DEAR EDITOR:
The circus is coming to town and what should be a fun and exciting event is actually a horror show for the animals behind the scenes. Animals don’t perform because they want to; they perform because they are afraid not to.
Animals in circuses live dismal lives of domination, confinement and violent training. It’s standard practice to beat, shock and whip the animals to make them perform tricks that are unnatural and many times physically uncomfortable. A particularly shocking video of elephant abuse by the Carson and Barnes elephant trainer, who is still employed by the circus, can be found at www.circuses.com, or go to You Tube and type in elephant abuse. (Warning: these videos are very disturbing and contain foul language.)
Big cats, bears and primates are forced to eat, sleep and defecate in cramped cages, in which they remain confined 99 percent of the time. Many of the animals are only out of their cages when they are performing.
Laws protecting animals in traveling shows are inadequate and poorly enforced. But with that said, Carson and Barnes has still been cited numerous times for failing to meet the minimum animal care standards.
With this knowledge, I hope the community will not support this abusive form of “entertainment.”
Thank you,
Robbin Clark,
Delphos