If you missed this recently, from the IDA (In Defense of Animals), the largest producer of U.S. Shrine Circuses announced he will be retiring all wild animal acts. Below is the announcement:

Bill Cunningham, the owner of The George Carden International Circus, the largest producer of US Shrine Circuses in the country, announced earlier this week that he will be retiring all wild animal acts.

As early as next week, Shrine Circus will be in full performance, but wild animals will be nowhere in sight.

While Bill’s motives are questioned by some of the other Shrine Circus representatives, who claim he had issues with the “suppliers” of the animals used and abused for entertainment, we’re thrilled about the outcome nonetheless.

Bill has made a statement that he is retiring all the acts due to the ‘immense psychological stress’ experienced by the animals.

“No lions, no tigers, no elephants. Our stars are the human performers that willingly participate and dazzle our audiences” says Bill.

Whether or not Bill’s change of heart is sincere, or actually a retaliatory response to his ongoing challenges with his animal ‘suppliers’, the end result is the same.

What is certain, is that as awareness grows about the suffering of circus animals, and audiences change into ones who won’t tolerate animal use and abuse, the breeders and suppliers of these vulnerable and exploited animals will face a shrinking market for their ‘commodities’ and animals will not be bred into existence or caught in the wild just to suffer meaningless and miserable lives in servitude.

Fabricated altruism, or not, this is one step further towards the day when no animals will be brought into existence just to amuse humans at their own expense.