Ringling Brothers Beats Animals

**Michele** · 16th December 2009 08:23 AM

A former R&B Elephant Trainer turns whistleblower and hands over abuse pictures of Elephants to PETA.

Despicable, and how anyone could take their children to the circus knowing this type of abuse is normal is beyong me. The last circus I took my kids too had absolutely no animals in there acts which is the reason I chose this particular circus.

The pictures are appalling.

(I got the email from PETA this morning, and then saw this on the main news page on MSN News so Im assuming its "breaking news")

http://www.ringlingbeatsanimals.com/default.asp

the pictures:

http://www.ringlingbeatsanimals.com/bound-babies.asp

**Amit** · 16th December 2009 08:28 AM

[quote name='Michele' date='16 December 2009 - 10:23 AM' timestamp='1260977006' post='80729']

A former R&B Elephant Trainer turns whistleblower and hands over abuse pictures of Elephants to PETA.

Despicable, and how anyone could take their children to the circus knowing this type of abuse is normal is beyong me. The last circus I took my kids too had absolutely no animals in there acts which is the reason I chose this particular circus.

The pictures are appalling.

(I got the email from PETA this morning, and then saw this on the main news page on MSN News so Im assuming its "breaking news")

http://www.ringlingb...com/default.asp

the pictures:

http://www.ringlingb...ound-babies.asp

[/quote]

I have never and will never attend a circus. I think it's fricken nuts.

Do you know how elephants sy their heads back and forth? Well it's not natural. It's wrought from dementia caused by their brains literally rotting away because of lack of stimulation (being trapped in small cages, in the dark, no other elephants around to keep it company, etc).

**TennesseeRain** · 16th December 2009 08:32 AM

[quote name='PoliticalHotwire' date='16 December 2009 - 10:28 AM' timestamp='1260977319' post='80734']

I have never and will never attend a circus. I think it's fricken nuts.[/quote]

Same here. I refuse to allow my children to watch animal cruelty in action.

**Michele** · 16th December 2009 08:39 AM

Circus's without animal acts are now becoming more popular. I took my kids to one a few years ago. It was still awesome WITHOUT the animal acts.

I think Ill try to google a few up when I get to work....

**Michele** · 16th December 2009 12:06 PM

While googling circus's without animal acts (the one I went to was very small and I cant seem to find it) I came across this.

I suppose the reason why I get so outraged over this, is because the animals are at our mercy, and how we choose to treat them says a lot of our society.

A fact sheet of animal abuse by Ringling Brothers...despicable!

http://www.circuses.com/pdfs/RinglingFactsheet.pdf

A typical occurrence in the circus:

July 26, 1999: Benjamin, a 4-year-old baby elephant who had been removed from his mother before she could teach

him to swim, drowned when he stepped into a pond while the circus was traveling through Texas. Benjamin drowned

as he tried to move away from a trainer who was poking him with a bullhook. According to the Asian Elephant

Studbook, Benjamin was removed from his mother when he was only 1 year old.

Peta has led a very successful campaign at contacting business's who give out discounted or free tickets to R&B. I would hope anyone here who was offered the same would speak up in defense of the animals!

**justonemorevoice** · 16th December 2009 01:33 PM

OMG, this thread just made me really sick to my stomach. we dont do circuses for this very reason. it makes me want to cry to look at that photo.

**Blueneck** · 16th December 2009 01:41 PM

I'm another person who never goes to circuses anymore, I don't even watch them on television.

This kind of animal cruelty is on it's way out in the US. Hopefully the rest of the world will catch up.

**Six** · 16th December 2009 04:40 PM

[quote name='Blueneck' date='16 December 2009 - 02:41 PM' timestamp='1260996081' post='80963']

I'm another person who never goes to circuses anymore, I don't even watch them on television.

This kind of animal cruelty is on it's way out in the US. Hopefully the rest of the world will catch up.

[/quote]

Cirque du Soleil is pretty cool. I would take my kids to check it out.