Why Performing Animals should not be Put to Death when they Attack

Unfortunately there have been cases when performing animals attacked either human performers, bystanders or audience members. At times, these animals have been put to death, however there are many arguments against such a move.
First it is important to remember that most of these animals are wild. They are meant to roam free and live their lives in far different environments that they are now in. Living like this can be very confusing and upsetting for the animals. Some of them might even “go crazy.” Is it fair that they should lose their lives because of what might be a reaction to their unnatural environment?
Oftentimes performing animals are treated very poorly. The audience only sees the good parts, but they might not realize what life is like for these animals. They may live in small cages. A lot of them are hit or otherwise abused. Many of these animals are used to living with many others in the wild and yet they may have no others to be with now. Their attacking may be a self-defense mechanism and may be a natural reaction to being treated so cruelly. If put in similar situations some humans may respond exactly the same. It is not fair that they be killed for this.
Many animals are natural predators. They may attack others in order to survive. They may get confused during the show or their natural instincts may just kick in. Killing them for just acting like they are supposed to does not make sense.
Animals were not born to make a clown look silly or to jump through a flaming hoop. These may go against what the animal is naturally supposed to do. All of these can be very difficult for an animal to bear. When confused or upset, they may attack someone. To kill them for not liking to have a life filled with ridiculous tricks and a million people gawking at them is cruel.
Of course an animal who has attacked while performing should not perform again. There are usually other options to killing them, however, so why not take those instead of ending the life of a beautiful animal? There are many wildlife sanctuaries where they might be able to go or another organizations that might be able to take them. In addition, the organization where the attack occurred should be investigated for animal handling practices and animal abuse.