“3/24/2009, 3:06pm EST”
As the Ringling Bros. circus comes to town this week, the NY Times looks into the show’s bottom line. Unfortunately, the article barely acknowledges the abuse inherent in confining and breaking wild animals into submission. Even then, non-human suffering, and the human opposition it has inspired, is posed as little more than a business challenge. Between the lines, it does make clear that Ringling Bros. and its corporate operators are much more interested in profits than non-human animal or planetary health — no surprise there.
During the recently-concluded trial in which animal welfare groups filed suit against Ringling Bros. for systematically harming members of an endangered species (Asian elephants), Ringling Bros. CEO Kenneth Feld testified that all of the company’s elephant handlers strike these elephants with bull hooks. All parties agree that blunt, tearing trauma is required to force them to reliably tow a completely unnatural line.
As a federal judge mulls his decision for or against Ringling’s abusive business model, the circus has gone on tour, and public education can still have an impact. Several anti-circus-abuse demonstrations are taking place in NYC to educate potential circus-goers. The first will be this Thursday at 6:00pm at MSG to coincide with opening night. The more people who show up, the greater the social pressure will be not to support this cruelty.
Never leave home without it.
