Mabel - Born April 6, 2006
Posted on 06/03/2006 4:01:38 PM PDT by CedarDave
The Asian elephants used in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus are at the heart of perhaps the most bitter animal-care fight around, one that's dragged through court for six years already and is inching toward a trial.
Its adversaries - a group including the Humane Society of the United States, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Animal Welfare Institute - argue vehemently that circus life is inherently cruel to the elephants.
They allege that the use of sharpened hooks by trainers, the routine use of chains, the separation of baby elephants from their mothers and other common circus practices add up to an egregious violation of the Endangered Species Act, which covers the Asian elephant and prohibits harm to it. The suit's goal is a court order halting these practices, which the activists believe would force Ringling to give up elephants altogether.
Ringling shows no signs of bowing to pressure, and has become more outspoken in defending itself since the first-of-its-kind suit was filed in 2000. "We train animals through reward, repetition and reinforcement - based on science," said former zookeeper Bruce Read, Ringling's vice president for animal stewardship. "Punishment is not used in the circus."
More generally, Read said circus life - including 50 weeks a year on the road - is not stressful to the elephants because the social groups around them, animal and human, are stable. He said young elephants aren't separated from their mothers until trainers are confident of their maturity.
"The Asian elephant has been semi-domesticated for centuries," said Read, citing its use in warfare, farming and various ceremonies. "Our circus brings them to areas where people don't see such animals very often. That's not something we should deprive our future generations of."
(Excerpt) Read more at lasvegassun.com ...
I took my grand daughter to the local circus, and wanted
her to pose for pictures with the clowns. She was terrified
of them. Even the women clowns scared the heck out of her.
I think it might have been all the make up. Not sure just a guess.
"Don’t care much for mimes or monkeys either." Mimes are clowns and yes monkeys are disturbing.
women clowns??? oh my gosh. way back when I was going to circuses, there were no women clowns. That would be much much scarier.
Mabel - Born April 6, 2006
Wow. That was such a brilliant response. DUH.
How lame...those that respond to my Freepr name as if that were a response to a comment.
I suppose I should then respond to any comment you make with " What can you expect from someone in Vegas? "
dude... like peace man... / heavy sarcasm
Awwwww!
The fact is they are NOT taken care of well.
Animals that are in more natural habitats, such as Busch Gardens in Tampa, FL are very well taken care of and children can see them live and very up close. If you will read my post...I did not limit the children to DVD's/ there are more zoos now than ever before that now make the elephant quarters more condusive to their natural setting.
Perhaps I feel that we have a duty to also teach our children to respect animals as God's creatures.
In order for me to take this picture, I had to bribe her
with Ice Cream, Hot Dogs, and other treats. Pretty expensive picture.
Smart Kid!
LOL!
More kids are frightened by clowns than by elephnts.
MY banners scream "See the Strange Thing" I work the west coast---I can tell you that pc has run amok. I am in the last generation of showmen and show-women. After centuries of history, our lot is being slowly outlawed by one regulation or another.
I educate, entertain and fascinate, all for a single dollar. But, the resistence I have by some fairs is incredible and defies logic.
By definition, I am sideshow. On the west coast sideshow has all but disappeared over the last 30 years. There are only a couple of big shows left, Ward Hall and his World of Wonders and Bobby Reynolds and by extension, John Strong Jr.
The powers that be and the do-gooders do not realize who their customer base is--what folks want to see and do. What I do is no different that what Ripley did back in the 30s, although on a smaller scale.
The elephants and Ringling Bros....Its all part of the same effort to stamp us out for good. To santitize and control us. We are the last of a wandering tribe of showfolk that has had a long and proud line of tradition dating back eons--and in the end it will be regulated out of existence.
This lawsuit is just one of many acts in recent years. In one state attemtpts were to outlaw exotic snake/animal shows and relagate such view to the local museum or zoo... (MA, I think).
Years ago an old carnival operator told me: "If they still didn;t think we bit the heads off of snakes, they wouldn't come." He was right then and he is right today. Folks want a little brush with danger, the unseemly, the odd and the bizzare.
My museum works today, even in the day and age of modern media and the flow of information. Folks want to see a crypto-zoological wonder--they want "To become a witness to the unkown, right before their eyes."
I hope Ringling wins the lawsuit and marches those elephants right on down to the courthouse--Imagine, putting the Circus on trial--kinda like putting Santa Claus on trial... Prof. J.M. Reid America's Smallest Travelling Museum/See The Strange Thing
Yep - really creepy. Kinda proves my point doesn’t it.
I think Steven King's It also contributed to my dislike of clowns. That and those really bad paintings, you know the ones.
And I never liked monkeys after the Wizzard of OZ… and I have nightmares about tornadoes to boot.
I think I have issues.
.
WHOA, somebody must have scared the heck out of you when you were a kid....8^)
I say turn them over to PETA. Oops I forgot they will just be killed and dumped in the garbage.
Too appropriate to ignore. DUH!
" What can you expect from someone in Vegas? "
We like to see elephants when we go to a circus - ?
Just for the record, you are not including our Area 51 aliens (they don't have papers) in your tag line comment, are you?
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