The fact that doves are so calm makes them very easy to work with. The main reason why doves are so popular is that they have little appreciation of danger and remain quite calm when more intelligent birds would be trying to escape. Tricks involving doves have been a firm favorite for years, especially the classic Dove-Pan trick. Rabbits are docile and will stay put when hidden. Hold a rabbit up by the back of its neck and it stretches quite tall and will appear much too big to be hidden. READ What Is An Absolute Black Magic Mat | Why Do Magicians Use Them? They also are compressible as much of their bulk is actually fur. However, the main reason for using rabbits is that they are silent and will not give away the trick by making a noise. There is also an element of tradition, as rabbits have been used back as far as ancient Greece. Lovely “white bunnies” are certainly very cute and appealing to the audience, especially children. In fact, rabbits were so connected with magic that many posters featured cartoon rabbits to denote that they were advertising a magician. Rabbits were frequently used by magicians. Let’s take a closer look at animals used by magicians and also reasons why they use them. Some of this is due to one particular movie. Some adults may also have strong feelings about animal welfare and do not welcome the use of animals in magic shows.
None of which is conducive to a successful show. Rabbits are not always trustworthy and will sometimes bite children who get too close, and rabbits may also pee on the children. Producing a dead rabbit at a children’s party will NOT go down well. There have been cases in the past where animals or birds have been injured by magicians not using enough care. Most tricks that involve animals rely on the animals being compressed into small spaces, before being magically produced. This is now a real matter to consider when thinking about animals. These days many more children (and adults) seem to have allergies, more so in the past.
He thought she would be upset when he said no, but she turned around and said, “Cool, cos I’m allergic to them!” Ray Wong, a magician from Vancouver was performing at an outdoor birthday party when a nine-year-old girl came up and asked him if he had any animals in his act. Is an animal going to improve your act enough so that dealing with all of the above is worthwhile?Īnother consideration, not really animal welfare is the audience. They can be a problem when you have a vacation.They will frequently defecate on guests.Magician KC Cameron from North Carolina had a lot to say about animal welfare.Īs a magician who used to work in a circus, he has seen both circuses and stage shows close up and he believes that magicians fail to think the issue of using animals through enough. READ Master Mentalism Review – Is It Worth Your Money? Those of us that have pets will know how caring for them properly can be quite difficult, even without transporting them around to different venues. The attitude seems to be that the welfare of the animal should be foremost and it is better if the animal is a pet first before becoming part of the show. Generally speaking, most magicians tend to be opposed to the use of animals, mainly on welfare concerns, but others for practical logistical reasons. The last I heard was that the guy was prosecuted with animal neglect/abuse charges.” “He didn’t own any tigers so he opted to rent tigers from a zoo. Neale Bacon from British Colombia does not use real animals, for this reason, Neale uses fake animals and said, “ I use a rabbit (fake) in a hat, a raccoon Fake), as well as a few other vent figures, so I still have plenty of animals in my act.”īill Nuvo, a magician from Canada tells a story about a magician who thought it would be cool to have Tigers in his act. He hates it when he loses an animal because they grow too big or die of old age.Īnother reason real animals are no longer so popular with magicians is that to care for animals between gigs can be time-consuming and difficult. Regan, another entertainer from the USA, who is an animal lover still uses Dwarf Rabbits in his act, but he considers them as pets just as much as assistants. He said, “ I personally felt I would not be giving them everything I could in this environment.” He recently changed the emphasis of his business to working outdoors at festivals and was concerned over the welfare of his animals in that environment. Kyle Kelly a magician from Philadelphia was a magician that previously used animals in his act but has now made a decision to no longer use them.