Tigers and Lions! | Chicago Ringling Brothers Circus

I recently went to the Ringling Bros. Circus in Rosemont, Illinois. This was one of my favorite parts of the circus.
Twitter: @ReigningRavens

[@sheinFL]

Alexander Lacey obviously has a wonderful bond with his Tigers and Lions. Absolutely wonderful show to see these beautiful creatures trained in a positive way. Masai the Lion is my fave

[@izzyharding4169]

he obviously doesn't they are all growling at him the whole time they have no bond they are living in constant fear

[@harrietpennington5028]

How can people watch and enjoy this. I was crying !

[@jeannettestake8058]

This man and his family have bred, raised, fed, cared for and love these lions and tigers. He wouldn't do the shows if his animals were being abused.

[@fukatrumume9750]

Couldn’t even endure watching the clips. So it’s impossible to imagine their confinement, pain & suffering @ the mercy of their captors. Good to know they’ve been rescued.

[@islander31]

Wow, amazing! I'm mesmerized.

[@kalyanisanjoy]

KZbin CIRCUS VIDEOS ARE A MUST FOR THE YOUNG ASWELL AS OLD.I LOVE THEM.

[@TheTrioGCN]

I normally do not enjoy seeing animals being made to perform stunts, and silly circus acts, but to see the respect and obedience of the animals here and how they actually listen and allow him to even touch them, it was amazing and I can only say that is respect and love. And its plain to see its not coming from the whip. Except for Marie and Princess who obviously have their own thing going :)

[@theecologist10]

You obviously dont know what happens backstage, NO animal wants to be in a circus performing

[@babakasmani1326]

Very nice.. Tanks for sharing.

[@EastCoastWaterman]

The motorcycles are my fave!

[@MegaLionita]

I'm so happy that this circus closes!!! Finally some good news!!! Animals have the same rights as humans! They need to be treated with respect!

[@MegaLionita]

Michelle huh, who is foolish now? How old are you, Michelle? Let me clarify that I’m coming back to you with nothing but good intentions only. First off, I do realise that it would be too dangerous for them to go straight to the wild, as they have been in captivity all their life. Do YOU realise that nobody’s going to let them go like that? They were going to be adopted by a sanctuary. Now second - the way the lions are afraid of that ‘human’ with the stick, please explain to me how did he manage to overpower the king of the jungle?! We all know the method, right?! And it’s definitely endangering and stress-causing for the animals!!! Third - do you even think that an animal as spectacular and huge as the lion is feeling completely fine sharing a cage, size 1.5x2.0, with 2-3 more lions?!?! Forth(and I’m going to stop here) - circus breed animals(intentionally or not, considering the fact I mentioned above about the cages)- do you know what breeding in such conditions causes? - the lions get born with so many abnormalities. So think before you speak nonsense, please. Again - nothing but good intentions, Michelle. And please excuse my English, it’s not the best. Warmest regards, Iliana

[@cinthianunez5464]

Never in my life went to a circus until now that I have little ones. This part being in a cage with tigers and lions was the scary part to see when I went. Just seeing those wild animals had me worried if something went wrong. Never again am I going to a circus cuz i did feel goosebumps watching all the stuff they do.

[@BadWebDiver]

That was way professional! That guy knows the animals very well!

[@puddles3425]

When I was younger the circus was fun I am not going to lie I liked it... until I saw what they really did. Glad they shut it down.

[@sankhadipchakraborty4813]

very good condition excellent

[@xLoveeAnimalsx]

when one of the lions was lifting its paws at the end near the right, he flung the whip up, and even though it didn't touch the lion, the lion got scared and raised the paws even higher. it shows how much they are beaten by the whip backstage.

[@Dragon34th]

Good job. The cats are well trained & they seem to clearly understand the program & what was expected of them & they showed close bond with the trainer. It's cute when it goes to plan because animals are always unpredictable.

[@lucyboulton7078]

This is why I have never been to a circus before

[@Bengal]

If you dont mind me asking what is the big deal? It isn't hurting anyone. It looks like pure wholesome fun for the whole family.

