But the Circus is Still Cruel

By Charlene Arsenault with Kara Miller

The circus is to animals what Alcatraz was to humans, except the elephants and tigers didn't do anything wrong.

If circus animals could speak, I think they would regale us with countless stories of inhumane treatment and heinous abuse. In the infamous words of George Zimmer from the Gentleman's Warehouse, “I guarantee it.”

The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus touted their “greatest show on earth” with long, colorful pendants lining the foyer of the DCU Center in Worcester, MA, on October 8, 2009. The most prominent flag had a caricature of a smiling elephant, wide-eyed and joyful. It was reminiscent of the deliriously happy rooster atop Wright's Chicken Farm. These representations, however, are a far cry from the atrocities taking place within. Wright’s chicken wasn’t ecstatic, and neither are Ringling’s elephants.

In fact, the preferred training method used on those elephants involves gouging their flesh with heavy metal hooks to get them to dance, jump and twirl. By the time they’re deemed suitable to perform in public, their physical wounds have healed, but they are now “broke” animals. They mindlessly obey the trainer, eliciting hoots and hollers from the popcorn-swilling audience.

As they do around the country, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) orchestrated a protest of the DCU circus date. Approximately 15 people, including two children and a woman dressed in a tiger suit, held signs and handed out flyers to inform the populace of the animal cruelty inherent in the circus business.

The lame arguments posed by non-protesters and those not savvy to animal cruelty are as infuriating as the subject itself.

“Animal abuse is exaggerated. The trainers treat them just fine.” This is the number one argument used by the ignorant and uninformed. For most, it's easiest to believe that the reported cruelty incidents are isolated, and that protesters are bored, animal-infatuated zealots who get satisfaction from the thrill of the march. This is not the case. The cruelty that occurs is documented and continuous. It is entirely real, but because it falls within governmental guidelines, it is considered legal. The hook training method mentioned earlier doesn't occur sporadically-it is a standard training method. Numerous former circus employees have reported violent, clandestine animal beatings. Animals are caged for countless hours at a time, isolated and immobile. And these are but a few of the atrocities being inflicted on our animal brethren.

“Well I suppose the animals would much rather work in the logging industry in Thailand, aiding humans in destroying their own habitat,” said a friend when I mentioned I was going to the protest. No, the elephants wouldn't rather be forced into labor, under the watchful eye of masters. Regardless, the circus is a cruel place for animals.

“What about eating meat, and the horrible conditions that animals endure at the slaughterhouses.”

Agreed. Slaughterhouse treatment and death is atrocious, too. That being said, the circus is a cruel place for animals.

“Have you ever been to a third world country?” No, I haven't. But that does not negate the fact that what happens to these animals in the circus is unconscionable. Laurence Van Atten, head of the American Office for International Animal Rescue, spends much of her studies, time and effort in third world countries battling animal cruelty AND she focused her dissertation on the “dancing bears” of India. She, too, thinks the circus is a cruel place for animals.

I have never understood why the argument posed to animal protesters always begins with the premise, “but what about...?” I experienced this phenomenon first-hand when campaigning for signatures to end greyhound racing this past voting season.

“But what about the children? What about kids who are victims of violence?” I wholeheartedly share your concern. Abuse is terrible. It should not happen. But greyhounds shouldn't be racing, and the circus is a cruel place for animals.

“But what about the leather shoes on your feet?” Yes, despite the guilt that I feel, I still wear them and that’s hypocritical. Regardless, the circus is still a cruel place for animals.

You may have been raised to regard the circus as “the greatest show on Earth,” but I urge you to think about the suffering and pain being inflicted on thousands of innocent animals – all for the sake of “entertainment.” There are many other ways to spent time with your children, some of which would foster their inherent sense of compassion. Go on a nature walk. Try camping for the weekend and view animals in their natural habitat. Although they do not speak our language, they do feel. And I guarantee that if they could speak, they would beg to be freed from the constraints of the circus, the rodeo, the zoo, the cage.

Please visit www.circuses.com to read the facts and watch undercover video that reveals the truth about the animal entertainment business.