tagged w/ Ringling Brothers
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Recently, the Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2009/12/15/ST2009121505174.html?sid=ST2009121505174of told the story of former Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus elephant handler Sam Haddock, who trained baby elephants at Ringling’s Florida breeding center for 18 years.
Responding to his wife’s dying wish, and a growing desire to end the violent training of baby elephants for “entertainment,” Mr. Haddock found the courage to deliver to PETA scores of shocking photographs http://www.ringlingbeatsanimals.com/bound-babies.asp showing handlers using ropes, chains, bullhooks and electric shock devices on baby elephants who were unnaturally torn from their mothers so they could be trained.
The heartwrenching photos unequivocally demonstrate that Ringling tortures traumatized babies into performing through pain, fear and domination.
Ringling Bros. Circus continues to brutally train elephant calves, like 11-month old baby Barack, who recently made his performance debut at a shockingly young age. Barack was violently torn from his mother. Thanks to Mr. Haddock, who sadly passed away before his photographs were made public, we know too well the suffering that this baby elephant has endured and will continue to endure until the brutality inherent in using elephants in circuses is ended.
IDA's efforts have focused on the plight of baby elephants in circuses, specifically Baby Val and young Obert, who have been forced by the Carson and Barnes Circus to perform since they were less than two years old.
While Obert has apparently disappeared from the road, Baby Val has been traveling with notorious elephant trainer Tim Frisco, who was caught on video during an elephant training session telling other handlers they had to “hurt ‘em, make ‘em scream” to ensure the elephants complied with their commands.
Like other baby elephants, Val is forced to perform tricks that are dangerous for her developing bones and muscles.
IDA has filed complaints with the USDA concerning the Animal Welfare Act violations inherent in subjecting baby elephants to the stress of maternal separation, training, domination and travel. We are tracking Val as she appears at circus venues across the country to document her treatment and the conditions under which she is held. We will continue to do everything in our power to rescue these babies from the miserable life that lies ahead for them if they remain in the circus.
While the photos of baby elephants tug at our hearts, every elephant performing in circuses today has endured the heartbreak and trauma exposed by Mr. Haddock and his photos. Whether kidnapped from their mothers in the wild, as most were, or born into captivity, every one of these elephants was torn from his or her mother, enduring unspeakable anguish and trauma as a result. As if that weren’t horrific enough, they were then subjected to brutal training, and they continue to be controlled through deprivation, restraint and fear of violent punishment.
In circuses, elephants suffer - chained, beaten and deprived of freedom and companionship - each and every day of their lives.
More info and how you can help:
http://www.helpelephants.com/feature_val_12_03_09.html
VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2KEjdcceng
http://ida.convio.net/site/MessageViewer?em_id=9501.0&printer_friendly=1Recently, the Washington Post... more
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As Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus rolls into Portland the compassionate and humane will avoid the saddest show on earth, a place where animals are routinely abused for the amusement of human beings.
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What do you think, are the elephants being abused by Ringling Bros?As Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus rolls into Portland the compassionate... more
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PETA has video of elephant abuse at Ringling Brothers Circus. In 2009, PETA went undercover inside Ringling Bros. and found that workers beat and whipped elephants and tigers dozens of times while the circus performed around the country. The video is disturbing, and offers a view of the misery and sadness behind "the greatest show on earth."PETA has video of elephant abuse at Ringling Brothers Circus. In 2009, PETA went... more
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BROOKLYN, NEW YORK - At the Coney Island Mermaid Parade, thousands celebrated the official start of summer, while some debated the prudence of economic development plans.
By Video Journalist Olu Gittens (Producer / Reporter/ Cameraperson / Editor / Writer / Narrator)
Program: Oh Gee Presents on Manhattan Neighborhood Network
Production Facilities courtesy of MNN
Copyright 2009 by Olu Gittens, Oh Gee ProductionsBROOKLYN, NEW YORK - At the Coney Island Mermaid Parade, thousands celebrated the... more
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Joe meets up with Cricket the Clown for a clown boot camp that leads to a performance at the Barnum and Bailey circus.Joe meets up with Cricket the Clown for a clown boot camp that leads to a performance... more
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George Diaz | COMMENTARY
January 16, 2009
In the contentious debate over what constitutes animal cruelty, it's impossible to ignore the 6-ton elephant in the room.
It is the largest of all land animals. It can survive more than 70 years in the wild and in a single day can drink 67 gallons of water and walk up to 30 miles.
So what, you may want to know, is it doing tethered to a chain in a boxcar reeking of feces and urine?
That question doesn't usually pop up when the circus comes to town. The Sentinel's "Pachyderm Parade" headline on Tuesday heralded the arrival of the elephants for The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus at Amway Arena this weekend.
Most everybody loves the circus, from the cotton candy to the clowns (those not affiliated with the Florida Legislature) to the menagerie of big cats and creatures.
Most everybody does not include People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and other activist groups. They are outraged by the treatment of elephants, particularly the use of sharp bull hooks to help control them, and chaining the animals during travel times when they're not performing.
Those charges have become a contentious part of the Ringling Brothers legacy that started in 1884, when seven brothers presented "The Greatest Show on Earth."
Sorry, it's not for me. I'm not a card-carrying PETA pal. I've been known to order a steak -- medium-well, thank you -- on occasion. But it's impossible to think that the largest land animal in the world is in for the good life when it consists of traveling from city to city in chains, then performing up to three shows a day.
Having seen elephants in the wild, I didn't notice any urges for them to balance themselves on their hind legs.
The fact is, all those other lions, tigers and bears you might see in a circus don't routinely ride bicycles, balance themselves on balls or hurl themselves through rings of fire.
It's entertainment, granted. And plenty of "oohs" and "aahs" accompany those acts. But performing animals don't have a fancy-schmancy Hollywood agent negotiating on their behalf, demanding extra hay and at least 37 bags of peanuts a day.
Frankly, they don't have a lot of friends. PETA and other animal-rights groups are their best bet to catch a break.
"The inherent problem is that you have this wild animal with its own strong will, and whether it feels like performing or not, the show must go on," said RaeLeann Smith, a circus and government-affairs specialist with PETA.
Representatives for Ringling Brothers have maintained that the elephants in their care are healthy and that attacks from PETA and other groups are really a crusade to try to ban animals from circuses.
There's no denying that PETA has been relentless in pressuring Ringling Brothers to change the way it does business. Pleading its case in Orlando this week, PETA brought Archele Hundley to talk to reporters.
Her love of the circus was so strong she signed on to work for Ringling Brothers in 2006. She lasted two months.
She tells of three-day train runs with four to five elephants crammed together in a stock car filled with waste. She said she witnessed abuse daily by trainers who used the bull hooks to bash elephants on the ear to get them to obey commands.
The PETA representatives also had a horrific DVD in hand. Shot in 1999, the DVD shows a circus handler (not with Ringling) in an abusive, expletive-filled tirade/training drill. He demands that elephants be beaten with bull hooks so they could follow commands. "Don't touch 'em, hurt 'em. Hurt 'em. Make 'em scream," he yells.
"I think after seeing what goes on in a circus, I don't know why anyone would want to go," Hundley said.
...more at link
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While I disagree with George that a cow is treated any better for his steak, we do agree on the point that elephants do not belong in circuses. -ALGeorge Diaz | COMMENTARY
January 16, 2009
In the contentious debate over what... more
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