[@devoncr]

great show! this is what a circus should be about

[@dinaray81]

I sow this yesterday... my 4 years boy was so sad and wanted to go home... so... learn from kids how to be generous! The whole entire show was so good! It was so interesting to watch the result of hard work of gymnasts and all other young people who performed yesterday! But in our time we should not have an animal's shows! Watch the movies about them and better go to Africa to see how they living in freedom.

[@LilTroubles65]

As a child i went to the circus and hated every single min. I have NEVER been back to one.

[@amiriskandarani3608]

Amazing!

[@davidvalentino8998]

spent the day with this man and you all know more about these animals than any book will teach you. See how he interacts with them behind the curtains (without him knowing you do) and you"ll know that this aint abuse!

[@ay_yo_aliyahp8431]

I was there when you were video taping I love that circus

[@ay_yo_aliyahp8431]

+ReigningRavens 1 was in the third row in in the first row of seats

[@ay_yo_aliyahp8431]

+ReigningRavens 1 ikr

[@NK-zv9go]

how can anybody love something like that? Its disgusting

[@sujinas4696]

Aliyah Guzman

[@ziggyplay]

then you have fun with animals suffering? you are very stupid to enjoy this.

[@terisilver926]

These animals are NOT abused. Alexander Lacey raises them from cubhood and uses a system of repetition and reward to train them. They are all born on the show; There are a lot of informative videos on KZbin that show his affection for these animals; they will live longer than those in the wild as they do get excellent care. I understand that some people don't like the idea, and certainly, there are some animal trainers who can be viewed as abusive. But Alex is top notch, and his animals are in excellent health. The animals would not do anything they don't want to, and it's good exercise for them. I am not going to debate anyone's opposite opinion but I hope you'll be fair enough to learn more about how Mr. Lacey cares for his cats.

[@Naterz100]

Yeah the problem is that bad apples have tainted the truth for many people. The good trainers love and care deeply for their animals and the animals do love those trainers back. Sadly, often in the face of public pressure, the good ones will quit the show, and the bad one will keep their show going. But never try to convince some of these people of such their minds are made up.

[@Nowehi305]

great show

[@anupbaidya4084]

Superb!!!

[@prakashkumar-xw8zi]

robin's chidhood days were amazing

[@gopalparmar3148]

super mindblowing

[@aneudysperez26]

at 3:30 even the tigers are like bro we don't wanna playing around wit this lion man like for real

[@shaikhaman6608]

he was awesome

[@lagadema16]

While I was watching this i had a hope those magnificent animals will finally eat the bad guy... Am I a monster?

[@sapphireotaku3399]

Maybe, but not as much as him. Silly, isn't it? Surrounded by lions and tigers, and yet the tiny humans are the monsters. What a strange, sick world we live in. If you're a monster, so am I. Just know you aren't alone in not valuing someone choosing abuse over an innocent animal.

[@ILikeUnicorns09]

+Sapphire Otaku I agree. These wild animals in circuses are whipped, sprayed with water and jabbed with sticks. That's what I've seen. It's not monstrous to want the lions to eat them. They're being tortured, and if they attack their trainers, everyone assumes the animal is a monster. Imagine the amount of stress they're under, but because they're just "animals" to us, people disregard their ill treatment. Now if it was a human, being confined in a tiny cage and being whipped and sprayed with water, the perpetrator would be sent to prison for a life time. This is fucking cruel and it has to stop.

[@sapphireotaku3399]

ポプシクル Sadly people don't think like that usually. It can feel like us, think like us, bond like us, and yet, because it isn't us it's "okay" to torture it. Fucked up.

[@laurenharper813]

+ポプシクル yeah I agree it's so sad how they are whipped. I saw a video where a bad guy picked up a baby tiger and whipped him like 10 times wow so mistreated. I mean I get its a circus and they need to do what they need to do but still.

[@sapphireotaku3399]

Lauren Harper That's the thing though, why must they? Circuses serve no purpose. :-/

[@rosecastillo8200]

we went to Circus Monday

[@rodicaszasz9243]

TheGamingDude

[@morgancoughlan3499]

TheGamingDude That was very rude. Omg

[@Taera014]

This is amazing....

[@josievilos3344]

I have to be honest the last part was cute, with their cute Paw's, but really the whip, no just no, and princess was pissed.

