Captive wild animals have complex welfare needs and instinctive natural behavioural needs that must be met. 

The use of wild animals in travelling circuses is banned:

• in England by the Wild Animals in Circuses Act 2019
• in Scotland by the Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses (Scotland) Act 2018

Travelling circuses involve the regular transportation of wild animals between sites and locations and the facilities must be portable and often size-limited. This means they aren't able to meet the needs of wild animals for a suitable environment, with adequate space, enrichment materials, temperature, and noise regulation.

Time spent travelling, and performance schedules, may disrupt the normal diet of wild animals, by impacting the storage, preparation, and provision of a suitable diet.

Limited space can also result in unsuitable social groupings for individual animals and high social density, which can lead to stress, aggression, and abnormal behaviour.