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Eliminating animal acts is detrimental to the already dying industry, so animal acts should continue, to put human needs above animals'.However, people left without jobs can recover; dead animals can’t. Regardless if one believes human lives are more valuable than animal lives, physically and psychologically suffering beings should be prioritized over temporarily unemployment citizens.

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"Wild Animals Do Not Belong In The Cruelest Show On Earth". 2011. Huffpost. Accessed May 31 2018. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-bekoff/wild-animals-do-not-belon_b_1081479.html.

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Every now and again I learn of a formal move to make the lives of animals better, and none could be more needed and timely than a new pending bill that is geared to ban wild animals in traveling circuses. HR 3359 has been introduced to do just that (see here also). Circuses are indeed among the cruelest shows on Earth but the public is not privy to what goes on behind the scenes. Countless sentient animals suffer in silence and the heartless abuse goes on and on because the cries of the animals go unheard. Animals are "broken" to the point that they become totally submissive because they can't stand the pain. A detailed article about the deep and enduring suiffering of circus animals in Mother Jones is a very informative read but it will likely make you teary, as it did me. Other images of abuse can be found in a number of different places ( here, here and here).

To quote from the news release from Animal Defenders International in support of this most timely and needed legislation, "The bill was introduced by Congressman James Moran (D-VA) together with 9 other original sponsors: Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA), Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO), Rep. Nick Rahall, II (D-WV), Rep. Steven Rothman (D-NJ), Rep. Fortney Pete Stark (D-CA), Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Rep. Bill CW Young (R-FL). There is now a rush to cosponsor, and we have bi-partisan support! The bill will effectively end the use of wild animals in traveling circuses in the United States. This is tightly targeted to exotic and non-domesticated species in traveling circuses--it does not affect zoos, rodeos, or static shows, or facilities where the animals live in permanent accommodation and travel out for film or television -- these are exempt provided there is no live public exhibition involved. When animals are transported, they cannot be traveled for more than 12 hours at a time, and if they are to be taken to be used in a show, they must not have been used for the previous 15 day period. This removes the option to keep these animals constantly traveling around the U.S. for months at a time. This has been carefully constructed to deal with the most egregious cases and is intended to be a progressive step."

One of the bill's main sponsors, Rep. James P. Moran Jr (D-Va.) said, "Based upon publicly available research, including video and photographic evidence, it is clear that traveling circuses cannot provide the proper living conditions for exotic animals ... Keeping elephants in chains, confining lions and tigers in small cages, forcing them to perform unnatural tricks for the sole purpose of human amusement is increasingly difficult to justify the more we learn about these intelligent, social creatures."

Circuses do nothing for the animals themselves or for other members of their species despite claims to the contrary. Circuses make no contributions to conservation. They serve no purpose other than "entertainment," if you dare to call watching abused and terrorized animals performing stupid and unnatural tricks "entertainment." Elephants, for example, are highly social, intelligent, and emotional animals and don't get dressed up and perform ridiculous tricks in the wild. They suffer from all sorts of psychological conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and most likely not only suffer their own pains but those of others whose spirit and heart are also broken by the horrific abuse to which they're interminably subjected.

It's simple to make a difference in the lives of these and other animals who are needlessly and unrelentingly abused. Indifference means prolonged pain and suffering for these magnificent sentient beings.
You can support this bill by writing your representative today.

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Wild Animals Do Not Belong In the Cruelest Show on Earth

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Every now and again I learn of a formal move to make the lives of animals better, and none could be more needed and timely than a new pending bill that is geared to ban wild animals in traveling circuses. HR 3359 has been introduced to do just that (see here also).

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"The Cruelest Show On Earth". 2018. Mother Jones. Accessed May 31 2018. https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2011/10/ringling-bros-elephant-abuse/.

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It was a drizzly winter day, and inside the Jacksonville Coliseum, Kenny, a three-year-old Asian elephant, was supposed to perform his usual adorable tricks in The Greatest Show on Earth: identifying the first letter of the alphabet by kicking a beach ball marked with an "A," twirling in a tight circle, perching daintily atop a tub, and, at the end of his act, waving farewell to the audience with a handkerchief grasped in his trunk.

But Kenny was clearly sick. Elephants are highly intelligent creatures that develop at a similar rate as humans. In the wild, Kenny would still be at his mother's side, just beginning to wean. In captivity, he was a voracious consumer of water and hay but for the past day or so had showed little interest in either. He seemed listless. Worried attendants in the tent where the elephants were chained between shows twice alerted a circus veterinary technician.

Under federal regulations, sick elephants must get prompt medical care and a veterinarian's okay before performing. Neither occurred, and at showtime Kenny trotted out to the center ring. He developed diarrhea during the morning show. During the afternoon performance, he began bleeding from his bottom and afterward struggled to stay on his feet. It was only then that Gary D. West, a circus veterinarian, arrived from St. Petersburg to examine the young elephant. West prescribed antibiotics and recommended that Kenny skip the evening show-in a later affidavit, he didn't stress concern for the elephant's health but rather that " he might pass some blood which might be seen by a spectator and cause speculation as to his well being."

West was overruled by Gunther Gebel-Williams, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's legendary golden-haired animal tamer who'd retired from the ring to be vice president of animal care. So Kenny made his third appearance, although he was too weak to perform any stunts.

After the evening show, the bleeding continued. The elephant crew gave Kenny rehydration fluids and shackled him in his stall. Less than two hours later, a night attendant discovered his bloodied body on the concrete floor. The cause of death remains unclear.

Feld Entertainment, Ringling's corporate parent, did not announce Kenny's death to the public for nearly a week, until an employee tipped off animal rights activists. They demanded action from the Department of Agriculture, which licenses and inspects circuses under the Animal Welfare Act. Under intense public pressure, including a letter-writing campaign headlined by Kim Basinger, the USDA charged Feld Entertainment with two willful violations for making Kenny perform ill without prompt or adequate veterinary care.

That was in 1998, and at the time it seemed like a turning point in the decades-long fight over circus elephants. For years, animal rights organizations had been releasing horrific undercover videos showing Ringling trainers abusing elephants, but USDA investigations never produced evidence that officials deemed strong enough to warrant action. Now there was a dead body-and a recent precedent. The agency had just fined the King Royal Circus, a small family operation, $200,000 for allowing an elephant to die in an overheated trailer of an untreated salmonella infection.

But after a few months, the USDA announced a settlement. Feld Entertainment would donate $20,000 to elephant causes. In return, the agency absolved the company of blame for Kenny's death and further declared, "Ringling Bros. has never been adjudged to have violated the [Animal Welfare Act]."

"If I were an elephant, I wouldn't want to be with Feld Entertainment," admitted a USDA official. "It's a tough life."

The USDA unwittingly opened a new chapter in the animal rights movement. Frustrated by the agency's inaction, advocates turned to the federal courts. This shift in strategy has not yet produced a judgment against Feld Entertainment, but it has unearthed an extraordinary trove of records that its lawyers and government regulators had taken great pains to ensure the public would never see; in one notable instance, documents came to light only after a judge threatened to put Feld executives in jail. They include dozens of videos and thousands of pages of investigation files, veterinary records, circus train logs, and courtroom testimony.

Feld Entertainment is a privately held corporation owned by Kenny's namesake, CEO Kenneth Feld, whose family bought Ringling for more than $8 million in 1967 and folded it into an entertainment empire that includes Ringling's three year-round touring circus troupes, as well as Disney On Ice, Disney Live, and Monster Jam. Together these shows play for more than 30 million people a year, with annual revenues estimated at between $500 million and $1 billion. But the four-ton behemoths are the biggest draw, generating more than $100 million annually in revenues, according to testimony by Feld executives.

It's hard not to be captivated. Elephants are smart, social creatures that communicate through a complex score of rumbles, trumpets, and gestures; they also have long memories and the capacity to celebrate, mourn, and empathize.

Feld Entertainment portrays its population of some 50 endangered Asian elephants as "pampered performers" who "are trained through positive reinforcement, a system of repetition and reward that encourages an animal to show off its innate athletic abilities." But a yearlong Mother Jones investigation shows that Ringling elephants spend most of their long lives either in chains or on trains, under constant threat of the bullhook, or ankus-the menacing tool used to control elephants. They are lame from balancing their 8,000-pound frames on tiny tubs and from being confined in cramped spaces, sometimes for days at a time. They are afflicted with tuberculosis and herpes, potentially deadly diseases rare in the wild and linked to captivity. Barack, a calf born on the eve of the president's inauguration, had to leave the tour in February for emergency treatment of herpes-the second time in a year. Since Kenny's death, 3 more of the 23 baby elephants born in Ringling's vaunted breeding program have died, all under disturbing circumstances that weren't fully revealed to the public.

Despite years of denials, Kenneth Feld has now admitted under oath that his trainers routinely "correct" elephants by hitting them with bullhooks, whipping them, and on occasion using electric prods. He even admitted to witnessing it.

But perhaps more disturbing still is the government's failure to act. Since Kenny's death, the USDA has conducted more than a dozen investigations of Feld Entertainment. Inspectors have found baby elephants injured and bound at Ringling's Center for Elephant Conservation in Florida. Whistleblowers have stepped forward with harrowing accounts of beatings. Activists have released even more videos of elephant abuse, and local humane authorities have documented wounds and lameness.

None of that has moved regulators to action.

Circus oversight rests with the animal care unit in the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Officials there, as at Feld Entertainment, were not willing to be interviewed. So I called W. Ron DeHaven, who headed the animal care unit from 1996 until 2001 before ascending to lead all of APHIS from 2004 to 2007. (He is now executive vice president of the American Veterinary Medical Association.)

