At least circus animals don't have to hunt for their food and are well looked after. There is no law governing the size of the traveling cages in which they are transported and kept. Close confinement in totally unnatural conditions is the fate of circus animals for life. They say the training is all done by kindness. There have been enough testimonies of sickening brutality in the treatment of performing animals to indicate that this kind of exploitation must not be tolerated.
Animals are afraid of fire.
To get them to do such a trick they must be made more afraid of what the trainer will do to them than of the fire itself. If it is so wrong and cruel the authorities would ban it. Many local authorities DO think it is wrong and cruel and they ban circuses with animals from local authorities land. Stay away from circuses and other entertainments with performing animals and don't encourage children to go. Don't watch performing animals on TV, and let the TV people know why.