[@sintecamillefrederic8299]

👏👏👏wooooow I admire your courage. just beautiful 😁

[@TSHEKHAN]

freakn awesome!

[@SchachtStudio]

Alex is an excellent trainer and showman. Despite what animal rights groups show in their propaganda videos, this guy doesn't abuse his cats. Its sad to think that at some point there will never be anymore big cat shows. Its the ultimate animal human relationship phenomenon.

[@seanredman4556]

danisjumpers I don't doubt that this guy is an excellent trainer, because he definitely is, but the point is that they (the animals) shouldn't be in that kind of performance at all. /He/ doesn't abuse his cats, but the idea of the big cat cirus show is kind of abusive by nature, because the animal is not happy in that environment. I think that there could be big cat shows in the future, but not necessarily ones with the whip and all the jumping through hoops bull.

[@SchachtStudio]

There is a misconception in what a whip does when training animals. I most cases its a cue. Just an extension of your hand. In circus acts, its really for the crowd. The sound of a whip goes back to the 'lion tamer' days. It just carried over. Of course there are people out there who use a whip to beat animals and that isn't acceptable. As for what they do in their act - I figure the trainer knows what their cat does the best and develops that into something entertaining. And yes, its ok to get an animal to do something that entertains people for money.

[@efrenchen293]

+danisjumpers They should be in the wild, though. How do you know this is in the animals' will?

[@SchachtStudio]

Oh yes, the animal's will. Honestly I have spoken to big cats, but they don't answer back...perhaps you are an expert - just like the other posters on this thread. Geeze people - animals are here for our enjoyment to say this trainer doesn't care for his tigers is false. There has been plenty of documentation and videos to support he is an excellent trainer and takes excellent care of the cats. To make the assumption that he doesn't, because you read it somewhere that most big cats are beaten, starved etc., shows that you have a very limited view of the subject. Sure there are people out there who should not own or train big cats, but to say all people don't have the right, and you know what's best for the world is pretentious and can actually be detrimental to the big cats themselves. Think about what would happen to those cats who no longer had a job in the circus - do we ship them back to Africa or India and hope they know how to hunt, breed and continue to survive? Who will pay for that? You? What about the cats who can't? Are you going to house them and provide care for them until they pass? Are you prepared for that food, insurance and vet bill? What about the big cat rescue and improvement charity programs that get funding from trainers, major circus' and private individuals. If they no longer have a job, you can't expect them to continue to send over money. Who will help those organizations out then?

[@efrenchen293]

danisjumpers I never meant that! Please, calm down! I just mean that big cats, "wild" animals in general, simply belong in the wild. They are not just for entertainment. They should be allowed to practice natural behaviors and live how they are made to live. Reguardless of how they are treated. I have seen that the trainer is not actually a bad person. Take Big Cat Rescue, for example.

[@vanhrapperon9967]

Very Amazing

[@bestfto5931]

seems all the cats are happy :)

[@anuragmaharjan]

The human and animal relationship at its finest.

[@buffalocatc565]

These tigers are still more tamer than my cat =_=

[@_carousel]

WOW!!! SUPER!!!!

[@ArattaTube]

Seeing a tiger in the forest will be more interesting to me !

[@shadikshaikh8488]

so good

[@rambo0071]

THis fearless man have balls great job

[@harih6474]

to all those ppl who r asking y ppl liked this video as the guy u all r referring to as monster in the video has actually along with his family bred the tigers and lions for almost 10 generations .he doesn't mistreat them he clearly loves them and if u want a proof of it then watch the Ringling bros final show and u will understand

[@ashleybytheway2679]

I can't imagine what they had to do to these animals to get them to be so obedient

[@Seecret]

insane video

[@AvinashSingh-ir7ky]

very good Video

[@SchizophrenicFrankie]

This is very impressive to watch. He keeps so calm, even though he's in a cage ten animals that could kill him. You can tell he has confidence because he trusts those animals, must've taken ages to train them.

[@tamaputraful1]

SchizophrenicFrankie it's because the wild animal had been trained and abused in their childhood, use violence method to trained them, hard practice, etc. so the animals mindset is trained to following anything the trainer desire. besides, the whip also planted on the animals memory, so they could be scare with that and bow.

