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| "If it will not sink in, beat it in. It's the only way to make an elephant do the performance right." ~Ringling Bros. elephant "trainer", according to an affidavit filed by former employees. |
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Do you think that animals have rights? Do you think that an animal's life is as important as a human's life? Well, all of our furry and feathered friends are as important to life on this planet as we humans are. There are many people that would disagree with this fact. I've even encountered people who think that because I support the cause of Animal Rights that I somehow think animals are MORE IMPORTANT than people.This couldn't be further from the truth. Animals are our equals. The fact is that animals are exploited by humans each and every day. We eat them, we wear them, we hunt them, we race them, we perform cruel experiments on them, and we use them (and abuse them) in circuses for our own entertainment. We put animals on display and force them to do unnatural things so we can be entertained. Animal Rights organizations are doing everything to help the animals as the Human Rights organizations do to help people. And no one would deny that we need to help our fellow humans. The exploitation of animals is acceptable behavior and business as usual. I want to share with you just what animals go through to feed, clothe and amuse us and maybe you'll think about COMPASSION. |
Welcome to the
Greatest Show On Earth!
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A day at the circus is something we've all enjoyed. We think that it is fun for the kids and we get a kick out of the show as well. My last visit to the circus was in the early 80's and I thought it was the neatest trick getting the elephants to stand up on each other and form a ring. I thought that if animals as majestic as these were being used for entertainment that they were also respected and taken care of. Boy was I ever wrong! The animal acts at the circus may seem innocent at first, but when we understand that they are doing unnatural acts that they don't do in the wild, we need to ask "How do the trainers get them to do these "tricks"?" Through fear, plain and simple. These animals are poked, beaten into submission, confined by chains, their spirits broken for our enjoyment. They are made to perform against the threat of punishment. As an animal rights activist, I can't be entertained by an animal's suffering. |
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| Keeping majestic big cats in small and confining cages is not helping the cats or providing any education about big cats. In his book "The Circus Kings", Henry Ringling North wrote: Early on, lions and tigers are "chained to their pedestals and ropes put around their necks to choke them down. They work from fear." And the bears...how do they get the bears to stand up on their hind legs? It's pretty cute", isn't it? Well, aside from the fear of punishment, bears front paws are burned, so they will stand on their rear legs only. Although the training is very secretive, ex-trainers have spoken to animal welfare groups, exposing the cruel methods used to break-in and train circus animals. In "Elephant Tramp" by trainer George Lewis the following story is told: "With only two weeks to get ready for opening night at the circus, we had to work fast to get the elephants to perform. Sadie, the youngest, was very timid and frightened. One day we had her in the ring for training. She could not do her tricks and ran out of the ring afraid of punishment. We caught her, brought her back, forced her to the ground and began to punish her for being so stupid. Suddenly, we stopped hitting her and looked at each other. Sadie was crying like a human being. She lay there on her side, tears streaming down her face and sobs racking her body." Another ex-employee from Ringling Brothers related how a little brown bear lived and died in the circus: "She was a sweet little innocent brown bear who never hurt anyone ... but sometimes she had trouble balancing on the high wire. She was then beaten with long metal rods until she was screaming and bloody. She became so neurotic that she would beat her head against her small cage. She finally died." |
To find out more about
Performing Animals, visit:
PERFORMING ANIMALS WELFARE SOCIETY
PEOPLE FOR THE ETHICAL
TREATMENT OF ANIMALS
ANIMALS FOR FOOD
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Veal
The life of a veal calf is very short and sad. They are kept in small crates, only able to stand up or lie down. They are kept in semi-darkness in isolation and fed a nutrient deficient diet in order to retain their light flesh color. Chicken Chickens are hung alive upside-down on metal hooks. They pass through a killing station that kills them by removing their head with a whirring blade. Or they are immersed in an electric shock tank. Chickens can see their fate as they approach the station. Fois Gras (Geese and Ducks) They are force-fed through 16" tubes down their throats. The amount of food they are fed is the equivalent of a human eating 28 pounds of pasta per day. All to fatten them up. For us. Beef The cattle that gets sick or too weak to walk during transportation is beaten and pushed aside by a bulldozer in a pile and left to die. The slaughter of cattle is horrific. |
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My Vegetarian Recipes Page for alternatives to eating animals.
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June 15, 1999
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Page Last Updated: January 27, 2002