Cruelty to Circus Animals

[Stephanie Durecko]

It is long overdue that Ringling Bros. Circus be responsible for the mistreatment of circus animals. As children we never really saw the cruelty but as responsible adults it time to take a stand against this treatment of these beautiful animals.

[Stephanie Durecko]

Action Alert:
Circus Animals Need Your Help in 2008
Published 01/03/08
In 2008, Born Free USA united with Animal Protection Institute will continue to work with concerned animal advocates across the country to bring an end to the cruelties that circus animals are forced to endure. Examples include elephants being subjected to prolonged chaining and the use of bullhooks, and tigers living for most of the year inside small travel cages.
This year, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus launches two new tours — its 138th Blue tour edition Over the Top, and its new smaller Gold tour show Boom a Ring. The 137th Red tour show Bellobration will also be on tour in 2008. All three of Ringling Bros. touring shows include elephants, tigers, and other wild and exotic animals in their line-ups.
Born Free USA united with API is counting on your help to ensure the success of our efforts.
Educating people that using animals in circuses is an unnecessary and inhumane practice, harmful to both the animals and the public, is an important difference you can make for circus animals.
So check out the list below for ways you can take action, and please plan to put some or all of them into practice in 2008. Circus animals are counting on you!
Background
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus is currently involved in a federal lawsuit brought by a former Ringling employee and several leading animal advocacy groups, including us. The lawsuit alleges that the circus violates the Endangered Species Act by abusively training and disciplining elephants with sharp implements such as bullhooks, and by intensively confining and chaining them for long periods.
An August 2007 Federal court ruling ensures that the case will move forward, and a trial is expected in 2008.
For further information about what a life spent traveling in the circus means for the animals click here.
Click here for four reasons why you should NOT attend a circus that uses animals.
How You Can Help:
1. Join our Circus Activist Network
If you haven’t done so already, please join our Circus Activist Network today. We’ll send you circus-related news, let you know when Ringling Bros. is coming to your area, and work to connect you with other activists in your area who are also taking action.
2. Donate to the Elephant Defense Fund to aid our litigation efforts against Ringling Bros.
Money raised for this fund will allow us to continue to pursue our lawsuit against Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus for alleged violations of the Endangered Species Act — related to the treatment of Asian elephants.
Pursuing important initiatives such as this ground-breaking lawsuit requires tremendous amounts of resources. By donating today, you are taking a stand and making a crucial difference for this animals
Click here to find out more and donate now.
3. Submit a Letter to the Editor of your local newspaper, or contact a local news reporter.
Prior to the arrival of the circus, many newspapers run fluff pieces to promote attendance at the circus. Offering a different point of view is crucial. For talking points and other suggestions, click here.
4. Organize or attend a peaceful protest.
Starting a peaceful protest is easy! Keep an eye out for dates when the circus is coming to your area. Then just contact us to order materials for your outreach efforts, and to let us know you’ll be out there. We offer our Lifetime of Misery posters and brochures, and circus-specific fact sheets for several circuses.
Need help organizing or connecting with others for a demonstration in your area? Contact [e-mail] to find out more.
5. Attend a city council meeting in your community.
Interested in working to pass an ordinance in your city? We are currently looking for compassionate animal advocates who are willing to lend a hand to help get an ordinance passed in their locality. We can help you!
This is a great opportunity to help your city — which could soon join the many others throughout the U.S. that have already enacted legislation related to the treatment of circus animals.
Click here to contact us and get started.
We want to hear from you
Let us know when you take action to protect animals in circuses. Send us an email and please include any photos of your events, weblinks to your published letters or comments, etc.
And stay tuned for new opportunities and new materials later this year!
The Circus Team at Born Free USA united with API thanks you for getting active for circus animals in 2008

[Stephanie Durecko]