[@SchizophrenicFrankie]

I don't want to sound ignorant, but I'm sure not all animal trainers do this. These tigers look well fed and healthy and their behaviour doesn't look nervous or jumpy, which would be definite sign of abuse. It looks like this man likes what he does and the big cats he trains are being cared for well. And I think the whip is for show, as it is a traditional item used by a lion tamer. Obviously I don't know all of this for certain, but that's just my take. And yes, they are wild animals, but as long as they're healthy and being cared for correctly, humans should be allowed to care and train them safely. Besides, most of them may have lived in captivity their whole lives, so to assume they've been plucked from the wild is a bit silly.

[@AkashKumar-cn1xn]

u

[@chriscorrea7259]

SchizophrenicFrankie late reply but these animals are definitely abused. A tiger or lion simply is going to these tricks since it's completely out of their natural behaviour. Plus, the trainer has to assert dominance towards these big cats so he doesn't get mauled to death, and in doing so they get abused.

[@koolmagicguy]

Please read Wild Animal Man. www.worldcat.org/title/wild-animal-man/oclc/534650 It might open your mind. It's out of print but maybe you can find a copy on eBay. Worth a read for anyone who thinks the only way to train an animal is to beat it.

[@ganomeeapproves6578]

Who else just wanted all of the tigers and lions just to attack him all at once.

[@anilkesherwani2106]

so nice

[@farche2]

Oh my god, look at the neat tricks! There must be something evil behind it, right? Right? It can't be just gradual training and affection. ReeeeeeeEEEE!

[@sreejith2345]

Wooooooowwww

[@ytdcexposedakapaul3075]

glad to hear this is shutting down. 2017 off to a good start

[@ninah1203]

Yesss! Me too.

[@u2yes1dnoedcpsabrinakittyb2]

YTDC exposed IKR

[@rayvarney8020]

Yep me too

[@yusufkhan-kb6ro]

dughhigj

[@ramparshad9727]

YTDC exposed beams

[@mrs.polghetti5763]

fantastico. Una padronanza dell'arena incredibile.Pochissimi ci riescono. 100% ok

[@jaiembry8108]

my favorite part was when he was rinding him

[@tyiapearey9157]

Cool

[@nataliekramer4054]

you get them Lion!

[@bernardocartujano4957]

did you know that the circus played some fire it was pretty IN TENTS lol.

[@arunsindur1472]

so nice video

[@iishyxvietxboyii]

This dude must have steel balls...

[@1aurabaker]

Tigers are so rare look how many there are that could be free in the wild 😭😭

[@_carousel]

Oh, nice!!!))))

[@Claudia-ql1wi]

Is this still legal?

[@gopalparmar3148]

super mindblowing9

[@sarahcadiente4793]

Elephants are beat and trained with bull hooks and the trainers hits their cats to create obedience or more so fear.

[@estebancampos2914]

Obedience yes fear, no. Just because they claim that their cats are all from captivity doesn't mean they'll never have an episode where they won't attack a trainer. Animals of these magnitudes can't be fully trusted, hence the fence and long line of cages that are connected with no chance of mistake so if the cats do freak out one day they won't have an accident like lower budget circuses who's still wild animals sometimes go into the crowd.

[@RameshSingh-vp7wh]

+Reignindyugbvjn gRavens 1

[@chandanlenka4031]

very tremendous

[@pramodkumar-nj4mi]

very nice

[@alexiscarroll6819]

when they attacked him if I was there I'd be chanting "EAT HIM,EAT HIM,EAT HIM"

[@Arslan_Munir]

An african lion once said that he hates circus lions!

[@Nicole-gj8db]

That's so coo😀

[@dressage125]

ReigningRavens 1, thanks for posting. I am a circus fan, but first and foremost, an animal lover. The man presenting these cats is one of the best trainers in the world, and would not mistreat his animals or he would not be able to make a living. He was brought over by Ringling from Europe, and his cats are treated very well. Ringling typically offers an Animal Open House where you can see the animals up-close and talk with their grooms or trainers. It is fantastic that you care so much about the animals; please make sure that you ask to meet one of the grooms or trainers the next time you visit a show to learn how they treat their animals. Ringling recently won a major lawsuit against several animal rights organizations, who accused them of mistreating their animals. You can learn more about the outcome of the suit on Google.

