, climbing facilities, grips and perches. These playthings must be changed regularly to vary stimuli.
Access to the primates must be through a double locked door that allows clear vision into the enclosure. Primates must be excluded from the area before the handler or keeper enters.
Display enclosures must meet the needs of all the monkeys and chimpanzees housed within, and must provide access to:
- sunlight
- shade from direct sunlight during daylight hours
- shelter from climatic extremes, and
- clean drinking water.
Birds
On arrival at a performance venue, birds must be released, as soon as possible, from their travelling cages into their display cages.
Perches must be natural tree branches that do not have an abrasive surface, and are uneven in diameter.
Each bird in the cage must have access to its own perch which is high enough off the ground so it's tail feathers are at least 6cm above the floor, regardless of the its posture.
If a caged bird can fly, and is the single resident of that cage, the cage dimensions must allow the bird to fly the full length of the cage in no less than five unhurried wing beats.
When there is more than one flight-capable bird in a cage, the size of the cage must be increased by 50 per cent for each extra bird.
Birds that fight must be given a separate enclosure that coforms to the required dimensions.
Display enclosures must meet the needs of all the birds housed within, and must provide access to:
- sunlight
- shade from direct sunlight during daylight hours
- shelter from climatic extremes, and
- clean drinking water.
If the cage flooring is solid, a suitable material that is absorbent and cannot be displaced easily must be used and changed weekly.
Bird display cages must provide protection from predators and be located well away from other animals that may cause cage panic and result in the birds injuring themselves.
- Also see Housing and Night Quarters.
[1] Camels and goats in particular tend to be indiscriminate browsers and as a consequence, any access to poisonous plants or harmful materials (such as plastic bags) may have adverse affects.
13 Apr 2007