Four Reasons You Should Not Attend Animal Circuses
1. The care and treatment of animals in circuses is shameful:
The tricks that animals are forced to perform, night after night, are frightening, unnatural, and even painful. Standard circus industry practice is to use bullhooks and other objects to poke, prod, strike, shock, and hit animals in order to "train" them — all for a few moments of human amusement.
Circus representatives often claim that only "positive reinforcement" is used in handling animals — and this may indeed be the style of interaction that audiences see in the ring and in carefully-controlled public tours. The industry also claims that it only trains animals to do the types of tricks they might naturally perform in their native habitat. But common sense dictates that elephants in the wild don't eagerly stand on their heads and that tigers don't naturally jump through hoops.
Animals in circuses spend about 11 months of the year traveling. For thousands of hours, over long distances, they may be chained while not performing, transported in vehicles that lack climate control, and forced to stand or lie in their own waste.
In the wild, elephants live in large, sociable herds and walk up to 25 miles every day. Most other wild animals found in circus settings, including lions and tigers, are also constantly on the move in their native habitats. In addition to the physical mistreatment that the animals face, depriving these creatures of the freedom to roam and to engage in other instinctual behaviors is inherently cruel.
More information can be found at: www.morebeautifulwild.com

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2. Animals in circuses pose threats to public health and safety:

Image courtesy of Peta
Animals in circuses are forced into lives far different from the ones nature intended. The conflict between their instincts and the harsh realities of captivity — as well as training methods that utilize violence, fear, and intimidation — cause wild animals tremendous amounts of stress. It is little wonder that some animals literally are driven mad and rebel in rampages that injure and kill people.
Animals in circuses have escaped from their enclosures and freely roamed outside the property from where they are performing. Escaped circus animals pose serious threats to public safety. In addition to causing major property damage, they can place local residents at risk from potential injury.
Elephants in the circus may carry tuberculosis (TB), and can infect humans with the bacterial disease. Public records show that many circuses have a history of tuberculosis in their elephants, and that many have used TB-positive elephants in public performances.

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3. Federal and state laws do not adequately regulate circuses:

It might be reasonable to assume that legal safeguards are in place to protect animals in circuses. But while some regulatory protections do exist, these regulations are neither sufficiently specific nor adequately enforced. Circuses and traveling shows must comply with the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and any applicable state and/or local laws — all of which are minimal at best and do not provide adequate protections against abuse and mistreatment.
Every major circus that uses animals has been cited for violating the Animal Welfare Act. Visit API's website for fact sheets about specific circuses.
Officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (which enforces the AWA) have repeatedly ignored obvious physical trauma to animals, eyewitness accounts of mistreatment, and sworn testimony from former circus employees who report mistreatment of elephants.

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4. Circuses do not conserve endangered species:

API / Bradley Stookey
Endangered animals born in circus "conservation" programs have never been released into the wild; most are slated to become "replacement" performers. Conservation is used as a cover: Captive breeding programs do nothing to address the real threats endangered animals face in the wild, such as poaching, trophy hunting, loss of habitat, and loss of prey, and the bred animals were never meant to be released into the wild.
In the wild, native species are at risk due to environmental threats brought about by human behavior, not because the animals have difficulty breeding. While circuses line their pockets with money from the ticket prices, wild animal populations continue to atrophy due to a lack of funding and support for enforcement of protection laws, educational programs, and habitat preservation in the animals' native lands.
Despite circuses' high-minded claims, they are entertainment, not education. Watching wild animals perform unnatural tricks does not teach our children respect or appreciation for animals, nor does it help animals in the wild. Circuses teach children that it's acceptable to exploit and mistreat animals for amusement. Further, no research has shown that attending circuses increases public concern about the population status of a species or what steps are being taken to ensure its survival in the wild.
More information can be found at: www.morebeautifulwild.com

[Stephanie Durecko]

About that Tiger case....those assholes taunted that tiger so much, they were drunk and irresponsible. Yeah, I heard the wall was 4 feet too short....even if it was the "correct" height, these idiots should have never been aloud in the zoo in the first place. Who in their right mind goes to a zoo drunk.
I agree with you also about zoo's, good quality, preserving endangered species, bad quality, you're right they don't belong there.

[Stephanie Durecko]

I too went when I was young, again like you said you never really think of it when your young, you jsut think about the wonder in a child's eye and that I think is why B&B stayed around so long. It's sad when you grow up and learn the truth about stuff like that. Thanks youfor your wonderful compliment. I know a petition with 26,000 signatures already went to the president of B&B and know this case. Hopefully mistreatment will end. Thanks again for your support. All my love

[Stephanie Durecko]

Kate..thanks for your reply and because of your dedication to this site as well makes you a wonderful human being. Thanks again.