[@kierstenhelle7371]

I WAS HERE OMG

[@yashmotivation6592]

yas

[@knorieworiebobsnor]

Thing is, they don't do this for a cookie, like a dog would. They do it to not get punished. It's extremely spectacular, but that doesn't justify this at all.

[@busbettis1]

Brilliant display of furniture rearrangement, I thought the lions would all give him a big golf clap at end just before dining on him but no such luck.....

[@n.s6682]

O-M-G😱

[@irfanmasih1763]

great heart man

[@babesinbucket6139]

wow

[@hoofhappiness600]

You see, the felines are growling as a warning, you see, they are FUCKING SCARED AND WARNS THE TRAINERS TO NOT HIT THEM AGAIN

[@rosswind4837]

As we can see most tigers, tigresses, lionesses with perhaps the exception of the male lion are all in a more or less similar sizes. We can even see a lioness a little larger than a tigress.

[@natashaangelica2135]

One more. That man act like they're his babies and made them pretend that they want a kiss.

[@srsfriendshipletter405]

very good good

[@subrotoroy9990]

good circus

[@vivienleigh1097]

Not even once during the whole video did he strike his whip at any of the animals hitting them -- only on the ground for cues and motivation. These animals are a lot better off doing trick in the circus than being killed off in the wild for their furs etc; All of the tigers + the lion in the video are acting as any big game cat would, they also are perfect in weight. There is a lot of speculation saying the circus is abusive etc; but what goes on with the people in the show vs. the people who are paid shit to load them into the trains is different. I see training an animals (that otherwise people would think cannot be trained) an absolute art form.

[@efrenchen293]

The lions totally jump over each other in the wild. Lions and tigers totally sit next to each other in the wild. Lions and tigers are TOTALLY guaranteed to be killed in the wild. There's absolutely NO evidence that supports circus abuse.

[@slimsoulja97]

Finally a smart person

[@kalubhai2209]

kalu

[@illangipattyselvakumar7670]

circus is one of the art

[@adrianamatsumoto1434]

Illangipatty Selvakumar yes during the show you might not see any physical signs of abuse, but in order to get these animals to do these, may I say 'inhumane' acts', whips and hooks are used as a punishing mechanism. Also, the animals are kept in small cages during their off time and have various health issues from lack of interest by the circus. Many animals in zoos and circuses become affected by a physiological disease called "zoochosis" which can make them go insane. Which is why many animals attack the trainers. This would not be happening if the animals were in their natural habitat where they can run around freely and not be forced to learn tricks for the sheer enjoyment of humans. So please, next time you comment something like this make sure your facts are correct.

[@judiciouslyniger6173]

Aw, the superiority of the human animal......😳 😳 😳 😢😢😢

[@abbybugg5563]

abbybugg

[@beenay18]

why did tigers always looked as if they were is stress/distress? why are they trying to hit him with their paws every once in a while and also trying to bite him all the time but was a quick reflex action out of distress, but suppressed by whipping or something.

[@mohd.ambarambar18]

ohhhh

[@subodhkumar-np4vu]

super

[@abiirabbani2997]

wowww is very amazingg

[@md.kousharm5482]

Nice

[@mabelstark527]

Love those beautiful tigers! #MabelStarkMovie, #Zemeckis

[@teatreeoddie5997]

He has guts

[@aneeshkalarikkal9193]

this is very dangerous fun.leave it

[@katrinajade8850]

These animals are very smart

[@khajasaifuddinsaif3833]

nice shows

[@subswithoutvids-dw6dv]

Tigress jump so high.

[@ishquhms4084]

this is crual .please ban animals game .shame .very shame .this not good for American culture.

[@vrinda5303]

They have circuses in India, too, and they are not without faults.

[@raajadehuri9118]

English video

[@mdmossim3644]

Raaja Dehuri 7

[@yusufkhan-kb6ro]

tuo

[@drmonju-zj2zq]

nice circus