Ringling elephants spend most of their long lives either in chains or on trains, under constant threat of the bullhook, or ankus-the menacing tool used to control elephants.

During DeHaven's tenure at the USDA, a 2005 audit by the department's inspector general criticized the animal care unit for being too lenient on violators. The report singled out the Eastern region, which oversees Ringling's operations, for its failure "to take enforcement action against violators who compromised public safety or animal health."

With an annual budget of only $16 million and 111 employees to monitor nearly 9,000 animal entertainment, breeding, and research facilities, the agency didn't have the capacity to prosecute many cases, DeHaven explained. He acted on the egregious cases, he said, like King Royal. I asked what made that case worse than others. A dead elephant, he said, and a clear violation.

How was that different than Kenny? DeHaven said he didn't recall the particulars of that case. But, he added, "You don't take on an organization like Feld Entertainment without having strong evidence to support it."

That sentiment was echoed by Kenneth H. Vail, who for decades served as the USDA's lead legal counsel on animal welfare cases. We met at his red brick townhouse in northwest DC in July, just after his retirement. Thin-faced, with soft eyes and a quiet voice, he invited me in out of the 100-degree heat to talk for more than an hour. He said Feld Entertainment cases received special attention from him and other top department brass. "A case involving a multimillion-dollar company is significant," Vail said. "There's a political aspect to Feld cases. The company is a big target for animal rights groups." True, USDA investigators advocated action against Feld Entertainment on numerous occasions, but Vail said he never felt their evidence could withstand a legal challenge by the company. "There's no way to control an elephant without an ankus," and the Animal Welfare Act doesn't prohibit it, he explained. Maybe a time will come when bullhooks, chains, and "elephants getting paraded around doing unnatural things" is prohibited, he said, but until then, litigating abuse is difficult.

"If I were an elephant, I wouldn't want to be with Feld Entertainment," Vail conceded. "It's a tough life."

Save for modern sound and lighting systems, today's circus hasn't changed all that much from the spectacle created by P.T. Barnum, the corpulent showman who delighted audiences with midget Tom Thumb, faux mermaids, and soprano Jenny Lind (PDF).

By 1850, Barnum also had a traveling menagerie that featured an elephant or two. But he imagined an entire herd, so he dispatched agents to sail to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), where they hired 160 "native assistants" to search the jungles. The most daring waited until an elephant napped against a tree. They would tickle a sensitive spot on the elephant's hind leg and, when it lifted its foot to shake off the nonexistent insect, slip a noose around its ankle. The expedition "killed large numbers of the huge beasts," Barnum wrote in an autobiography. But 11 live ones were hoisted into a ship's hold for the 12,000-mile voyage to New York City. One died en route and was dumped overboard. Barnum paraded the rest down Broadway harnessed to a chariot, and they became the featured attraction of a new traveling show, Barnum's Great Asiatic Caravan, Museum, and Menagerie.

The elephants drew rave reviews-"It is astonishing to think how docile these huge creatures are, when it is remembered that but a brief time since they were running wild in the jungle," a writer mused in Gleason's Pictorial Drawing Room Companion-and huge profits. Barnum's circus grew into ever more elaborate productions, with dangerous cats, prancing horses, legions of clowns, trapezes, high-wires, and three rings under a tent the size of a palace. Barnum joined James Anthony Bailey and then merged with the seven Ringling brothers to make "The Greatest Show on Earth." The conga line of elephants was the act that crowds most flocked to see.

This was the circus Irvin Feld envisioned when he acquired Ringling in 1967. Feld, born in 1918, got his first taste of circus life as a teenager, selling snake oil (literally) from a card table at carnivals. He became an innovative music promoter, recognizing early on that serious money could be made using sports arenas for concerts and promoting then-unknowns like Chubby Checker and The Everly Brothers. In 1956, when Ringling had lost both luster and financial footing, Feld persuaded Ringling's grandson to abandon the big top for sports arenas. After 10 years as the circus' booking agent, he and two partners bought it. John Ringling North cited "their dedication to maintain the concept, tradition, and artistic standards of the circus." Feld called it "the happiest moment of my life."

Feld immediately recruited German superstar Gunther Gebel-Williams, "the greatest wild animal trainer of all time," to help boost lagging ticket sales. Back then, Ringling had just one touring company, the Blue Unit. Feld added the Red Unit to showcase Gebel-Williams and his menagerie of some 20 elephants and 50 big cats. Svelte and handsome, Gebel-Williams would enter the ring bare-chested astride two galloping steeds, send tigers leaping through flames, lead a line of elephants through a tumbling act, cuddle up with panthers, and exit with a leopard draped around his neck-an image memorialized in a 1970s American Express commercial.

Feld seemed on his way to restoring The Greatest Show on Earth to the height of its glory. But outside the ring, times were changing. The movie Born Free, about a couple who raised an abandoned lion cub and then set it free in Kenya, won two Academy Awards the same year that Feld bought the circus. "Animal rights" had entered the popular lexicon. Congress expanded the Animal Welfare Act in 1970, charging the USDA with setting humane standards for treatment of warm-blooded animals by researchers, breeders, and exhibitors-including circuses. In 1973, Congress passed the Endangered Species Act, which barred "harm" or "harassment" of listed animals. Asian elephants made the endangered list several years later, and their import was banned under international conventions. Smaller than their African cousins and generally considered much easier to manage, Asian elephants had for decades comprised the vast majority of Ringling's stock. The listing effectively shut down the supply line.

By the time Irvin Feld died in 1984, leaving his son, Kenneth, to run the show, animal rights organizations were proliferating. Zoos began adopting an emerging animal management philosophy called "protected contact," which controls animals with physical barriers instead of sticks and chains. But this was of little use to the circus, where direct interaction between humans and wild beasts is the point. Feld Entertainment faced a conundrum: The audiences still wanted to see elephants-but they wanted to see them treated nicely.

So the company poured tens of millions of dollars into PR campaigns that portrayed the elephants as willing performers, as well as legal firepower to keep regulators and activists at bay. Gebel-Williams got a makeover. A press release lauded his "animal training based on mutual respect and positive reinforcement" that "forever changed the standards of animal training." It's true that Gebel-Williams had an extraordinary rapport with the animals, but it's also true that he routinely whipped elephants and struck them with bullhooks. A few months after Kenny's death, Gebel-Williams was spotted whipping a baby elephant in the face outside a circus train in Mexico City.

Nonetheless, the sleight of hand worked. When Gebel-Williams died in 2001, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune 's obituary noted that he had "substituted humane, positive reinforcement and reward for the fear and force upon which many animal trainers rely."

The biggest challenge for Feld Entertainment's "positive reinforcement" campaign was the ubiquitous bullhook or ankus. It's a malevolent-looking instrument, about three feet long, with a sharp, metal point-and-hook combination at one end. The point is for pushing. The hook, inserted in the mouth or at the top of the ear, is for pulling. Both are sharp enough to pierce elephant hide.

In Rudyard Kipling's 1894 classic, The Jungle Book, Mowgli finds an ankus and asks the panther Bagheera what it is used for:
"It was made by men to thrust into the heads of [elephants]," said Bagheera. "That thing has tasted the blood of many.""But why do they thrust into the heads of elephants?""To teach them Man's Law. Having neither claws nor teeth, men make these things, and worse."
Feld Entertainment rebranded the ankus as a "guide." Handlers hid them in their sleeves or carried smaller, less menacing-looking models during the show. As Joan Galvin, the company's vice president, assured the Associated Press in 1998: "Elephants are one of the most beloved acts that performs in the circus today. Abusive techniques are absolutely prohibited."

In December of that same year, two attendants on the Blue Unit left the tour during a stop in Huntsville, Alabama. They called a local animal welfare office, explaining they had quit in disgust over the way the elephants were treated. The woman put them in touch with Pat Derby, a former Hollywood trainer who had founded the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS).

With fiery orange hair atop a stout physique, a gravel voice, and a talent for attention-grabbing tactics, Derby had been Ringling's No. 1 antagonist for more than a decade. Her supporters organized protests outside performances and shot videos of trainers hitting elephants.

Derby arranged for lawyers to take the men's videotaped depositions and written affidavits. The attendants, Glenn Ewell and James Stechcon, had lived transient, sometimes troubled lives, working off and on for circuses. At Ringling, where they mucked out elephant pens and assisted with feeding, they claimed to have witnessed regular elephant abuse and more than a dozen extended beatings during their three months on the road.

Several of the beatings targeted Nicole, a twentysomething elephant named after Kenneth Feld's eldest daughter. Sweet-natured but clumsy, Nicole would frequently miss her cues to climb atop a tub and place her feet on the elephant next to her, Stechcon said in his videotaped statement. "I always rooted for her, 'Come on, Nicole, get up,'" he said. "But we left the show, brought the animals back to their area, and...we took the headpieces off, and as I was hanging them up, I heard the most horrible noise, just whack, whack, whack. I mean, really hard. It's hard to describe the noise. Like a baseball bat or something striking something not-not soft, and not hard...I turned around to look, and this guy was hitting her so fast and so hard [with the ankus], and sometimes he would take both hands and just really knock her, and he was just doing that. And I was, like, I couldn't believe it."

Benjamin, a precocious three-year-old, also suffered frequent beatings from his trainer, Ewell and Stechcon said. Able to balance on a wooden barrel, ride a tricycle, shoot hoops, play musical instruments, and paint a picture by holding a brush with his trunk, Benjamin had appeared on The Today Show and CBS This Morning. His trainer, Pat Harned, told journalists that Benjamin had been trained thanks to rewards of bread or bunches of bananas.

