Localities that ban traveling animal acts, as of August 2004
| U.S. localities that ban traveling animal acts | |
| California | Massachusetts |
| Corona | Braintree |
| Encinitas | Provincetown |
| Pasadena | Quincy |
| Rohnert Park | Revere |
| Colorado | Weymouth |
| Boulder | Missouri |
| Connecticut | Richmond |
| Stamford | New York |
| Florida | Greenburgh |
| Hollywood | North Carolina |
| Lauderdale Lakes | Orange Country |
| Maryland | Washington |
| Takoma Park | Port Townsend |
| Redmond | |
| Localities outside the United States that ban animal acts | |
| Australia | Nanaimo City |
| Armsdale | Nanaimo district |
| Bayswater | New Westminster |
| Cambridge | North Cowichan |
| Ferndale | North Vancouver City |
| Kalamunda | Parksville |
| Lake Macquarie | Port Colbarne |
| Mandurah | Saannich |
| Mosman Park | Salmon Arm |
| Perth | Shelbourne |
| Victoria Park | St. Laurent |
| Vincent | Surrey |
| Vancouver | |
| Austria | Victoria Park |
| (Nationwide) | Windsor |
| Brazil | Yarmouth |
| Colombia | Atibaia |
| Avare | Bogotá |
| Campinas | Costa Rica |
| Cotia | |
| Porto Alegre | Nationwide |
| Rio de Janeiro | Finland |
| S_o Leopoldo | Nationwide |
| Sorocaba | |
| Ubatuba | Greece |
| Canada | Kalamaria |
| Patra | |
| Argyle | Thessaloniki |
| Bridgewater | |
| Burlington | India |
| Burnaby | Nationwide |
| Chilliwack | |
| Coquitlam | Ireland |
| Digby | Nationwide |
| Guelph | Israel |
| Kamploops | |
| Kanata | Nationwide |
| Kelowna | Singapore |
| Langley | Nationwide |
| Malahide | |
| Maple Ridge | Sweden |
| Mont Royal | Nationwide |
entrepreneur Philip Astley (1742–1814), an accomplished equestrian and horse trainer. During the late 1700s, he put together an elaborate traveling show that performed in many European countries. Circus entertainment soon spread to the United States. One of the first American circuses was presented in Philadelphia in 1793 by John Bill Ricketts, another British equestrian.
Early circuses were small affairs with a few jugglers and acrobats and usually a horse act. Over time they became associated with elephants. One of the most famous was an African elephant named Old Bet. Old Bet's owner was Hackaliah Bailey, the man who founded the Barnum and Bailey circus. Old Bet was shot and killed in Maine in 1816 by protesters who were angry that she was performing on a Sunday. Another famous show elephant was named Little Bet. She could actually do tricks, including removing the cork from a bottle and sitting on command like a dog. In 1822 Little Bet was shot and killed by a group of boys who wanted to see if her hide could withstand the bullets.
In the late 1880s showman P. T. Barnum bought an elephant named Jumbo from the London Zoo. At the time, Jumbo was the largest captive elephant in the world. Jumbo traveled around North America in a specially equipped railcar. She died in 1885 after being hit by a train. By the end of the 1880s, circuses were very popular in the United States. The five Ringling brothers of Wisconsin started a circus in 1884. They later bought the Barnum and Bailey circus. The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus performed its first show in 1918.
Circuses have always used oddities, both human and animal, to attract audiences. During the 1950s some circuses allegedly deprived ponies of milk to stunt their growth so they could exhibit them as miniature horses. A small horse named Angel was billed as the world's smallest. Angel traveled with circuses, carnivals, and county fairs for several decades. In 1997 she was rescued by the Horse Protection Society of China Grove, North Carolina. A picture on the organization's Web site in 2005 showed her at the time of her rescue with huge patches of hair missing and crippling leg deformities. Angel was nursed back to health and became the group's official mascot until her death in 2002.
