Working for a world without cages for over 68 years

In 1957, a dissenting voice against the enthusiasm for zoos and circuses emerged in the form of retired school teacher, Irene Heaton. She was appalled by the suffering that animals were subjected to for entertainment and founded the organisation which was to become Captive Animals (originally named the Captive Animals’ Protection Society). Over the last 68 years, we have been busy making big strides in animal protection. Here is a glimpse into our history: 

Irene Heaton and friends at one of the first CAPS campaign stalls

The 1950s, 1960s and 1970s

CAPS has long fought against animal suffering in circuses and zoos

The 1950s and 60s were the “heyday of the British Circus”, with famous names including Chipperfields, Robert Bros and the Blackpool Tower Circus. At its peak, Billy Smart’s circus toured with 200 animals, including elephants, lions, horses, polar bears, camels, sea lions and chimpanzees.

In 1965, we promoted a bill to the House of Lords, sponsored by Lord Somers who was then president of the organisation, to prohibit the use of performing animals. Despite great support, it was unfortunately defeated by just 14 votes. However, comments such as the one from the Earl of Haddington showed that supporters felt extremely strongly on the issue:

There is one thing about performing animals which I think everyone must agree, namely, that to dress animals up and make them do these tricks and for humans to sit there and laugh at them is the most degrading spectacle. Surely, if humanity is never going to rise higher than that it is a very poor look out for the world.

The 1970s saw CAPS organising demonstrations outside circuses while gaining more and more supporters worldwide.

The 1980s and 1990s

Pressure increased on animal circuses in the 1980s, with the organisation gaining the support of the National Council of Women. It was then that CAPS helped to finance the UK’s first animal-free circus, set up by the daughter of the late Coco the Clown in response to her father’s dying wish.

In the mid-1980s, we started one of our most important campaigns: to stop animal acts at the prestigious Blackpool Tower Circus, where for six months of every year the animals were confined in the cellars of the tower. Although the circus owner tried to move the circus in the 1990s, our campaign, backed by vets and other experts, was a success! This was alongside the locally-based International Animal Welfare Alliance founded by Pat Simpson, who later became a director of the organisation. 

In 1986, Irene Heaton said that when she founded CAPS “...not a single local authority was interested in the circus question. Now, approximately 100 refuse applications from circuses presenting animal acts.”  When Irene passed away in 1987, she left behind her a legacy of hope for animals in captivity and a determined group of supporters willing to carry on her work.

Captive Animals works to free animals from exploitation in captivity

In 1990, we became well-known for our hard-hitting evidence of animal cruelty in captivity, with our footage used by organisations worldwide in their campaigns to end animal circuses.

Furthermore, we expanded our work with grass-roots animal rights organisations by supporting protests, setting up the successful annual National Zoo Awareness Weekend, producing eye-opening video exposés and featuring in major stories in national newspapers. 

In 1998, we campaigned against pet fairs by obtaining first-hand evidence on how animals were treated. As a result, eight years later, the government announced a ban with the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

The 2000s and 2010s

In 2004, we commissioned the first-ever scientific study of public aquariums. The result was a damning indictment of this previously overlooked part of the zoo industry. Although the industry tried to denigrate the study, International Zoo News reported favourably on it and the government distributed it to local authorities and zoo inspectors.

Moreover, our investigators filmed zoos and circuses around Europe, and in 2006, we launched a campaign against animal circuses in Ireland.

In 2009 to 2011, CAPS’ media presence grew significantly with large-scale exposés on what life is really like for animals in zoos.  Our investigations led to high-profile zoos and safari parks being publicly exposed for breaching licensing laws, breeding animals for sale to circuses and re-homing animals kept in appalling conditions to an illegal zoo. 

Being originally named the Captive Animals’ Protection Society, we changed our name to Captive Animals in 2018. This was done to enhance the reflection of the essence of our campaigns and our ultimate mission of animal freedom.

In 2018, we achieved another vital win. As a direct result of our years-long campaigning and in conjunction with the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA), Ireland banned the use of wild animals in circuses from January 2018. This was followed by Scotland and Wales later that year, and finally by England in 2020 (after promising to do so since 2012).  

Now

Today, we work in partnership with a growing network of organisations and individuals who share our aims and objectives. Captive Animals' unique approach combines undercover investigations, grassroots activism and government-level work to put animals first.

We actively oppose the creation of new zoos and campaign for the closure of existing ones. Since 2020, we have successfully opposed the creation of three new animal attractions in the UK. We have also used undercover investigations to expose cruelty and neglect at Cumbria Safari Zoo (formerly known as South Lakes Zoo) and welcomed its closure in 2024 after many years of campaigning work.

At present, we annually team up with like-minded charities to identify, monitor, and oppose reindeer events at Christmas, having seen great success in changing hearts and minds. As many as 35% of the events we contact about their use of reindeer decide to opt for animal-free alternatives in the following years.

Animals suffer in mobile zoos every year by travelling for hours and being forcibly touched

In 2024, we also launched investigative reports into both mobile zoos and circuses, exposing these industries’ cruel and often unlawful treatment of animals. These establishments force animals to travel around the UK to be displayed in distressing environments and forcibly interact with people for hours on end. We are now using these reports to push for legislative change and ban travelling mobile exhibits in the UK for good.

It has now been 68 years since Irene Heaton founded the organisation and we proudly continue to campaign with the same passion and commitment as our founders. We will fight until all animals are free to live their lives without captivity, harm and exploitation.

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