[Jenn]

Same here! I saw them when I was kid and had no idea now whats beeng going on! Thanks for sharing about this!

[Stephanie Durecko]

[Dette]

Its really heartbreaking what people do to these animals... They are meant to be in the wild and not caged. I hope that the time will come that people will treat animals with respect... I am behind you 100% for this cause!!!

[Stephanie Durecko]

I truly believe we will see the use of animals stopped in circus' in our lifetime. There are wonderful, dedicated organizations out there that have already won a victory in prosecuting B&B in federal court for animal cruelty. Our helping them with this crusade only empowers them and makes them stronger to fight for animal rights. I would rather spend my time and energy on animal cruelty causes and their outcomes that sit and watch American Idol.

We will prevail.

[Vladimir]

"... the outcome is bleak, and it is unfortunate we won't see a change in our lifetime... "

No. I will NOT accept this. This is what Feld Entertainment would want. The outcome is bleak NOW, because Feld has hired lobbyists to discredit animal welfare organizations that are making progress on the issue. It is only through consistent, organized pressure, which is unceasing-- that animal welfare advocates will be able to force change. Anyone can make a difference, and gain satisfaction from trying. The goal of Feld Entertainment is to get us to be discouraged and stop trying. Please visit my discussion, "How Can I Make a Difference for Animals in 2008" for some encouragement. There are enough members on this site who can participate and work to keep this issue in the glare of publicity. Feld wants this issue to fade, and the lack of public attention to be taken as acceptance. We need to work to see that this can NEVER happen.

[Stephanie Durecko]

I honor you for this true, sincere stand on this issue. I have read so many of your posts. The passion you show for the justice and respect that needs to be given to these animals is beyond measure. I am truly thankful for knowing you.
This case will be heard in a FEDERAL court, not just a state or city ban on the circus but federal court, that in itself is one giant step to see justice for these animals be served.."in our lifetime". Since this case will be tried in federal court all the better to get these petitions sent to Congress and the Senate. We that make it our responsible to see that the right thing is done, even if they are baby steps at first, can and will do what's right.

[Vladimir]

I agree. But I would also stress that this is a dual- issue. What every member needs to do also is work also on state-level issues. This may take the form of legislation to ban the use of bullhooks, the device used to torture elephants into submission so that they perform "on cue" during the circus. A law in our state has been moving through committee, but was ultimately withdrawn last fall due to lack of support. There was much progress made, but ultimately, the actual number of representatives was not enough to get over the hump. The representative driving the effort will try again, and animal welfare supporters in my state are hopeful, but it is taking time and every day the elephants are suffering. Feld has mounted a very aggressive counter-publicity effort, and threatens to not come to our state if the ban is enacted. As this drags on, the public becomes weary. Our state congress will take this as acquiecence, unless pressure continues to be brought. Feld wants to wear activitsts down, THAT is how they will accomplish their goal. I have no desire to eliminate circuses, only the use of live animals that can only be trained through abuse. I believe that is a big reason for supporting humane education as a part of public (elementary) school curriculum, since intolerance of animal cruelty should is best achieved by teaching the upcoming generation that torturing animals for entertainment is wrong. The frustration comes from the attitude that the circus owners "love" their animals, and that Feld treats them well as a matter of essential business, (they would be out of business if they treated them badly). I am convinced that anyone who watched the videos available online of the elephants being "trained" would question their desire to attend and thereby support Ringling Bros. I am convinced that most children would NOT want to go to the circus if they knew how the animals had been made to learn the "tricks" that they do. Sometimes, unfortunately, it takes the ugliness of pushing your laptop tuned to a few seconds of that elephant's cry of pain from www.circuses.com to make your case with someone who refuses to acknowledge the horrible reality. But after much fruitless effort, I was forced to do this recently as a last resort. I had a lengthy letter published in the paper, and one of my family members acknowledged later that she "didn't believe any of it," and that the circuses "loved" their elephants. So this is the mindset that you have to counter, people don't want to acknowlede the reality. I hated resorting the video, but had run out of options. Circuses with animals need to be stricken from the obligatory experiences that parents think are important in their children's lifetime. Feld Entertainment will work to brush aside the opinions of ANY of the posters here, and to discredit groups who bring the light of truth to their activities. If members on this forum committed to learning about and publicizing what circuses are all about in reality, progress will be made.