Brazilian environmental authorities say they have seized two chimpanzees, a hippopotamus, and 12 other animals from a circus in the capital of Brasilia where they allegedly were kept in unsafe conditions.
Circus workers chained themselves to the animal's cages to keep the agents from removing other animals, including two giraffes, five elephants and a rhinoceros.
Roberto Cabral, of Brazil's environmental agency, Ibama, said the animals lacked adequate space to roam and that Le Cirque did not provide adequate security for spectators and circus workers.
The operation to remove the animals was carried out on Tuesday. It was suspended after the employees resisted. Cabral says the Brazil-based circus has 24 hours to improve the animals' conditions.
