Circus Animals

Menageries have been popular attractions for eons–as in, dating back to the Romans. Their popularity never really waned…and in fact, it increased with time, as education became more common and science advanced. More and more people wanted to understand animals, but traveling to the wilds was still beyond what most of them could hope for.

Enter the menagerie. In the days of absolute monarchy in Europe, it was usually only the richest of nobles and kings who could afford to have such a thing, and they were part of their grand estates and palaces. But then private enterprise began to kick in. Sailors would bring back exotic creatures from the lands they visited–birds, snakes, monkey, and so on–and animal dealers would buy them, then resell to other entrepreneurs.

In the seventeenth and eighteen centuries in England, there were many permanent menageries throughout England, and they enjoyed spectacular success. Eventually these would be called “zoological parks”…or zoos for short. 😉 But in the nineteenth century, the managerie took on new life: because it took on wheels.

The idea of a traveling managerie would have seemed strange to those nobles and kings of centuries past, but in the world of faster transportation and a growing middle class, these exhibits provided a way for people all over the country of all incomes to experience the awe and ahh of animals the would never have seen with their own eyes otherwise.

Traveling circuses–which began with equestrian trick riding anyway–soon had manageries as feature attractions in their shows.

But you can guess what happened–what ALWAYS happens with people.

They got bored. They’d already seen those snakes and birds and monkeys. They wanted MORE. More excitement, bigger animals, wilder animals. They wanted to see them doing something, not just sitting in a cage. And this is where the circus animal shows really began.

Often called “lion acts” because of the popularity of that King of the Jungle, circuses were soon training their animals to put on performances, either as the sole stars or along with their trainers. Lion tamers and their ferocious cats would act out well choreographed shows; women would ride on elephants who balanced on impossibly small objects; comedians (clowns) would let the beasts lead them into hilarious situations to get a laugh.

Many circuses and traveling manageries actually started–or at least furnished–many zoos still popular today. As animals lost popularity or grew too old to perform, they would be set up as a calmer attraction at these parks. But interestingly, many of the animals in manageries still worked–at a large zoo in London, it was commonplace to see zebras pulling lawnmowers or being hitched to carriages. Can you imagine?!

Circus manageries experienced a decline throughout the twentieth century, though it was a gradual one. And their impact on the world cannot be underrated. Thanks to them, millions of people got to study and understand animals from all over the world; zoological parks were founded that enabled further science and study; and even today, children and adults alike can witness the awe and grandeur of creation in their own towns and cities at these zoos.

And of course, in the world of the Imposters, the Fairfax siblings have a little retired managerie that claims part of their heart.