"I turned around to look, and this guy was hitting her so fast and so hard, and sometimes he would take both hands and just really knock her. And I was, like, I couldn't believe it."

The whistleblowers told investigators that Harned also used force. "Pachyderms want to throw things on their back, it's a-it's a genetic response. Anyway, I saw Benjamin, after he was brushed off, take some sawdust and throw it on his back," Stechcon said. That upset Harned, who "dealt with it accordingly, with a bullhook, striking Benjamin all over the head, quite forcefully and repeatedly. It was not pretty."

Derby helped the men file a formal complaint to the USDA. In early January, a senior investigator and veterinarian followed up with a surprise visit to the Blue Unit, on tour near Miami. The USDA team found scars and abrasions on several elephants and a fresh puncture wound on another. Another Ringling employee reported treating hook boils-infected bullhook wounds-"twice a week on average."

But all five trainers and handlers named by Ewell and Stechcon denied abusing elephants or ever seeing anyone else do so. "I have a very good relationship with the elephants, especially the babies Benjamin and Shirley," Harned told the investigator. "There is no abuse of any of the elephants. I treat these elephants as my children."

DeHaven, the animal care unit director, received a report from the senior investigator that none of the allegations could be confirmed. But he also received a complaint from the director of the Eastern regional office about the quality of the investigation. She wrote that the investigator hadn't interviewed the Ringling employees whom the whistleblowers had identified as potential corroborating witnesses, nor had he followed up on the worrisome admission that hook boils were commonplace.

Yet another back-channel note came from Feld Entertainment's corporate counsel, Julie Strauss. She wrote that the company had dug up a past misdemeanor harassment charge against Ewell and a couple of arrest reports on Stechcon for fighting: "We bring this information to your attention so that you may consider whether it is pertinent to your assessment of the reliability of those two former employees' allegations."

Vail advised against proceeding. ("Credibility problem," he told me.) And DeHaven closed the case, writing that he ultimately was swayed by the vehement denials of the accused trainers.

Meanwhile, DeHaven received alarming reports from the USDA investigators who'd conducted a routine inspection of Ringling's Center for Elephant Conservation, the $5 million, 200-acre complex the company had opened in 1995 to ramp up its nascent captive breeding program.

On February 9, 1999, two animal care veterinarians arrived and were escorted around by Gary Jacobson, then the center's director of elephant training and now its head. Their last stop was the night holding barn, where they found two baby elephants, restrained with ropes and chains, barely able to move. The elephants, 18-month-olds named Doc and Angelica, each had lesions on their hind legs and scars from healed injuries.

"Gary Jacobson said Doc and Angelica were weaned from their mothers on January 6th and that the scars were from rope burns during this process," the vets' report later read. "He described the process as putting a cotton rope around each leg, then a chain around the neck, and leading the baby off with another elephant."

In the wild, elephants suckle for two to four years and remain under their mother's care until their late teens to learn social and survival skills-not unlike humans. But Ringling's elephants can be forcibly removed from their mothers when they are barely more than a year old. ( Nearly a decade later in testimony, Jacobson would describe a recent separation of two babies from their mothers this way: "We just grabbed them and tied them up," one for 10 days and the other for four months-except for 40 minutes of exercise a day.)

The inspectors wanted to cite Ringling; DeHaven concluded, "There is sufficient evidence to confirm the handling of these animals caused unnecessary trauma, behavioral stress, physical harm and discomfort." Even so, he declined to take action. Instead, he wrote to Feld officials that he felt "certain that you will address this situation to ensure that it does not reoccur."

It wasn't even a slap on the wrist, but Feld was still aggrieved. DeHaven finally agreed to downgrade the matter from an "investigation" to a "fact gathering process."

Two months later, Today Show star Benjamin and a four-year-old named Shirley were being transported by an 18-wheeler from Houston to Dallas when trainer Pat Harned-who'd worked with them since they'd been taken from their mothers-decided to stop overnight at a property owned by the truck driver's father-in-law. In the morning, Harned let the elephants wander into a pond on the property. A little while later, Benjamin was dead. Harned says when he called to the elephants to get out, Shirley came, but Benjamin just dove underwater and died. Experts hired by Feld eventually surmised that he may have suffered a heart attack, though they puzzled over why such a young, healthy elephant would succumb.

Wild elephants suckle for two to four years and remain under their mother's care until their late teens-not unlike humans. Ringling elephants can be forcibly removed from their mothers when they are barely a year old.

A senior USDA investigator interviewed the other witnesses who said Harned struck Benjamin with his bullhook while he was playing near the shore, which is why he swam into deeper water. "The elephant seeing and/or being 'touched' or 'poked' by Mr. Harned with a ankus created behavioral stress and trauma which precipitated in the physical harm and ultimate death of the animal," the investigator wrote his superiors.

Once again, DeHaven and Vail saw no cause to act. "Benjamin? Give me a break," Vail said when I asked about the incident.

But if the USDA didn't have enough evidence to suspect that abuse-or fear of it-may have been a factor in Benjamin's death, it soon would. Tom Rider arrived on PAWS's doorstep in March 2000. A big man with a wide, friendly face, he'd spent two and a half years feeding and watering elephants on Ringling's Blue Unit. Eventually, he'd provide a USDA investigator with a seven-page sworn affidavit describing 25 incidents of elephant abuse by more than a dozen members of the Ringling crew.

A year before Benjamin died, Rider said he saw Harned strike the young elephant repeatedly with his bullhook in the presence of the adult elephants. Females are very protective, and Karen, an older elephant, began to clank her leg chains aggressively. Harned stopped hitting Benjamin, the affidavit said. "And then he came over there and he started in on Karen for at least 21 minutes, 23 minutes. He had her, jabbing her under the leg, making her raise her foot up and hold it there, hitting her behind the leg, come up and jabbing her in the side," Rider later testified. "Hooking on the head and behind the ears. It just went on and on." Rider also said Nicole was singled out for terrible punishment.

After taking Rider's affidavit, the investigator added a personal observation: "There is no question that he loves the elephants that he worked with, and wants to help them find a better life than what is provided by the circus." She also sent a request to her superiors that Nicole be located and examined, and that her medical records be obtained immediately-to no avail.

The agency "has let many people down (as well as Nicole) on being able to truthfully report the disposition and well being of this animal," the investigator wrote.

Soon after, the case was closed without action.

By early 2000, Derby of PAWS had had enough. She turned to Katherine Meyer, a gregarious blonde who, with her husband, Eric Glitzenstein, ran what Washingtonian magazine called "the most effective public-interest law firm in Washington." The couple met working for Ralph Nader in the 1980s and, after striking out on their own in the 1990s, scored a string of animal rights victories that caught Derby's attention.

Meyer proposed that PAWS file a federal lawsuit against Feld Entertainment, seizing on a provision in the Endangered Species Act that allows citizens to sue violators directly. Such citizen lawsuits had been used to protect endangered animals in the wild but not in captivity. A win would revolutionize animal exhibits.

As part of its multimillion-dollar spying operation on animal rights groups, Feld hired former CIA covert ops head Clair George.

That same spring, two private detectives visited Derby. They explained that they'd been retained by a fired Feld executive to gather evidence of the company's illicit spying on animal rights groups. The former executive had reportedly stiffed them on their fee, so-for $200,000, records show-they offered up 20 boxes of documents on her organization. The materials included purloined records, weekly surveillance reports, and evidence that two Feld moles had infiltrated PAWS by posing as volunteers; one had gained entry to Derby's inner circle. There was evidence of similar schemes against the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Elephant Alliance.

It was part of a multimillion-dollar spy operation run out of Feld headquarters to thwart and besmirch animal rights groups and others on the company's enemies list, according to a stunning Salon piece by Jeff Stein. Feld had even hired Clair George-the CIA's head of covert operations under President Reagan until his conviction for perjury in the Iran-Contra scandal. (George, who died in August, received a pardon from President George H.W. Bush.)

Derby filed a civil lawsuit against Feld Entertainment for racketeering and fraud on June 8, 2000, in the federal courthouse for the Eastern District of California. About a month later, Meyer filed the elephant lawsuit in the federal district courthouse in Washington, DC. Soon after, lawyers for Feld approached Derby with a generous settlement offer on the spy case. They would donate elephants and cash to her wildlife sanctuary if she dropped the elephant lawsuit and refrained from publicly criticizing Feld Entertainment. She agreed.

But the elephant lawsuit limped along with Meyer remaining lead counsel and Rider and seminal players in the animal rights movement-including the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Animal Welfare Institute, the Fund for Animals, and eventually the Animal Protection Institute-as plaintiffs. The case was assigned to US District Judge Emmet Sullivan, a mercurial jurist who quickly tossed the suit for lack of standing; he found that none of the people involved could prove that Feld Entertainment's actions had caused them harm. (Animals don't have standing.) The appeals court overruled him in 2003, at which point Meyer subpoenaed government documents and filed discovery requests with Feld Entertainment. Feld stalled for more than a year until the company's lawyers finally sent word that the records would be delivered on June 9, 2004.

Meyer prepared for a sizable document dump. But at the appointed hour the deliveryman left just two cardboard file boxes of press releases and other innocuous materials. Instead of the detailed veterinary charts Meyer had requested, she got a page or two on each elephant. She pressed, but Feld Entertainment stonewalled.

