Opening Night at the Circus

by Stephanie Ernst · 2008-11-06 07:04:00 UTC
Topics:

Chained Ringling Elephants

There's a chance that when I'm standing in downtown St. Louis this evening, doing my best to educate people, I'll be doing so in the wind and rain. But I won't complain. Why? Because I won't be terrified or depressed. I won't bear the wounds and scars from a hook jabbing into and ripping through my flesh. I won't be shackled in one place. I won't be crammed into a dark, claustrophobic trailer for 30 hours. I won't be beaten, whipped, or shocked with an electric prod. I won't be surrounded by bright lights and a cacophony of loud, terrifying sounds. I won't be screamed at. OK, I might be screamed at.

But the elephants "performing" at Ringling Bros. circus tonight--they have experienced, do experience, and will experience all of it. They and their fellow enslaved animal "performers" are spending their lives in misery and fear. The audience may laugh and cheer and clap at what looks like good fun for the animals. But it is anything but good for the animals, and it is most certainly not fun. They are not performing unnatural stunts because they want to or because they enjoy it. They are acting out of sheer fear because their cruel training has taught them that they have only two options: do as told and taught, or suffer excruciating consequences.

Boycott the circus. Encourage your friends and family to do the same. And when it comes to town, go--but not to watch, not to purchase tickets. Stand outside and hold your sign and peacefully, gently share information with the people passing by and heading inside. Don't scream at the people walking in, but rather, assume that they just don't know yet what really goes on, and take this chance to tell them. Stand up for the animals who cannot stand up for themselves, and give your fellow humans, including those who just may not get it yet, the chance to do the same.

More on the landmark lawsuit against Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey that is finally going to trial in February to come in a later post.

Links

Stephanie Ernst wrote the original Animal Rights blog at Change.org until December 2009. She can now be found at Animal Rights & AntiOppression.

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