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Circus elephant treatment
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Children watch as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey
circus elephants start a two-and-a-half-mile walk from a
train siding in Moonachie, N.J., on Monday, March 9,
2009, to the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J.
(AP Photo/Mike Derer)
The circus is in town again. Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey will perform in Greater Washington through mid-April. I will not be buying tickets.
We took my toddler last year, and he loved it. Clowns, tigers, cotton candy, elephants.... If there is a special heaven for toddlers, Ringling Brothers knows exactly what's in it.
Nonetheless, I squirmed in my seat the whole show. These animals did not choose a life on the road, with gaudy tiaras between their elephant ears. The zebras, tigers and elephants looked frustrated and out of place in the flashy bright lights. I though to myself, "Shouldn't they be roaming the savanna or something?"
Today, the circus company is fighting in court for the right to keep its elephants. Numerous animal rights organizations have alleged that Barnum and Bailey's abusive treatment of elephants violates the Endangered Species Act. I have no idea how the trainers treat the elephants, but I know the peaceful beasts are not roaming the savanna. Regardless of the outcome of the lawsuit, the circus is one American tradition I will no longer share with my children.
For more info:
Ringling Bros. elephant abuse trial begins
Animal Welfare Institute
The Washington Post: Ringling Bros. Hits Town as Case Heats Up
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