Meanwhile, the casualties at Ringling were mounting. In early August of 2004, an eight-month-old elephant named Riccardo was euthanized after he broke two legs. A Feld press release explained that he had been playing outside when he climbed, as he often did, onto "a round platform 19 inches high. This time, he lost his balance and fell." Although Ringling denied it, the activity sounded suspiciously like a training drill. Investigators recommended that Ringling be found in violation for failing to provide adequate care after he fell.

On August 20 and 21, an anti-cruelty activist in Oakland, California, videotaped a Ringling handler repeatedly striking a seven-year-old elephant with a bullhook while it was chained. It was Angelica, the same animal USDA inspectors discovered bound and injured at the Center for Elephant Conservation in 1999. This time, they recommended an $11,000 penalty for excessive force and chaining. A regional USDA director for animal care urged his superiors to take action: "Feld Entertainment is a large corporation with a previous enforcement history." Then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama joined the chorus at PETA's request. The cases landed in Vail's office, where they hit a dead end.

But Meyer saw an opening. There had been no mention of Riccardo's birth, let alone death, in the "complete" veterinary records she had received. When Judge Sullivan demanded an explanation, Feld's lawyers responded that their client had recently found a stash of about 2,100 pages stored in the home of William Lindsay, the company's chief elephant veterinarian.

"How could you overlook 2,100 pages of documents?" Sullivan thundered. "If I have to march those CEOs in here for explanations under oath and under penalty of perjury I'll do that...I'm not going to rule out incarceration either. Because I'm sick and tired of all these efforts by litigants to hide the ball...And when I say all, I mean all, every last record."

Dozens of boxes of medical records promptly arrived at Meyer's office. Riccardo's veterinary charts were tucked inside one. He'd been the firstborn of Shirley, the elephant who as a baby swam with Benjamin on the day he died. Subsequently unable or unwilling to perform, Shirley was returned to the Center for Elephant Conservation and was impregnated before her seventh birthday. Elephants enter puberty around 10. In the wild, they practice mothering by babysitting younger elephants, begin breeding in their teens, and give birth surrounded by experienced females who assist and trumpet the calf's arrival to the rest of the herd.

Shirley gave birth on December 5, 2003, at age eight. She was chained by three legs and surrounded by human handlers, who poked her with bullhooks during labor. When the slippery newborn dropped, trainers whisked him away. Riccardo was placed in the care of center training director Jacobson and his wife. His training started at three months, while he was still being bottle-fed. The couple tied ropes to his trunk and feet to get him to climb on the tub or attempt other tricks. By six months, he developed knee problems. "Not laying down, seems to be uncomfortable," read a notation by the animal care staff for June 15, 2004. "Left rear leg, knee appears to be swollen." They administered a painkiller and training resumed. On July 9, 2004, another notation said, "Front leg stiff." He received a painkiller and training resumed.

Four weeks after that entry, the fatal accident occurred. Testimony would later reveal it wasn't during play, as Feld Entertainment had contended, but during a training exercise while being pulled by a rope tied to his trunk onto a 19-inch-high tub.

One of the problems bedeviling the plaintiffs was their inability to line up an elephant veterinarian as an expert witness. And no wonder: Nearly all worked for zoos, which feared for their own operations should the Endangered Species Act protections be extended to captive wild animals. But the plaintiffs lucked into Philip K. Ensley. Recently retired after 29 years at the San Diego Zoo, he agreed to review the evidence.

Ensley pored over medical documentation, regulatory records, and deposition testimony; he inspected the elephants at the Center for Elephant Conservation and on tour. He detailed his findings in a 290-page report.

"Nearly 100 percent" of the adult elephants were lame with serious foot problems or musculoskeletal disorders, he found. Their feet were misshapen, ulcerated, abscessed, and infected-no small matter for a four-ton animal forced to spend most of its life standing in place. Twelve of sixteen young elephants suffered from various foot or limb maladies. His analysis read like the shift report at a geriatric ward: "stiffness," "peg-legged," "lameness," "chronic left stifle," "sloughing toe nails," etc.

Ensley blamed the elephants' relentless travel and performance schedule-48 weeks a year-and being forced to stand for long hours on hard surfaces for their injuries. "These are large terrestrial mammals, the largest," he later testified in court. "I think what you're seeing here is an abundance of conditions related to an environment that they weren't genetically programmed for."

The Blue and Red units crisscross the country in trains of 50 cars or more, each covering 16,000 miles annually to perform in 30-plus cities. The company boasts that the animal cars are specially designed with fresh water supplies, fans, misters, and heaters, and it asserts that rest stops are built into the travel schedule to allow the animals to disembark for fresh air and exercise.

Yet Meyer's staff found transportation orders for 600 trips from 2000 through 2008-and just 14 included rest stops. Michelle Sinnott, a young paralegal who postponed law school to work on the case, typed the data into a spreadsheet. Her calculations revealed that the elephants traveled 26 hours straight on average. Some legs extended beyond 70 hours without a break. The longest stretch: 100 hours on a 1,830-mile journey from Lexington, Kentucky, to Tucson, Arizona.

Up to five elephants are crammed in each boxcar. The average elephant produces approximately 15 gallons of urine and 200-plus pounds of solid waste in a 24-hour period. Former circus workers described the unbearable stench when they opened the cars for water stops-during which they typically replenished supplies without letting the animals out.

Feld Entertainment's medical charts made virtually no mention of bullhook injuries. But Ensley found repeated references to scars on the animals' left sides where handlers traditionally stand and at cue points-ears, jaws, anuses, and other sensitive spots that handlers prod to get the animals' attention. He also found evidence elsewhere in the discovery materials.

A Ringling animal behaviorist complained about an elephant hooked so severely that it was "dripping blood all over the arena floor during the show."

"After this morning's baths, at least four of the elephants came in with multiple abrasions and lacerations from the hooks," a new veterinary technician wrote in 2004 to chief vet Lindsay. "The lacerations were very visible and I had questions at the open house from two members of the public about where they were from."

Another Ringling animal behaviorist told a supervisor in 2005 that she'd been banned from the elephant barn after complaining about an elephant hooked so severely that it was "dripping blood all over the arena floor during the show." She added that she saw the Blue Unit's elephant superintendent, Troy Metzler, " hitting Angelica three to five times...and then using a hand electric prod within public view " during a train unloading in Phoenix. When Meyer deposed Metzler, he admitted to "bopping" elephants if they didn't obey him. He said he did not believe even a forceful strike could hurt an elephant. "They are big tough animals," he observed.

Another Blue Unit handler said he saw three to four puncture wounds a month from bullhooks, but they were considered too inconsequential to record in the medical files. When Ensley inspected the elephants with famous elephant biologist Joyce Poole and two other experts hired by the plaintiffs, they found "extensive evidence of scarring from bullhook use"- including scar tissue on Karen's jaw where a Ringling video had shown a handler embedding a bullhook so deep that he had trouble removing it.

Ensley also found the documentation of rampant tuberculosis that the USDA had sought unsuccessfully for years. In 2000, an agency investigator had been assigned to get to the bottom of allegations that Feld Entertainment was hiding the full extent of TB infections, which can be transmitted to humans as well as other pachyderms. But company attorneys refused to turn over the medical records, and, in an internal memo, the investigator complained that Vail's office did not back her up. (Vail does not recall this.) The discovery materials showed that as of 2008, 19 animals had been diagnosed with the disease. At least three more were discovered to have the disease when autopsied. That's more than a third of Ringling's population.

Faced with such damning evidence, at the March 2009 trial the company shifted its strategy from denying the practices to putting them in the best possible light.

Ted Friend, a professor of animal sciences at Texas A&M University, took the stand for the defense. He testified that the elephants likely enjoyed the train rides, because the long hauls satisfied their "nomadic" urge to roam-a theory Friend said he based on a USDA-funded study that he had conducted for the Journal of the Elephant Manager's Association. Under cross-examination, he conceded that the study had not been peer-reviewed, and that Feld Entertainment was paying him $500 an hour to testify-$100 more than his usual hourly fee and 10 times Ensley's rate.

At trial, Feld's lawyer compared being chained in boxcars for days to wearing a seatbelt. "It's no different than that."

Nevertheless, defense attorney John Simpson, a tall, mustachioed ex-Marine, took up the argument. "They know that when they get on that railcar that they're going to a new place," he told Judge Sullivan. "It stimulates them. The whole concept stimulates them."

"But chains are put on their legs," the judge said.

"That goes with the territory. It's like getting in your car," Simpson said. "It's time to go. Put your seat belt on. It's no different than that."

"The average person doesn't have to sit in their feces, though."

When Jacobson, now the Center for Elephant Conservation's director, took the stand, he conceded that Ringling's baby elephants are hit with bullhooks to train them to follow commands. Sullivan twice pressed him to say whether he considered the training practices to be "humane." Jacobson described them as "better" than they used to be, but under cross-examination he admitted that he conducts the earliest training sessions with baby elephants behind closed doors and never on videotape.

"Why don't you think-what is it about the training that [the public] wouldn't understand?" Judge Sullivan interjected.

"Because everything is kind of Born Free based. Everything has to be free and warm and fuzzy and, you know, we handle elephants and then, you know, they handle thousands of them in Asia, and they tie them up and they have bullhooks, you know, but in the modern world it's just more difficult to explain, Your Honor. It is."

When CEO Kenneth Feld took the stand, he finally admitted that his trainers and handlers hit elephants with bullhooks as a routine method of control and discipline.

"And you have seen Ringling Bros. employees strike elephants with bullhooks, haven't you?" Meyer asked him.

"Strike, hit, touch, tap, yes. Whatever the terminology is you'd like to use, yes," he said.

