The Austrian circus stopped using wild animals in its shows in the 1990s, well before others began to take similar steps, and since then had only used domestic horses. But recently, the circus decided to stop using animals altogether and take things in a more futuristic direction.
The high-flying trapeze artists and clowns in the circus are now paired with a full team of holographic animals from around the world. Projected elephants wave their trunks at the crowd, and later a bright orange fish swims the length of the arena.
Thanks to new technology, it’s never been a better time for circuses to stop featuring live animals.
Check out a video of the virtual animals here.