In 1984 the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus attracted widespread criticism for exhibiting four surgically altered goats as living unicorns. Horns had been implanted into the goats' skulls to make them look like the mythical creatures. The ASPCA called on the public to boycott the circus in protest. Federal officials examined the animals and ordered the circus to quit advertising them as unicorns. According to the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the man who supplied the animals to the circus was a serial killer who tortured and murdered several women before being arrested in 1985.
Animal rights and welfare groups are very critical of circuses that feature animals. They say that the animals are treated poorly and spend long hours in small cages or chained to the ground. The HSUS makes the following claims against circuses:
- Many circus animals are not owned by the circuses but are leased from exotic animal dealers under seasonal contracts.
- Circuses do not provide proper veterinary care for the animals they own or lease.
- Circus animals spend too much time in transport in trucks and railcars that are not air conditioned or heated.
- Traveling circus animals are often deprived of food and water for long periods.
- Circus training methods include beatings and food deprivation.
The Outdoor Amusement Business Association (OABA) was founded in 1965 to represent the interests of the outdoor amusement industry. The OABA's Circus Unit represents the circus industry and animal exhibits. In 2005 the OABA's Web site stated that "responsible animal care and training are important issues for the Circus Unit." The organization points out that circuses perpetuate many endangered species and that exhibiting these animals raises public awareness about their plight. The OABA is harshly critical of animal groups that they say make "false claims" and accuse circuses of mistreating animals.
In an October 1, 1999, press briefing, OABA spokeswoman Heidi Herriot made the following claims:
- Circus breeding programs produced the first Asian elephant born in captivity in the 1800s.
- The majority of circus elephants in the United States at the time of the briefing were more than thirty years old. By comparison, animals living in the wild often do not even reach maturity because of threats in their natural habitats.
- Studies conducted by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) and Texas A&M University show that circus animals are "more peaceful, livelier, and less stressed than their counterparts in zoos."
- Reports that circus elephants are dying in record numbers due to abuse, illness, and malnutrition are false.
- Circuses "lead the way" in ensuring Asian elephant propagation in the United States.
- Banning elephant performances could advance the extinction of Asian elephants because circuses would have less money to invest in breeding programs.
- Animal rights groups inflate the number of people allegedly injured by circus elephants.
TABLE 7.3
Circus animal problems reported by HSUS, 2000–04
SOURCE: Adapted from text in Circus Incidents: Attacks, Abuse and Property Damage, Humane Society of the United States, June 2004, http://www.hsus.org/web-files/PDF/2004_HSUS_Circus_Incidents.pdf (accessed March 17, 2005) Date Location Entertainment venue Incident 5/31/2004 San Francisco Six Flags Marine World Elephant trainer gored, in critical condition 3/8/2004 Illinois Hawthorn Corporation Elephant owners found in violation of Animal Welfare Act (AWA) 12/22/2003 United Kingdom Bobby Roberts Circus Elephant escapes ring and roams residential area before being recaptured 12/2/2003 Moscow Children's theater group Bear kills trainer during feeding 11/27/2003 Ecuador Circus Police shoot and kill two escaped lions that attacked a child 11/23/2003 Illinois Performing animal firm United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) confiscates an elephant with a serious illness 10/3/2003 Las Vegas Siegfried & Roy casino act Tiger mauls performer, in critical condition 6/9/2003 Brownsville, TX Traveling circus Two zebras escape and roam highway. Zebras and bystander injured 5/5/2003 Orlando, FL Gatorland Handler attacked by alligator, receives lacerations to face 4/29/2003 Columbus, OH Ringling Bros & Barnum Bailey Circus Handler bitten by alligator on hand 4/25/2003 Russia Circus Animal trainer killed by lions Spring 2003 Russia Circus 12-year-old girl killed by runaway circus lion 4/21/2003 Spain International Circus Tiger bites arm off man who reaches into cage 4/7/2003 Indonesia Circus Elephant kills trainer 3/21/2003 Lincoln, NE