Don't Waste Your $40.

I hate the circus. Really, really hate the circus. Probably everyone reading this knows this about me. I have been meaning to post this because once you know, you can't look at it the same. This post is in reference to any circus that houses animals. People (acrobats, clowns, etc.) are not where the problem lies. It's the innocent animals that have no choice and are being abused everyday. After reading, you decide: Is it worth overpaying to support a BUSINESS that abuses animals? This includes Barnum & Bailey Circus which has had and continues to have several suits against them due to animal abuse.

"After 25 years of observing and documenting circuses, I know there are no kind animal trainers."

-- Pat DerbyFormer animal trainer

Circuses are considered by many people one of the classic pastimes for children all over America. But there is something terribly wrong with the circus. The circus as a whole is an extremely questionable institution, turning the oddities of peoples into a spectacle. However people are capable of giving consent to participate in circuses; animals are not. It questionable to use animals strictly for exploitation, but to completely mistreat them in the process is simply not okay.

It is standard procedure in the circus to beat endangered elephants with bull hooks and to keep them chained at all times, except when they are being used. As a circus is a business, the primary focus of it is to make money. And to do this, they very often compromise the conditions for the animals. Most circus animals are exotic and require specific diets and living conditions. However most circuses take the approach of what’s easiest and cheapest. This means that the animals are kept confined for long periods of time. Exotic animal veterinarians are not available when they are needed, and if water is limited, animals are last on the circus’ list.

And these are simply the living conditions. The reason circuses keep these animals is so that they will perform at the shows. And in order to do so, the animals must be trained. If it takes a decent amount of work and treats to train a domesticated dog simply to sit, imagine what it takes to train a wild elephant to stand on its hind legs. The answer is early separation from its mother, bull hooks, electric shock, whips, drugging, removal of death, and many other methods. An elephant trainer was caught on tape saying, “Sink that hook into ‘em ... when you hear that screaming then you know you got their attention, " on the subject of elephant training.
An elephant trumpets in agony as Frisco’s bullhook, with its sharp metal hook and spiked end, tears through her sensitive skin. Frisco, a Carson & Barnes elephant trainer, learned the trade from his father, a former trainer for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

The fact is, animals do not naturally ride bicycles, stand on their heads, balance on balls, or jump through rings of fire. To force them to perform these confusing and physically uncomfortable tricks, trainers use whips, tight collars, muzzles, electric prods, bullhooks, and other painful tools of the trade. We applaud trapeze artists, jugglers, clowns, tightrope walkers, and acrobats, but let’s leave animals in peace. Sweden, Austria, Costa Rica, Finland, India and Singapore have all banned or restricted the use of animals for entertainment—it’s time for the U.S. to do the same.

Stop supporting animal circuses. Visit animal-free circuses like the Cirque du Soleil or the Pickle Family Circus instead.

If you do attend again, feel free to look for me outside. I'll be the one with the sign.




sources:
http://www.circuses.com/
http://www.peta.com/
Circuses by The Humane Society of the United States
Animal Circuses: Animal Suffering
YouthVoices.net
Animals in the Circus: A Lifetime of Misery