Feld also acknowledged that employees hooked elephants with the ankuses, whipped, and even shocked them on occasion, but he added that he did not believe any of those practices constituted abuse. And then he got to the bottom line: Without bullhooks and chains, Feld told the judge, the circus couldn't have elephants. And he had no intention of letting that happen.

"I mean, the symbol of The Greatest Show on Earth is the elephant," Feld said, "and that's what we've been known for throughout the world for more than 100 years."

The remarks might have resonated with Sullivan, who questioned whether a single judge should decide how elephants should be handled.

The summer came and went without a decision. PETA released another undercover video of Ringling workers repeatedly striking elephants as they lined up wearing pink "The Greatest Show on Earth" headdresses. (" Fuck you, fat ass," one says as he delivers several unprovoked blows.)

An undercover video of Ringling shows workers repeatedly striking elephants as they lined up wearing pink "The Greatest Show on Earth" headdresses. ("Fuck you, fat ass," one says as he delivers several unprovoked blows.)

On December 30, 2009, Sullivan issued a 57-page opinion that made no mention of the evidence against Feld Entertainment or the torrent of testimony about elephant misery that had rolled through his courtroom. Instead he took singular aim at Rider, the whistleblower. Adopting the defense's argument, he wrote that payments Rider received from animal groups to talk to the press about Ringling proved his motives were mercenary-even though the arrangement was modest ($190,000 over 10 years) and had been disclosed to the judge, who had raised no objections. Sullivan cited a photo the defense had produced of Rider holding a bullhook (Rider said he never used it) as further evidence the former barn man didn't really care about the elephants and thus had no standing to sue on their behalf. He ruled the animal welfare groups weren't harmed by Ringling's treatment of its elephants and so didn't have standing either. "Because the Court concludes that plaintiffs lack standing, the Court does not-and indeed cannot-reach the merits of plaintiffs' allegations," he wrote.

That March, just ahead of the cherry blossoms, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus marched its prized herd of elephants around Capitol Hill, an annual rite announcing the arrival of its traveling show. But this time, instead of swinging east of the Capitol, as it had in the past, the procession veered west, heading straight into the dark canyon of buildings that make up the federal courts complex. Lead defense attorney Simpson, in a brown leather bomber jacket, strode alongside the animals as they passed directly under Judge Sullivan's window.

The plaintiffs appealed, but on October 28, 2011, a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals in Washington, DC, upheld Judge Sullivan's decision on standing. Feld Entertainment is pursuing sanctions and more than $19 million in legal expenses, alleging they and their lawyers conspired to pursue a fraudulent case against the circus. Meanwhile, the elephants' fate is back in the hands of the USDA. In 2010, PETA asked for a status report on the USDA's six-year-old investigations into Angelica, Riccardo, and a young lion that died in a train trip across the desert. The agency responded that the statute of limitations had run out. So last March, PETA petitioned the agency to reopen the cases and revoke Feld Entertainment's exhibitor's license. The organization also took the trial evidence to the Federal Trade Commission, asking that Feld Entertainment be barred from claiming its elephants are trained with positive reinforcement. Both matters are pending, as are investigations into subsequent videos and reports of abuse. Vail said he considered the "fuck you, fat ass" incident a clear-cut violation but added that he thought TB would prove to be a much bigger problem for Feld Entertainment. New guidelines for TB are under consideration that would utilize a faster test to identify infected elephants-potentially complicating logistics for touring circuses, which also could face the prospect of state health officials turning them away. "That's probably going to be the downfall of Feld's elephants," Vail predicted.

One final note: During the trial, Feld Entertainment called Kari and Gary Johnson as their leading experts in industry standards for elephant care and management. The Johnsons are the proprietors of Have Trunk Will Travel, an elephant rental company in Southern California that supplies elephants for rides at fairs, weddings, commercials, and movies. The USDA also has tapped them to conduct agency staff trainings.

Recently one of their elephants, Tai, starred as Rosie in Water for Elephants, a movie that depicts circus animal abuse. The Johnsons claimed that in real life Tai had been trained humanely. But in May, Animal Defenders International released a 10-minute video compilation from 2005 of the Johnsons and other trainers repeatedly striking and shocking elephants. At one point, the video captures Tai's cries as a trainer shocks her with an electric prod to get her to perform a headstand.

In a written statement, the Johnsons said the video was heavily edited, that none of it was taken during training for the movie, and that "you can make something look like anything to suit your purposes." But they don't deny that the images show the methods they use to train elephants.

A spokesman for the USDA said an inspector was dispatched to "fully look into the matter" and "turned up no evidence of abuse."
Front page image: Jonathan Bruck/Flickr

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It was a drizzly winter day, and inside the Jacksonville Coliseum, Kenny, a three-year-old Asian elephant, was supposed to perform his usual adorable tricks in The Greatest Show on Earth: identifying the first letter of the alphabet by kicking a beach ball marked with an "A," twirling in a tight circle, perching daintily atop a tub, and, at the end of his act, waving farewell to the audience with a handkerchief grasped in his trunk.

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As mentioned in your email, you have a lot of great research here, Ally.   You seem to have decided the topics of each paragraph, however, you have not completed certain components for  this assignment (Introduction, Topic sentences after BP 1, counterargument paragraph, conclusion).

Thesis: 3/3
Intro.: 1/4
Body Parag.: 10/15
Counter-arg: 2/4
Conclusion:  1/4
17/30

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1946

ringling descendant took control

70s brought back circus popularity after it had fallen off technology wagon

circus evolved into artistic form

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1910-1929

dominant source of entertainment in US

immensely popular

arriving circuses were celebrated with parades

the day a circus arrived was like a holiday

direct quote from source

"Going to the circus in your hometown during its Golden Age would be comparable today to attending the super bowl and the Daytona 500 NASCAR Race on the Fourth of July"

impact on US society

circus newspaper, radio, telegraph coverage

circus lingo adopted into everyday life: "rain or shine", hold your horses", "get the show on the road", "jump on the bandwagon"

inspiration to artists and writers

bc of ritual, pageantry, brilliance

Alexander Caldwell's sculpture

ended with WWI and the Wall Street crash in 1929

most circuses went out of business

ringling bought up failing circuses

economic climate had circus industry on hiatus

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leisure industry emerging

gilded age

40 year period

1880-start of WWII

new enterprises

department stores

mail order catalogues

national magazines

dance halls

saloons

amusement parks

contributed to changing american cultural landscape

industry evolves into "railroad circus"

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start 1841

Barnum's american museum

chinese jugglers

serpent charmers

glass blowers

ventriloquists

performing fleas

Native American chiefs dancing

trained chickens and dogs

orangutan

"smallest man in world"

burnt down 1865

Barnum went into politics

came out of retirement

after persuasion from former clown turned circus industry businessman Dan Castello

Dan Castello Circus used Barnum's money and respected name

launched "P.T. Barnum's museum, Menagerie and Circus, International zoological garden, Polytechnic Institue and Hippodrome" in 1871

huge success

expanded

biggest competitor cooper & bailey circus

had first elephant born in US "Columbia"

seen as threat

Cooper & Bailey merge w Barnum to become Barnum and Bailey's "Greatest Show on Earth"

most popular attraction was Jumbo, an african elephant he bought in 1882

jumbo killed by freight train 1882

mourned

left for Europe tour in 1897, which left an opening for Ringling Bros circus to dominate the US circus industry

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entertainment in tents idea

allowed longer circus seasons

allowed to perform outside cities

became iconic "Big Top"

1825

adding humans to animal acts

1833

popularity growing as circuses traveled more

clowns were most popular, became icons

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circus evolved from horse riding shows in England

circus started in US in 1790

basic aspects of modern circus:

choreographed live production

performing animals

clown

acrobats

before full circus came to US, there were exotic animal displays in Philly

lion "on display" 1716

camel 1721

polar bear 1733

1793 first circus in US

in philly

by John Bill rickets

clown named "Mr. Donald"

featured horse riding

acrobats

early 19th century circus industry standards

traveling troupes

acrobats

clowns

exotic animals

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Sign in with your credentials to access the EBSCOhost premium information resources provided by your subscribing institution.

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The freshly exposed cruelties of the American circus has demolished the industry. The tide of public opinion on animal rights has turned; a 2015 poll by the LA Times revealed that 62% of Americans believe animals deserve protection and 32% believe animals should have the same rights as people. Businesses have been forced to change their practices for their consumers’ approval. Industries built on animal abuse can no longer survive in this more aware, compassionate America.

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Pratte’s analysis of the animal welfare in Ringling Bros Circus was based off of the The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal Welfare Act.

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 American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty towards Animals

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 American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty towards Animals

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Body Paragraph 6: animal rights activism

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Body Paragraph 6: animal rights activism

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took advantage of Barnum and Bailey's absence during their Euro tour

created by 7 brothers from WI

started 1884 as "Old Yankee Robinson and Ringling Bros. Double Show, Museum, and Hippodrome", but later shortened to "Ringling Bros. Circus"

took over the circus market in B & B's absence

competed w B&B once they returned in 1902

after creators of B&B died, Bailey's widow sold the circus to Ringling Bros in 1907

combined the 2 circuses into one

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Body Paragraph 5: ringling bros animal acts 

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Body Paragraph 5: ringling bros animal acts 

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The Ringling Bros. circus depended on their animals in order to stay relevant.

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Perhaps the most unbelievable of the circus animal horror stories is that of Big Mary.

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Body Paragraph 3: 20th century animal acts overview

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Body Paragraph 3: 20th century animal acts overview

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Body Paragraph 2: 20th century  circus background unrelated to animals

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Body Paragraph 2: 20th century  circus background unrelated to animals

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The American circus industry entered its Golden Age in 1910.