Shriners Circus Pony escapes and runs down street before being recaptured 2/3/2003 Jacksonville, FL Universoul Circus Tiger escapes cage and roams before being recaptured 8/22/2002 Virginia Sterling and Reid Circus Animal handlers arrested for animal cruelty 8/10/2002 Rhinebeck, NY Carson and Barnes Circus Truck carrying elephants overturns on highway July 2002 Canada Shriners Circus Three elephants deported from Canada for possibly carrying tuberculosis 8/10/2001 Australia Lennon's Circus Lion tamer attacked by 3 lions, receives severe lacerations 5/23/2001 Mexico Hermanos Rodriguez Ayala Circus Two lions escaped and roamed around town before being recaptured 8/17/2001 Spain Circus Three lions and one tiger escape and kill several circus animals 3/25/2001 Chicago, IL Shrine Circus Onlooker files complaint about elephant being beaten with hook 3/25/2001 Allentown, PA Royal Palace Circus of Sarasota Snake charmer bitten in abdomen by cobra 3/21/2001 Moscow Durov's Little Corner Trainer crushed to death in elephant's pen 12/29/2000 Germany Circus Tiger escapes cage and roams onto nearby road causing 12 mile traffic jam 12/15/2000 India Circus Performer mauled to death by three tigers during performance 11/4/2000 Germany Circus Liger (mix of tiger and lion) critically wounds 5-year-old girl 8/4/2000 Brazil Circus Six lions escape from cage and roam town before being killed by police 4/24/2000 Thailand Suan Nongnuch Animal Park Elephant kills woman and seriously injures 2 other spectators 4/20/2000 Yucca Valley, CA Culpepper and Merriweather Circus Elephant and three horses escape. Elephant injures person 4/3/2000 Brazil Circus Five lions kill and eat six-year-old boy. Lions had not been fed for 5 days 4/2/2000 Baton Rouge, LA Sterling and Reid Circus Bear falls out of truck on highway 3/7/2000 Poland Circus Three tigers escape and roam town. Police kill 1 tiger and 1 bystander 2/4/2000 Tampa, FL Ramos Family Elephant who had killed trainer found dead 2/3/2000 Deland, FL Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros USDA inspector finds many scars and health problems on two elephants 1/23/2000 Tampa, FL Ramos Family Elephant tramples keeper to death 1/8/2000 India Elephant parade One man killed and several spectators injured by elephant stampede - U.S. government records show that no circus patrons died during the decade preceding the press briefing, nor had any contracted diseases from circus elephants.
In addition, the OABA pointed out that the welfare of circus animals is regulated by the USDA, many state fish and wildlife agencies, and many local government agencies. The spokeswoman said, "There are more regulations in place for circus animals than there are for our children."
Major animal welfare and rights groups, such as the HSUS and PETA, advocate animal-free circuses. On its Web site in 2005, the HSUS listed eighteen animal-free circus productions that tour the United States. One of the most famous is the Cirque du Soleil (Circus of the Sun), based in Montreal, Canada. In January 2003 the Reuters News Service interviewed Cirque du Soleil's artistic director Pierre Parisien, who explained that the company has no intention of using animals in its shows. Referring to circus animals, he said "we do not agree with the way they are trained and I'm not sure the place of an elephant or a tiger is to stand in a cage half of its life and perform all around the world."
On its anticircus Web site, PETA lists hundreds of captive animal attacks it says have occurred since 1990. PETA claims that these rampages result from the animals' rebelling against years of abuse and deprivation. The HSUS also maintains a list of animal incidents (escapes, attacks, and alleged abuse cases) associated with circuses and other animal entertainment acts. Table 7.3 lists those that occurred during the 2000s. The most widely publicized was the 2003 attack of Las Vegas showman Roy Horn of the Siegfried and Roy act. Horn was critically injured after being attacked in the neck by one of the show's tigers during a live performance.
Elephants
Among all circus animals, elephants often receive the most attention from animal rights and welfare groups. History shows that elephant-human encounters can sometimes turn tragic for both sides. In 1826 Chunee the performing elephant was killed in England for displaying menacing behavior. It took more than 150 shots and over an hour to kill the animal, and witnesses reported that the elephant was in agony during the ordeal. The incident was widely reported in the British press and helped to gain sympathy for captive wild animals in the country.
