- Thomas Hawk
Starting today, Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey is in Charlotte for five days. If you’re going, have a great time. I definitely will not be there, though, and it’s because of the elephants.
I used to love circuses and still admire many of the performers. But I can no longer justify paying to see an event that holds great, noble beasts like elephants (or tigers and lions, for that matter) in captivity, simply to entertain humans. In November, Ringling was smacked with the biggest penalty in circus history after its parent company agreed to pay a $270,000 fine and implement stricter compliance training for its circus employees who work with animals. The agreement came after the U.S. Department of Agriculture found Ringling had violated the Animal Welfare Act on 14 occasions between 2007 and August 2011.
Even with better employee training, circus elephants will still be kept in spaces that are far too small for their instinctive needs, which is known to cause the animals great anxiety; and they are taught, through arduous (I would say cruel) training, to perform tricks and get into poses that are completely unnatural to them.
It’s also true that elephants are handled, poked, prodded and struck with sharp bullhooks, which resemble fireplace pokers. In 2009, an animal protection group secretly filmed Ringling elephant handlers who were routinely and repeatedly striking elephants about the head with bullhooks, just before performances, for no apparent reason. (See the video below.)
People opposed to Ringling Bros.’ treatment of its animals plan to protest the circus’ performances at Time Warner Arena while the show is in town. The first protest is today at 5:30 p.m., and others are scheduled through the circus’ Charlotte run. See more on the protests here, and see some of the reasons for the protests here. Meanwhile, here’s the video that played a part in the circus being smacked in court.
This article appears in Jan 31 – Feb 6, 2012.
The human equivalent to a circus elephant’s life is to take a human toddler, put them in a prison cell for 23/7, and force them to maintain a grueling work schedule until they die. Beat and shock them as needed for complete compliance. Oh, they have the good life. Shelter, food and constant care are provided for lifetime. This is what the circus calls healthy and thriving animals.
Children’s Theatre and Cirque events are great alternatives!
For over 142 years, Ringling Bros. has been showcasing the most amazing talent from around the world. Animals have been an integral part of Ringling Bros. throughout the years and they are consistently one of the main reasons families keep coming back, year after year.
In John Grooms’ post, “The elephant in our room,” he mischaracterizes the settlement with the USDA in November, 2011. This was a business decision to resolve open, disputed reports, in order to move forward in working with the USDA and insuring that our animals continue to receive the best care.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey animals are inspected by animal welfare officials in nearly every city we visit. There were 45 USDA inspections – not including other state and local inspections –from January 4, 2007 to August 25, 2011.
None of these inspections found any incidents of inappropriate use of the guide or “bull hook.” The guide is a necessary tool in elephant husbandry, and it is accepted and used all over the world in elephant care. Animal activists groups have distorted the settlement agreement as an attempt to further their long-running crusade, bringing up the unfounded allegations of mistreatment by our handlers with a tool they have demonized.
At Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, quality care of our animals is a top priority. Videos like the PETA video has been selectively edited and doctored with sound effects.
Everyone who comes to Ringling Bros. can see that the animals are healthy and well adjusted – we hope that you will come see them for yourself when we are in Charlotte. The animals are accustomed to the training methods and animal husbandry tools used at Ringling Bros. The behaviors presented are developed by watching the elephants at play, and then adding verbal cues through repetition and reward. Not all of the elephants present the same behaviors during a performance of The Greatest Show On Earth, as each elephant’s abilities and skills are unique. More importantly, many of the trained behaviors are critical to providing optimal husbandry and veterinary care.
Activist groups who distribute false and inaccurate information about the animal care at Ringling Bros. will never be satisfied with animals being presented to the public no matter how humane the care and the appropriate management provided by Ringling Bros. Our commitment remains to providing excellent care for our animals, and that commitment will never waver.
Janice Aria
Director of Animal Stewardship
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey
The animals are forced into a life of Trauma and Learned Helplessness: bit.ly/wmKDco
“The inherent cruelty of traveling almost every week of the year, forced separation of herds and babies, being chained while not performing, restrictive caging, and coercive training methods are just a few of the reasons why the MSPCA opposes the use of wild animals in circuses.” tiny.cc/mspca
This exotic circus animal abuse is so egregious and well documented with pictures along with scientific evidences that 15 members of House of Representatives are co-sponsoring H.R. Bill 3359 Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act.
An educated consumer is the circus worst enemy because they know once you learn the truth about their cruel and barbaric training methods you won’t come back.