I occasionally get email from Peta, and typically ignore them...their fear tactics bother me a lot of times & I feel that they may not present both sides of any story to the public, but today, I have to share. I was sent this email:
Dear Priscilla,
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I know how upset this image of elephant abuse must make you, but we must not look away. The suffering of animals in circuses is covered up and ignored.
Frisco, the man we caught on tape, learned his barbaric training methods from his father, who was himself a former trainer for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Ringling has long been an unrepentant abuser of animals.
For the last two years, PETA's circus monitors tracked the circus at every stop. Day and night, they kept their cameras rolling. It was difficult and sometimes dangerous work. Our staffers were threatened and even attacked by Ringling employees, but we continued our work to protect these exploited animals. And we're showing the video footage shot by our monitors to officials of businesses and major cities like Chicago. We're showing them what Ringling doesn't want ticket buyers, corporate partners, and government authorities to see.
I've cropped the email to take out the donation requests....more so it focuses on the cruelty these wonderful animals have to endure on a daily basis.
Here I am at work, and for some reason I decided to watch the video. I ran into the bathroom crying. I just could not take the horrible cruelty that I was witnessing. It is appaling. It hurts me as a human to see how we as a human race.....treat these wonderful Elephants, and this extends to all circus animals.
I have never taken my daughter to a circus, because of these very issues, animal abuse, putting them in danger, cruelty, etc. There is no reason for me to make my daughter think that it is natural for animals to behave in this way. Animals belong in their natural habitat, not performing in front of people getting zapped with a cattle prod. You may have thought it was just a stick they bump them with.....not so....that is a cattle prod.
Please watch the video & please, please avoid going to circus's that use animals for entertainment. This issue is very close to my heart.
Now, in most areas, is circus time....please don't go.
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Comments: 62
If you look behind an elephants ears & see what looks like scratches, or lines, or punctures....that is the result of a heavy bull-hook.
These practices are barbaric and should not be supported.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
Most big name circuses treat their animals with lots of love an attention....and put money back into conservation...and some are working with zoos and other programs to save these endangered species.
Marilyn
poor creatures...
On another note about PETA they have some interesting ways of getting people to listen to them. I worked at a local radio station here and the press releases we would get on them were so outrageous. They will do anything.
I want to congratulate you. As this article will know be features in the group below.
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Thank you for posting to Everything about your pets and wildlife The group welcomes all articles, photo essays, images and videos of any kind. But must have animals or nature in it.
Same idea with your dog. You want him to learn to sit, you teach him with a treat. It works for big animals too, but many circus's don't do this.
I can't stand the idea of caging ANY animal, and I don't believe that an unwilling one should be forced to do tricks. I can see dogs ENJOYING doing things like that... they're wired that way for some reason.
I will be destroying the two furs that I have immediately!! I don't want to wear them and remember what I have just seen on this video.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention Priscilla. You have done a good thing.
Also, for those who think that Ringlings Barnum and Bailey Circus doesn't do these cruel things to their animals; well ~ they've got another thing coming!! It is true they do it as many other circuses all over the world do it.
Furthermore when one hears of elephants going ballistic during one of these shows with no provocation, it isn't that at all. They have been abused and provoked to madness and must act out to attempt to defend themselves. Thats why India is having stampedes of elephants going and destroying entire towns in search for their abusers and sometimes killing each and everyone of them as an elephant never forgets.
Personally, I don't even like the idea of cages, you mean you have to keep your dog in a cage in your house? There is something disturbingly wrong with that.
Birds, in a cage? I can't think of anything more cruel - they were meant to fly free and soar in the heavens - what are we doing keeping them in cages?
For what it's worth, I never enjoyed circuses when I was a child ~ I thought they were very contrived...and I still don't like them. Never have, never will.
I, as with you, am also unsure of PETA, and have heard they are very extreme. They've started sending me mail, and I don't want to get all upset, so I toss it into the trash. I try as hard as possible, given the emotional person that I am, to get a balanced view on life ~ and animals ~ and I'd much rather hear from a balanced organization rather than PETA. If you know of any, let me know!
Thanks for posting this,
Nancy
So thank you for reminding me that it is not enough jhust to be a vegetarian and speak against cruelty. Sometimes we just have to make ourselves aware of it.
Avoid the circus. There ar etoo many horror stories.