In 1916 Mary the circus elephant was hung from a crane in Erwin, Tennessee, after killing her trainer, Red Eldridge. Eldridge had been on the job only one day. He had no experience with elephants and was a janitor before joining the circus. Witness accounts of the attack differ. Some people said it was completely unwarranted. Others said that Eldridge hit Mary in the mouth with a stick. The hanging was botched several times, and Mary's foot and hip were broken before she was finally killed. According to local historians, an autopsy conducted on the elephant revealed that she had abscessed teeth, a very painful condition that had never been treated.
In 1994 an elephant named Tyke escaped from a Circus International performance in Hawaii after killing her trainer and injuring dozens of others. The frightened elephant ran frantically around the city streets until being killed by police with nearly 100 shots.
Elephants are particularly difficult to keep in confinement because of their immense size. Welfarists claim that many circus elephants are mistreated, malnourished, and sick with tuberculosis. A common tool for training elephants is called an ankus, a long rod with a hook on the end. Critics charge that elephant trainers beat the animals with the rod and poke the hook into tender areas of the elephant's hide behind its ears.
PETA's Web site describes the life of a circus elephant named Lota. She lived at the Milwaukee Zoo from 1954 until 1990, when she was acquired by the Hawthorn Corporation, a company that trains exotic animals and leases them to circuses. PETA claims that Hawthorn handlers beat the elephant and that she suffered from malnutrition and tuberculosis. The company has been criticized by animal welfare groups for years for its problems. Hawthorn was also the exhibitor of Tyke, the elephant that escaped from the Hawaii circus in 1994.
In April 2003 the Hawthorn Corporation was charged by the USDA for violations of the Animal Welfare Act. Later that year, the USDA confiscated a fifty-eight-year-old elephant named Delhi from the company. In March 2004 Hawthorn owner John Cuneo admitted to committing at least nineteen violations of the AWA and agreed to relinquish ownership of all sixteen of his elephants by August 2004 to settle the USDA lawsuit. He was assessed a $200,000 civil penalty. In July 2004 Cuneo filed court motions seeking to vacate the consent order against him. A long series of legal maneuvers began that extended well beyond the original August 2004 deadline for relinquishing the elephants. In November 2004 an elephant named Tess died at Hawthorn's facility. Lota, Delhi, and another elephant named Misty went to live at the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee. Lota died there in February 2005 after a long battle with tuberculosis. As of spring 2005, Hawthorn officials were negotiating with the sanctuary to take in the remaining twelve elephants.
In 2002 the animal rights group In Defense of Animals (IDA) sponsored speaking engagements around the country for a former circus animal trainer, who described beatings administered to elephants with bullhooks. He claimed that brutal training methods are routinely used at the Clyde Beatty–Cole Brothers Circus and Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. IDA also obtained video footage of what it says are abusive training methods being practiced on circus animals.
The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus defends its elephant training and breeding programs. The circus, which is owned by Feld Entertainment, operates an animal retirement facility and the Center of Elephant Conservation (CEC) in Florida. The CEC was founded in 1995 to conserve, study, and breed Asian elephants. According to company officials, the CEC is a $5 million, 200-acre facility dedicated to preserving the species, of which only 35,000 are left in the wild. The CEC is not open to the public, but admits researchers, conservationists, and academicians by arrangement. Feld Entertainment boasted in 2005 that the CEC is "home to the world's largest and most genetically diverse Asian elephant population in the Western hemisphere."
In spring 2005 the CEC reported the birth of its seventeenth calf, Aree, born April 21, 2005. Announcing the birth, Kenneth Feld, the chairman and producer of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, said, "With each elephant calf born into our care, Ringling Bros. celebrates a remarkable milestone that signifies a move closer towards saving this magnificent, yet highly endangered species" (http://www.ringling.com/cec/apr2005birth.aspx).
Animal rights groups contend that breeding elephants to work in the circus is not really conservation. They believe that wild animals should live undisturbed in their natural environments and that resources should be focused on protecting and expanding natural habitats. They do not generally advocate the use of captivity as a conservation tool.
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