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Body Paragraph 1: US circus history prior to the 20th century

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Body Paragraph 1: US circus history prior to the 20th century

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The circus that Americans are familiar with today originated in Europe, arriving in the US in 1790.

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"A Summary Of ADI Activity Over The Years". 2018. Animal Defenders International. Accessed May 24 2018. http://www.ad-international.org/about_us/go.php?id=2765&ssi=39.

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A summary of ADI activity over the years

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Animal Defenders International (ADI) works on various animal welfare and conservation issues including animals in entertainment, animal experiments and alternatives, fur and ivory.

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Passy, Charles. 2018. "Ringling Bros. Shutdown: The End Of The Circus Industry?". WSJ. Accessed May 24 2018. https://www.wsj.com/articles/ringling-bros-shutdown-the-end-of-the-circus-industry-1484530116.

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Ringling Bros. Shutdown: The End of the Circus Industry?

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For generations, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus proved itself an enduring family entertainment, a show so popular that its self-proclaimed status as "The Greatest Show on Earth" was simply accepted as a matter of fact.

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"Is The American Circus Industry Extinct Or Will It Rise From The Ashes?". 2014. Huffpost. Accessed May 24 2018. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/preetam-kaushik/american-circus-industry_b_4600380.html.

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If an early 20th century American were to attend a circus somewhere in Europe, he might be in for a shock to see no exotic animals, gypsy women with mustaches or something equally "exotic" according to him. This is primarily because circus has a whole different meaning once you cross the Atlantic. In Europe, especially in countries like Russia, France, Ukraine and Romania, circus is seen as a cultural event where acrobats and people with certain skills or talents could exhibit their mettle.

The idea behind such shows is to create a sense of awe in the audience, which involves a certain sense of respect toward the performers. Traditional American circus, however, has more or less been an avenue for ordinary Americans to get out of their daily lives and enjoy exhibitions where the "exotic" and the '"freaks" are on display. Most of these exhibits are not there because of what they can do but simply because of what they are perceived to be -- "not normal."

But certainly, one cannot stereotype an entire nation based on how people behaved in the early 20th century. There is something more American about the circus that transpired in the 19th century.

The biggest showman in the country at that time and perhaps the most famous American in the entertainment business was PT Barnum. Besides being everything that he was, he was predominantly a showman: "I am a showman by profession... and all the gilding shall make nothing else of me," and his personal aims were "to put money in his own coffers."

In the year 1841, Barnum faced a tough logistical issue when he opened his first museum of oddities -- customers who came in did not want to leave, thus making it difficult for him to accommodate new patrons into the venue. Displaying a stroke of genius, Barnum posted a sign reading "This way to the Egress," exploiting the fact that most visitors had no idea that egress meant exit. So while they expected the doorway to lead to some newer chamber filled with exotic oddities, they actually ended up outdoors. If they wanted to get in, they had to spend another quarter. The money started flowing again.

This anecdote, in a way, is a part of history because this little incident displays everything that circus was to Americans -- a spectacle, an illusion, a lot of confusion, something wholly out of the ordinary, all garnished with good old American salesmanship.

Let us explore how the decline of American circus was a direct result of this very Americanism, but, to do that we need to first understand the attitude that justifies such differences, especially when we juxtapose all of this with the European model. While the American circus industry enjoyed a renaissance of sorts in the '70s, Europe went through the same earlier in the century. In Paris, they called it "nouveau cirque" (new circus). The glitz and the brightness of traditional shows were suddenly replaced by sleek white tents where the fashionable elite sat on red velvet couches and the performers are not merely acrobats, daredevils or illusionists but also actors and singers. And it was far from the carnival-esque feel of earlier times as these performers would recite anything from Proust to Bob Dylan.

Circuses, as figures and stats tell us, have been booming all over the world. Currently, France has over 450 troupes in the country and over 600 schools where people from all over the world enrol to train in various circus related disciplines. Even countries like Belgium, Mexico, Australia, Canada and about 20-odd nations have established professional circus training grounds. Even USA has a good number of circus schools like New York Circus Arts, School of Acrobatics and New Circus Arts in Seattle, South Florida Circus Arts School in Miami Beach, etc.

However, there's a stark difference in how circus operates in America and the rest of the world.
Just like most other art forms, European progressive governments recognized the artistic importance of circus and to promote the culture, they subsidized it. In 1979, France even shifted its Circus programs from the Department of Agriculture to the Department of Culture. In America, the scene was different and this had nothing to do with lack of talent because talent was abundant. In 1974, some talented performers and actors joined forces in California to form the Pickle Family Circus. A few years down the line, New York witnessed the golden years of the Big Apple Circus. But the old reputation of the circus, of being rough and less aristocratic and encouraging petty crimes like pick-pocketing, still lingered. Even though there are many schools in America training acrobats, none of them, unlike their European or Canadian counterparts, offers a degree in dance or acrobats.

And then there's the question of competition. The elite attend expensive galas, the masses go to the movies and Broadway and the future teens who are to rule the future have seen everything there is to be seen on their smartphone. Without sugarcoating it, let's accept that the circus will not survive our generation unless the state comes to its rescue. Agreed, that circus itself needs to change its perception in the minds of people but if the state were to allow festivals and remove some red tape when it comes to arranging such events, it would quicken things up. Currently, circuses are completely banned in Connecticut and the New York State council on Arts has banned all kinds of funding that fall under the broader umbrella ironically named "variety," which unfortunately includes circuses. Art institutions spread across America could help out by shepherding circus to the mainstream so that already established circus companies in the country, like Chicago's 500 Clown, Kansas City's Quixotic, San Francisco's Sweet Can and Santa Fe Paper Doll Militia could have a level playing field while competing with other art forms.

Paul Binder, one of the founders of the 70's Big Apple Circus ruminates:

"The circus, in many forms, but in one singular shape - the circle- has survived for centuries the flood, pestilence, famine and terrorism that haunts the human race. Its antecedents can be traced to prehistory and were at the heart and soul of the tribal cultures that existed in those times. Indeed, the circus is part of our humanity, it's as if it is a strand of our DNA. The circus arts address our continual struggle for survival. Watching an acrobat throw a triple somersault affirms our uncanny ability to look improbability in the face and to jump, knowing that a net will appear. The circus is a nimble art form, adapting to the communal needs of each society."

To ensure the survival and the subsequent revival of this art, what is mostly important is that we, the audience need to communicate properly so that such events, regardless of scale, can be promoted everywhere in America.

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Is the American Circus Industry Extinct or Will It Rise From the Ashes?

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If an early 20th century American were to attend a circus somewhere in Europe, he might be in for a shock to see no exotic animals, gypsy women with mustaches or something equally "exotic" according to him. This is primarily because circus has a whole different meaning once you cross the Atlantic.

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the inhuman exploitation of circus animals in the 20th century painted a cruel picture of the circus and therefore contributed to the industry's decline

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Eliminating animal acts is detrimental to the already dying industry, so animal acts should continue, to put human needs above animals'.

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The American circus has passed through it's golden age, and now rests at death's door.  As most Americans are familiar with, the almost barbaric, pompous form of entertainment features great beasts of animals, human oddities, specialty performers, and clowns. In a constantly evolving nation, it was only a matter of time before the industry collapsed. Not only was there the emergence of accessible, captivating technology stealing away the public's attention, but also a wave of awareness: organizations popped up whose main goal was to terminate the circus' animal acts through exposing the industry's inhuman treatment of their animal entertainers. The circus' marvelous, jubilant facade was washed away after animal rights activists stepped in. These justice and compassion focused organizations served the American circus industry its final blow.

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"The Town That Hanged An Elephant". 2014. Mail Online. Accessed May 17 2018. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2559840/The-town-hanged-elephant-A-chilling-photo-macabre-story-murder-revenge.html.

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document

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Pub. L. 91-579, §23, Dec. 24, 1970, 84 Stat. 1565, provided that: "The amendments made by this Act [enacting section 2155 of this title, amending this section and sections 2132, 2133, 2134, 2135, 2136, 2137, 2138, 2139, 2140, 2141, 2142, 2143, 2144, 2145, 2146, 2147, 2149, and 2150 of this title, repealing section 2148 of this title, and enacting provisions set out as notes under this section] shall take effect one year after the date of enactment of this Act [Dec.

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overview

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The requirements of the Animal Welfare Act are set forth under the Regulations and Standards in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). These requirements are found in Title 9 CFR, Chapter 1, Subchapter A - Animal Welfare, Parts 1, 2, and 3. The requirements for reports, notifications, certifications, and record keeping are set forth in Part 2 of 9 CFR (2022) and are indicated below. Section numbers are provided for reference.
Subpart C--Research Facilities
Section 2.30 Registration.

(a) Requirements and procedures.

(1) Each research facility, other than a Federal research facility, shall register with the Secretary by completing and filing a properly executed form, which will be furnished upon request, by the AC Regional Director for the State in which the research facility has its principal place of business, and shall be updated every 3 years by the completion and filing of a new registration form.

(c) Notification of Change of Operation.

(1) "A research facility shall notify the AC Regional Director by certified mail of any change in the name, address, or ownership, or other change in operations affecting its status as a research facility, within 10 days after making such change."

From Subchapter A--Animal Welfare, 9 C.F.R. § 2.1 et. seq. (2021). Dealers and Exhibitors Section 2.1 Requirements and application. Section 2.2 Acknowledgement of regulations and standards.

