HARROWING footage shows dolphins being forced to leap through rings of FIRE then crammed into tiny boxes as part of a travelling circus.

The marine creatures are seen leaping out of the water through the narrow hoops with flames brushing against their sensitive skin.

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8 The dolphins are forced to leap through burning hoops at the Indonesian circus Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

8 An animal rights charity obtained the sickening footage of the dolphin circus Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

8 Punters pay the equivalent of a few pennies to see the disturbing show Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

Trainers beat the water with a metal pole when the dolphins make a mistake or reward them with dead fish for tricks like carrying balls on their noses.

The six foot-long bottlenose dolphins are then hauled from the tiny pool and loaded into open-topped, water-filled wooden boxes.

They are then driven in pick-up trucks hundreds of miles across rough roads or flown in planes to reach the next destination in Indonesia.

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Ric O'Barry Dolphin Project released the ''disturbing footage'' after he was tipped off by concerned visitors to the circus.

Lincoln O'Barry, from the group, said: ''As hard as it is to believe, dolphin traveling circuses are a big hit in Indonesia.

"It's pretty barbaric. It's the only time I've seen dolphins jumping through a hoop of fire. It's definitely something from a bygone era

''While all captive dolphin facilities have welfare issues, the circuses in Indonesia seem decidedly crueller because they're travelling.

''The animals are frequently hauled out of their plastic performing pools and loaded into the back of trucks along with other animals as the circuses move from town to town.

''The transportation is so stressful for the animals that many of the dolphins die due to this stress and lack of proper care.

8 A dolphin is caught in a net before being carried to a wooden box for transportation Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

8 The dolphins are shipped around Indonesia in boxes and forced into torturous stunts Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

''There is also evidence that all of the dolphins have all been caught illegally from the wild.''

Convoys of trucks carrying dolphins arrive at different locations and the dolphins are moved again into temporary, portable plastic pools filled with chlorine and artificial salt water.

Spectators pay the equivalent of a few pennies to watch the dolphins perform.

Other animals kept in the circus are baby sun bears, small clawed otters, yellow crested cockatoos and an orangutan.

Femke Den Haas, founder of Jakarta Animal Aid Network, said: ''It's extremely cruel. When I first learned about the travelling dolphin shows, I couldn't believe it.

''Dolphins are acoustic animals, so it's hell for them. They're in so much pain being exposed to this amount of noise.''

8 One of the beautiful dolphins which performs in the sick travelling show in Indonesia Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

Earlier this month, shocking footage showed a lion tamer being killed by one of the beasts during a live show.

The man was performing for a crowd in a circus show in Alexandria, northern Egypt, when the attack happened.

According to a security source quoted by Al Arabiya.net, the victim was 35-year-old Shaheen Islam, who worked as a trainer in the Alexandria’s Lion village.

Islam died from the horrific injuries he sustained in the attack.

The trainer was reportedly giving a presentation for students when the animal turned on him.

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8 The circus worker stands nose to nose with the colossal beast in the start of the video Credit: LiveLeak

In November, Britain's last lion tamer came under fire after undercover footage emerged allegedly showing tormented big cats pacing tiny cages set up in the back of a truck on a campsite.

Two lions and three tigers owned by Thomas Chipperfield were reportedly subjected to barbaric treatment including restricted exercise and showed signs of traumatic behaviour.

The Government has faced renewed calls to ban wild animals from circuses since the footage – taken by Animal Defenders International (ADI) – emerged.

The charity captured almost 30 hours of film on the site, which sits between the noisy M6 toll motorway and the A5 in Cannock, Staffs.

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8 The animals were allegedly kept in darkness for more than 12 hours and had to put up with constant noise from nearby main roads

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