While not performing these ridiculous stunts animals are confined in their traveling trailers, and off to their next performing city, often stuck inside there for more the 24 hours! Tigers who normally occupy 75-2000 square miles are in cages where they barely can turn around, elephants, that in the wild walk up to 25 miles a day with their families are chained from their front and back legs barely able to move. Normally clean animals, they are forced to eat, sleep and defecate in the same trailer. Elephants can be in chains for 70 percent of the day, horses confined for 23 hours a day, and cats kept in cages up to 99 percent of the time!
Animals spend 50 weeks a year traveling where climate is controlled by where they may be. This means anything from brutal heat, to frigid cold. Most recently, Clyde, a young lion from Ringling died in his trailer as the heat skyrocketed to over 110 degrees. They never once stopped to give him water. His death is currently under investigation. Another two tigers tried to escape their trailers from the scorching heat by biting the bars, breaking their teeth. Since 1992 there have been 24 documented Asian elephant deaths at Ringling Bros. Circus alone. This past year 2 baby elephants, Clyde, and 3 horses died.
Despite appearance to the contrary, wild animals are only superficially ‘tamed’ by
their captivity. Their instinctive behavior patterns and social needs remain largely intact within their genetic make-up. It is the continual frustration of these natural impulses which drives the captive wild animals relentlessly into neurosis. Being deprived everything natural to them they begin to show signs of deep psychological stress, such as pacing, bar biting, head bobbing, rocking, licking, neck twisting, self mutilation, vomiting, and swaying, over and over again.
THE CIRCUS
THE CIRCUS
Have you ever wondered how animal trainers get 8,000lb elephants to stand on their heads, tigers to jump through rings of fire that they would normally run away from, or bears to ride bicycles? Well, here's a sneak peek into the secrets of “the greatest show on earth”.
Behind all the fancy costumes, colorful pageantry, and music lies an appalling secret. Animals forced to travel and perform with circuses lead lives of misery. Encouraging the trade of exotic and endangered species, the majority of these animals are stolen from the wild. Through fear, beatings, and hunger the animals are forced to perform. The popular tools of the trade consist of bull hooks, whips, chains, and electronic shock prods!
COMPASSION FOR ANIMALS IS INTIMATELY CONNECTED WITH GOODNESS OF CHARACTER; AND IT MAY BE CONFIDENTLY ASSERTED THAT HE WHO IS CRUEL TO ANIMALS CANNOT BE A GOOD MAN.”
Due to constant stress and frustration the animals become dangerous to citizens. Since 1990 there have been over 135 deaths, and 480 injuries to people. After Tyke, a circus elephant killed a trainer in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1994, the city introduced an ordinance banning all circuses, and traveling shows from bringing wild animals into Honolulu.
Besides the threat of animals snapping there is the threat of circus workers. The bulk of circus workers are criminals. Their delinquency varies from rape, sodomy,sexual abuse, burglary, drug abuse and assault.
Attendance is declining at circuses that use abusive and demeaning animal acts, while animal-free circuses are growing in popularity. Cirque de Soleil is so vastly superior to something as passé as Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey. People applaud trapeze artists, jugglers, clowns, tightrope walkers, magicians and acrobats, but let’s leave animals in peace. Sweden, Denmark, Finland, India, Switzerland, the U.K. and many other U.S localities have all banned or restricted the use of animals in entertainment.
We cannot glimpse the essential life of a caged animal, only the shadow of its former beauty." -- Julia Allen Field
“THE ANIMAL ACTS THAT ONCE THRILLED AUDIENCES NOW OFTEN TURN THEM OFF. TELEVISION PROGRAMS ABOUT ANIMALS IN THE WILD AND ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS HAVE OPENED PEOPLES EYES TO THE FATE OF ANIMALS IN CIRCUSES. NO MATTER HOW WELL CIRCUS ANIMALS ARE FED OR ‘CARED’ FOR, MOST OF US NOW BELIEVE THAT WORKING FOR PEANUTS AND LIVING IN CAGES IS NEITHER NATURAL NOR HEALTHY FOR WILDLIFE.” Sarasota magazine
VISIT: www.CIRCUSES.com
More Beautiful Wild... Boycott the Circus!
You can Help by....
**NEVER attend a circus with performing animals, and tell others why they should not attend!
**Start a campaign in your community to ban animal acts from coming. Here is a link to NYS assembly members. Find yours, and write them a letter explaining the abuse of the circus, and that there are better options,such as Cirque de Soleil. http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/
**When the circus is coming to town get involved with other animal rights groups and hold a protest!
“THIS CRUELTY, THESE BEATINGS ARE WHAT THE CIRCUS IS DESPERATE TO HIDE FROM THE PUBLIC. THESE ANIMALS ARE NOT VOLUNTEERS. THEY HAVE BEEN DEPRIVED OF THEIR PRECIOUS FREEDOM, AND BEATEN FOR A LIFETIME OF CHEAP TRICKS.” Ingrid E. Newkirk
From this....
....to this
Baby elephant shackled.
It's called
"breaking their spirit"
Tied down, until it finally gives up.
Training method used on elephants in the circus.