The applicant is to acknowledge receipt of the regulations and standards and agree to comply with them by signing the application form or the license will not be issued or renewed. (Sect. 2.2).

Section 2.5 Duration of license and termination of license.

(b) Any person who is licensed must file an application for a license renewal and an annual report form and pay the required fees, on or before the expiration date of the present license or the license will automatically terminate on its anniversary date. (Sect.2.5 (b)).

Section 2.7 Annual report by licensees.

(a) "Each year, within 30 days prior to the expiration date of his or her license, a licensee shall file with the AC Regional Director an application for license renewal and annual report upon a form which the AC Regional Director will furnish him or her upon request." (Sect. 2.7 (a)).

Section 2.8 Notification of change of name, address, control, or ownership of business.

"A licensee shall promptly notify the AC Regional Director by certified mail of any change in name, address, management, or substantial control or ownership of his business operation, or of any additional sites, within 10 days of any change." (Sect. 2.8).

Subpart D - Attending Veterinarian and Adequate Veterinary Care. Section 2.40 Attending veterinarian and adequate veterinary care, dealers and exhibitors.

(a) Each dealer or exhibitor shall have an attending veterinarian who shall provide adequate veterinary care to its animals in compliance with this section.

(1) "Each dealer and exhibitor shall employ an attending veterinarian under formal arrangements. In the case of a part-time attending veterinarian or consultant arrangements, the formal arrangements shall include a written program of veterinary care and regularly scheduled visits to the premises of the dealer or exhibitor;...". (Sect.2.40 (a)(1)).

(3) Daily observation of all animals is required to assess their health and well-being. A mechanism of direct and frequent communication is also required so that timely and accurate information on problems of animal health, behavior, and well-being is conveyed to the attending veterinarian. (Sect.2.40 (a)(3)).

Subpart E - Identification of Animals. Section 2.50 Time and method of identification of animals.

(a) A class "A" dealer (breeder) shall identify all live dogs and cats as indicated in section 2.50 (a).

(b) A class "B" dealer shall identify all live dogs and cats as indicated in section 2.50 (b).

(c) A class "C" exhibitor shall identify live dogs and cats as indicated in section 2.50 (c).

(e) All animals, except dogs and cats, shall be identified as indicated in section 2.50 (e) by each dealer or exhibitor.

Section 2.75 Records: Dealers and exhibitors.

(a) (1) Each dealer and exhibitor, except auction sales and brokers, shall make and maintain records or forms that correctly disclose the information required in section 2.75 (a) for each dog or cat acquired, held, transported, or disposed of. On e copy of the record must accompany each shipment of any dog or cat. (Sect.2.75 (a)(1)-(4)).

(b) (1) Every dealer and exhibitor, except auction sales and brokers, shall make and maintain records or forms for animals other than dogs and cats, acquired, held, transported, or disposed of, as required in section 2.75 (b)(1)-(3). One copy of the record must accompany each animal shipment. (Sect.2.75 (a) (b)).

Section 2.76 Records: Operators of auction sales and brokers.

(a) Every auction sale or broker shall make and maintain records or forms, as required by section 2.76, for each animal consigned or sold. (Sect.2.76 (a)(1)-(8)).

(b) One copy of the record shall be given to the consignor of each animal, one copy to the purchaser of each animal, and one copy shall be retained by the auction sale or broker. (Sect.2.76 (b)).

Section 2.78 Health certification and identification.

(a) No dealer, exhibitor, operator of an auction sale, broker, or department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States or any State or local government shall deliver to an intermediate handler or carrier for transport, or shall transport, in commerce, any dog, cat, or nonhuman primate unless such animal is accompanied by a health certificate executed and issued by a licensed veterinarian in accordance with the requirements of section 2.78. (Sect.2.78 (a)-(d)).

Section 2.80 Records, disposition.

(a) "No dealer, exhibitor, broker, operator of an auction sale, carrier, or intermediate handler shall, for a period of one year, destroy or dispose of, without consent in writing of the Administrator, any books, records, documents, or other paper s required to be kept and maintained under this part." (Sect.2.80 (a)).

(b) Unless otherwise specified, the records required to be kept and maintained under this part shall be held for one year after an animal is euthanized or disposed of and for any period in excess of one year as necessary to comply with any applicable Federal, State, or local law. If the Administrator notifies a facility that specified records are to be retained pending an investigation or proceeding, the facility shall hold those records until their disposition is authorized by the Administrator. (Sect.2.80 (b)).

Subpart H - Compliance With Standards and Holding Period. Section 2.102 Holding facility.

(a) "If any dealer or exhibitor obtains prior approval of the AC Regional Director, he may arrange to have another person hold animals for the required period provided for in paragraph (a) of section 2.101: Provided, That:" (Sect.2.102 (a)).

(1) "The other person agrees in writing to comply with the regulations in part 2 and the standards in part 3 of this subchapter and allow inspection of his premises by an APHIS official during business hours; and" (Sect.2.102 (a)(1)).

(2) The animals remain under the total control and responsibility of the dealer or exhibitor. (Sect.2.102 (a)(2)).

Subpart I - Miscellaneous. Section 2.125 Information as to business.

Each dealer and exhibitor shall furnish any APHIS official any information concerning the business that the APHIS official may request in connection with the enforcement of the Act, regulations and standards. (Sect.2.125).

Section 2.126 Access and inspection of records and property.

(a) Each dealer and exhibitor, shall, during business hours, allow APHIS officials:

(1) To enter its place of business. (Sect.2.126 (a)(1)).

(2) To examine records required to be kept by the Act and the regulations. (Sect.2.126 (a)(2)).

(3) To make copies of the records. (Sect.2.126 (a)(3)).

(4) To inspect and photograph the facilities, property and animals, as the APHIS officials consider necessary to enforce the Act, regulations and standards. (Sect.2.126 (a)(4)).

(5) To document, by the taking of photographs and other means, conditions and areas of noncompliance. (Sect.2.126 (a)(5)).

Section 2.132 Procurement of random source dogs and cats, dealers.

(e) Any dealer or exhibitor who also operates a private or contract animal pound or shelter shall comply with the following: (Sect.2.132 (e)).

(2) Accurate and complete records are to be separately maintained by the licensee and by the pound or shelter. The records shall be in accordance with sections 2.75 and 2.76 unless the animals are lost or stray. If lost or stray, the pound or shelter records shall provide the information required in section 2.132 (e)(2)(i)-(iv). (Sect.2.132 (e)(2))

Section 2.133 Certification for random source dogs and cats.

(b) A dealer shall not sell, provide, or make available to any person a live random source dog or cat unless the dealer provides the recipient of the dog or cat with certification that contains the information set forth in section 2.133 (b)(1)-(6) . (Sect. 2.133 (b)).

(c) "The original certification required under paragraph (b) of this section shall accompany the shipment of a live dog or cat...." (2.133 (c)).

(d) "A dealer who acquires a live dog or cat from another dealer must obtain from that dealer the certification required by paragraph (b) of this section and must attach that certification (including any previously attached certification) to the certification which he or she provides pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section (a photocopy of the original certification will be deemed a duplicate original if the dealer does not dispose of all the dogs or cats in a single transaction)." (Sect. 2.133 (d)).

(e) "A dealer who completes, provides, or receives a certification required under paragraph (b) of this section shall keep, maintain, and make available for APHIS inspection a copy of the certification for at least 1 year following disposition." (Sect.2.133 (e)).

Part 3 - Standards Section 3.8 Exercise for dogs.

Dealers and exhibitors must develop, document, and follow an appropriate plan to provide dogs with the opportunity for exercise. In addition, the plan must be approved by the attending veterinarian. The plan must include written standard procedure s to be followed in providing the opportunity for exercise. The plan must be made available to APHIS upon request. The plan, at a minimum, must comply with the conditions and requirements set forth in section 3.8 (a) (b) and (c). (Sect.3.8).

(d) Exemptions.

(1) If, in the opinion of the attending veterinarian, it is inappropriate for certain dogs to exercise because of their health, condition, or well-being, the dealer or exhibitor may be exempted from meeting the requirements of this section for those dogs. Such exemption must be documented by the attending veterinarian and, unless the basis for the exemption is a permanent condition, must be reviewed at least every 30 days by the attending veterinarian. (Sect.3.8 (d)(1)).

(3) Records of any exemptions must be maintained and made available to USDA officials upon request. (Sect. 3.8. (d)(3)).

Section 3.13 Consignment to carriers and intermediate handlers. Section 3.14 Primary enclosures used to transport live dogs and cats. Section 3.16 Food and water requirements.

(b) Any dealer, research facility or exhibitor offering any dog or cat to a carrier or intermediate handler for transportation must securely attach to the outside of the primary enclosure used for transporting the dog or cat, written instructions for the in-transit food and water requirements for a 24 hour period for the dogs and cats contained in the enclosure. The instructions must be attached in a manner that makes them easily noticed and read. (Sect. 3.16 (b)).

Subpart B - Guinea Pigs and Hamsters. Section 3.27 Facilities, outdoor.

(a) Hamsters shall not be housed in outdoor facilities.

(b) "Guinea pigs shall not be housed in outdoor facilities unless such facilities are located in an appropriate climate and prior approval for such outdoor housing is obtained from the Deputy Administrator." (Sect. 3.27 (b)).

Section 3.35 Consignment to carriers and intermediate handlers.

(c) Carriers and intermediate handlers whose facilities fail to meet the minimum temperature requirements may accept live hamsters for transportation if the consignor furnishes a certificate executed by a veterinarian, no more than 10 days prior to delivery for transport, stating that such live hamster is acclimated to air temperatures lower than those prescribed in sections 3.40 and 3.41. A copy of such certificate shall accompany the shipment to its destination and shall contain the information required in section 3.35 (c)(1)-(4). (Sect. 3.35 (c)).

