Last night in the company of friends, I demonstrated against Ringling Brothers and animal circuses at the Norfolk Scope.
Here are Beth, Nicole, Michelle and me freezing our butts off.
PETA had a strong showing as usual. There were hundreds of people there protesting the circus. The Scope was pretty much surrounded!
Adam got a little creative with his sign.
He and Casey brought their daughters out. Audrey was a big hit.
I mean seriously, how cute is this?
In all seriousness though, please boycott animal circuses. Don’t take your kids to them. Need a few reasons?
Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey is one of the scummiest outfits in the US. To turn a buck, they take elephant infants away from their loving mothers (with whom they would stay for a lifetime in nature) and tie them down to the ground with ropes and chains and beat them – in front of their mothers, the anguish must be unimaginable – until they lose all resistance (the babies scream and bawl and shed actual tears during this “breaking” process which can last for days) and then their lives begin: they are shackled forever in pointless servitude to human amusement. These magnificent, intelligent, social animals do not understand why they must stand on their hind legs (which is very difficult, unnatural and uncomfortable for them, and can even rupture them), wear clothes, turn in endless circles, and walk in a line, get up on a pedestal (one baby died from falling from a pedestal in her “training”), over and over again. They spend well over 24 hours straight in a cramped box car in their own waste traveling from some cities to others; they are not suited to life in a cold, cement-floored barn between seasons- which gives them terrible foot problems and back problems – they sway to keep the weight off their legs and to ease back pain – and they are kept in chains and shackles every single moment, unable to take two steps ever, unable to walk about, to nuzzle one another, to explore, when not being used in the ring. When you see the “elephant walk,” which in the old days was a spectacle to take the kids to, you will see them hit with the bull hook, behind the knees, behind the ear – so the kids and you can’t see the wounds, but they are there – if they dare to run their trunks into the gutter, as they try to, to catch a drink of water or a candy wrapper or leaf.
Ringling Brothers specifically is awaiting a ruling by a federal court judge on a lawsuit it is facing for allegedly violating the Endangered Species Act (ESA). According to the plaintiffs in the case, Ringling violated the ESA by chaining endangered Asian elephants for prolonged periods – up to 100 hours at a stretch – and beating them with sharp metal-tipped bullhooks until they bled.
Wild animals don’t belong in circuses. If you need more convincing, please watch the undercover investigation videos at circuses.com. And please don’t take your kids to an animal circus.
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Yes! I was waiting for pics of audrey!
sooo cute
Major, major MAJOR high five!
I totally agree that animals should be taken out of the circus, however, the idea of Peta protesting it is completely laughable. Check this website out and reconsider whether you want to align yourself with a group like this:
http://www.petakillsanimals.com/
As an intelligent person, I am sure you will change your mind about holding up any of their signs or supporting them monetarily.
I’m disappointed that you haven’t published my comment. It’s not like I’m pro animal cruelty.
Peta Kills Animals – Your first comment got caught in my spam filter because you did not use a real name. I want to point a few things out. First please see PETA’s “Why We Euthanize” post (REALLY graphic pic warning):
http://blog.peta.org/archives/2009/03/why_we_euthaniz.php
Also, I wanted to comment on the Peta Kills Animals campaign, which is put forth by the Center for Consumer Freedom. First off, it’s important to make it clear that this anti-PETA campaign is the work of a “front group” for Outback Steakhouse, KFC, cattle ranchers, the tobacco industry, and other animal exploiters who kill millions of animals every year, not out of compassion, but out of greed. These companies are worried because the progress that PETA is making forces them to take animal welfare concerns seriously, and they hope to scare people away from caring about animals by spending millions on ads like this. To learn more about anti-PETA activists from this group please visit http://www.ConsumerDeception.com. They’re hiding some pretty disgusting stuff, so try not to hurl while you read about them. They have launched campaigns against Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the American Cancer Society, and the Humane Society of the United States. They’re really lovely people.
PETA sees only the absolute worst case scenarios (like those pictures in the first link I posted) and since they’re not set up as a traditional shelter, most of the animals they receive are so physically and/or psychologically abused that euthanasia is definitely the most compassionate choice.
Please check out the links I posted. Thanks.
Amber,
Thank you for responding so gracefully to “Peta Kills Animals”. You are right, PETA responds to the “worst case scenarios”, and the photos in the blog link that you posted are photos taken by our cruelty caseworkers of animals who were euthanized to grant them a peaceful death, free of suffering. We are literally the last resort for these cases, so of course our euthanasia numbers are higher than a shelter. We’re not a shelter!
Also: http://www.peta.org/about/victories.asp
Our list of animal related “victories” by year – including this year. It’s a shame to see so many people believing the work of the CCF. Anyone who believes an organization that campaigns against Mothers Against Drunk Driving but questions an animal rights organization such as PETA may want to take a look at the links Amber posted. Especially http://www.consumerdeception.com.
Thank you so much for coming, Amber!
Not a great fan of peta but good for you for standing up for what you believe in and especially circuses, they suck.
Great pics! Audrey is awesome!
I’m vegetarian and love animals and so do my kids. I’ve never taken them to the circus, but have always wanted to because they love animals so much. Thank you for writing about this; I honestly had no idea. I’ll find better ways to meet their need to see animals.
Honestly, it is beyond me that people have the capacity to be around these magestic animals and expose them to suffering. I seriously cannot handle it.
Amen–we have a ten year old who has never been to the circus, though I spent many a bewildered, creepy afternoon at the circus during my own childhood. Good for you for getting the word out.
Awesome! I love the little tigress!
the circus has always struck me as one of the most depressing ways to spend your entertainment time and money. my husband and i are homebodies and don’t do many of the things you are SUPPOSED to do with your kid. but the circus . . . that’s an easy thing to pass up, for all the reasons you mention. thanks for protesting!
It’s hard for me to ever align myself with PETA, but I have to reluctantly agree with their efforts here — and cheers to you for standing up for all the animals subjected to cruelty at the hands of circus organizers!
Good for you for getting the good word out! I seriously feared for my life once when protesting against the circus in good ole’ Roanoke, VA.
Very nice response to “Peta Kills Animals.” Well put, Amber.
Great post, Amber. So glad we got to do this for your birthday. Anything we can do to spread the word is worth it.
You are awesome! And that was such a great response to the Peta Kills Animals comment. Two thumbs up.
I’ve never been to a circus and I will never go. My children won’t either as long as I have a say. Great post!
I am not a PETA supporter, but I abhor the idea of the circus. Animals are not here for our entertainment. At least with zoos, there is some research and in some cases, we may be preserving the last of the species.