Section 3.36 Primary enclosures used to transport live guinea pigs and hamsters. Section 3.60 Consignments to carriers and intermediate handlers.

(b) Any carrier or intermediate handler shall only accept for transportation or transport, in commerce, any live rabbit in a primary enclosure which conforms to the requirements set forth in section 3.6l of the standards: Provided, however, That any carrier or intermediate handler may accept....any live rabbit....if such consignor furnishes to the carrier or intermediate handler a certificate, signed by the consignor, stating that the primary enclosure complies with section 3.61 of the standard, unless such primary enclosure is obviously defective or damaged and it is apparent that it cannot, reasonably be expected to contain the live rabbit without causing suffering or injury to such live rabbit. A copy of such certificate shall accompany the shipment to destination. The certificate shall include the information required in section 3.60 (b)(1)-(4). (Sect. 3.60 (b)).

(c) Carriers or intermediate handlers whose facilities fail to meet the minimum temperatures allowed by the standards may accept....any live rabbit....if the consignor furnishes to the carrier or intermediate handler a certificate executed by a veterinarian....on a specified date which shall not be more than 10 days prior to delivery of such rabbit for transportation....stating that such live rabbit is acclimated to air temperatures lower than those prescribed in sections 3.65 and 3.66. A copy of such certificate shall accompany the shipment to destination. The certificate shall include the information required in section 3.60 (c)(1)-(4). (Sect. 3.60 (c)).

Section 3.61 Primary enclosures used to transport live rabbits. Subpart D - Nonhuman Primates. Section 3.81 Environment enhancement to promote psychological well-being.

Dealers and exhibitors must develop, document, and follow an appropriate plan for environment enhancement adequate to promote the psychological well-being of nonhuman primates. The plan must be in accordance with the currently accepted professional standards as cited in appropriate professional journals or reference guides, and as directed by the attending veterinarian. This plan must be made available to APHIS upon request....The plan must address the requirements set forth in section 3.81 (a)(b) (c) and (d). (Sect. 3.81).

(e) Exceptions.

(1) "The attending veterinarian may exempt an individual nonhuman primate from participation in the environment enhancement plan because of its health or condition, or in consideration of its well-being. The basis for exemption must be recorded by the attending veterinarian for each exempted nonhuman primate. Unless the basis for exemption is a permanent condition, the exemption must be reviewed at least every 30 days by the attending veterinarian." (Sect. 3.81 (e)).

(3) Records of any exemptions must be maintained by the dealer or exhibitor and must be made available to USDA officials upon request. (Sect.3.81 (e)(3)).

Section 3.86 Consignment to carriers and intermediate handlers. Section 3.87 Primary enclosure used to transport nonhuman primates. Section 3.89 Food and water requirements.

(a) ".... Consignors who are subject to Animal Welfare regulations (9 CFR parts 1, 2 and 3) must certify that each nonhuman primate was offered food and potable water within the 4 hours preceding delivery of the nonhuman primate to a carrier or intermediate handler for transportation in commerce, and must certify the date and time the food and potable water was offered, in accordance section 3.86 (c) of this subpart." (Sect. 3.89 (a)).

(b) Any dealer or exhibitor offering a nonhuman primate to a carrier or intermediate handler for transportation in commerce must securely attach to the outside of the primary enclosure used for transporting the nonhuman primate, written instructions for a 24 hour period for the in-transit food and water requirements of the nonhuman primate(s) contained in the enclosure. The instructions must be attached in a manner that makes them easily noticed and read. (Sect. 3.89 (b)).

Subpart E - Marine Mammals. Section 3.101 Facilities, general.

(b) Water and power supply. ".... Written contingency plans must be submitted to and approved by the AC Deputy Administrator regarding emergency sources of water and electric power in the event of failure of the primary sources, when such failure could reasonably be expected to be detrimental to the good health and well-being of the marine mammal housed therein." (Sect. 3.101 (b)). (The plan must include the requirements in this section: 3.101(b)).

Section 3.106 Water quality.

(a) General. "The primary enclosure shall not contain water which would be detrimental to the health of the marine mammal contained therein." (3.106 (a)).

(b) Bacterial standards.

(3) "Water samples shall be taken and tested at least weekly for coliform count and at least daily for pH and any chemical additives (e.g. chlorine and copper) that are added to the water to maintain water quality standards.... Records must be kept documenting the time when all such samples were taken and the results of the sampling. Records of all such test results shall be maintained by management for a 1-year period and must be made available for inspection purposes on request." (3.106 (b)(3)) .

Section 3.110 Veterinary care.

(f) All marine mammals must be visually examined by the attending veterinarian at least semiannually and physically examined when determined by the attending veterinarian and at least annually.

(g) "A complete necropsy must be conducted by or under the direct supervision of a veterinarian on all marine mammals that die in captivity. A necropsy report must be prepared by the veterinarian listing all pathologic lesions observed and giving the apparent cause of death. All diagnostic rests conducted on post mortem specimens shall be listed in the report, and the results of each test recorded. The management of the facility, at which the marine mammal died, must maintain these necropsy records for a period of 3 years and present them to Department inspectors when requested." (Sect. 3.110 (d)).

Section 3.112 Consignment to carriers and intermediate handlers.

(b) Any carrier or intermediate handler shall only accept for transportation or transport, in commerce, any marine mammal in a primary enclosure which conforms to the requirements set forth in section 3.113 of the standards: Provided, however, That any carrier or intermediate handler may accept for transport, in commerce, any marine mammal .... if the consignor furnishes to the carrier or intermediate handler a certificate, signed by the consignor, stating that the primary enclosure complies with section 3.113 of the standards, unless such primary enclosure is obviously defective or damaged and it is apparent that it cannot reasonably be expected to contain the marine mammal without causing suffering or injury to such marine mammal. A copy of such certificate shall accompany the shipment to destination. The certificate shall include the information set forth in section 3.112 (b)(1)-(4). (Sect. 3.112 (b)).

(c) Carriers or intermediate handlers whose facilities fail to meet the minimum temperature allowed by the standards may accept for transportation or transport, in commerce, any marine mammal .... if the consignor furnishes to the carrier or intermediate handler a certificate executed by the attending veterinarian .... on a specified date which shall not be more than 10 days prior to delivery of such animal for transportation, in commerce, stating that the marine mammal is acclimated to an air temperature range lower or higher than those prescribed is sections 3.117 and 3.118. A copy of such certificate shall accompany the shipment to destination. The certificate is to include at least the information required in section 3.112 (c)(1)-(4). (Sect. 3.112 (c)).

Section 3.113 Primary enclosures used to transport marine mammals.

(f) Primary enclosures used to transport marine mammals .... shall be clearly marked on top and on one or more sides with the words "Live Animal" or "Wild Animal" .... in letters not less than 1 inch in height, and with arrows or other markings, t o indicate the correct upright position of the container. (Sect. 3.113 (f)).

(g) "Documents accompanying the shipment shall be attached in an easily accessible manner to the outside of a primary enclosure which is part of such shipment." (Sect. 3.113 (g)).

Subpart F - Other animals. Section 3.133 Separation.

Animals housed in the same primary enclosure must be compatible and not be housed near animals that interfere with their health or cause them discomfort.

Section 3.136 Consignment to carriers and intermediate handlers.

(b) Any carrier or intermediate handler shall only accept for transportation or transport, in commerce, any live animal in a primary enclosure which conforms to the requirements set forth in section 3.137 of the standards: Provided, however, That any carrier or intermediate handler may accept for transportation or transport, in commerce, any live animal .... if the consignor furnishes to the carrier or intermediate handler a certificate, signed by the consignor, stating that the primary enclosure complies with section 3.137 of the standards, unless such primary enclosure is obviously defective or damaged and it is apparent that it cannot reasonably be expected to contain the live animal without causing suffering or injury to such live animal. A copy of such certification shall accompany the shipment to destination. The certificate shall include at least the information required in section 3.136 (b)(1)-(4). (Sect. 3.136 (b)).

(c) Carriers and intermediate handlers whose facilities fail to meet the minimum temperature allowed by the standards may accept for transportation or transport, in commerce, any live animal .... if the consignor furnishes to the carrier or intermediate handler a certificate executed by a veterinarian .... on a specific date which shall not be more than 10 days prior to delivery of such animal for transportation in commerce, stating that such live animal is acclimated to air temperatures lower than those prescribed in sections 3.141 and 3.142. A copy of such certificate shall accompany the shipment to destination. The certificate shall include the information required by section 3.136 (c)(1)-(4). (Sect. 3.136 (c)).

Section 3.139 Food and water requirements.

(d) Any dealer or exhibitor offering any live animal to any carrier or intermediate handler for transportation in commerce shall affix to the outside of the primary enclosure used for transporting such live animal, written instructions concerning the food and water requirements of such animal while being so transported. (Sect.3.139 (d)).

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The requirements of the Animal Welfare Act are set forth under the Regulations and Standards in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). These requirements are found in Title 9 CFR, Chapter 1, Subchapter A - Animal Welfare, Parts 1, 2, and 3.

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tried as a human

handler that was killed  had no circus experience but was assigned to control a huge elephant only 36 hours after joining the circus

tennessee

small, not mainstream circus named Charlie Sparks

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Ed Stewart, president of Performing Animals Welfare Society, a Galt, Calif., sanctuary for elephants and other former circus beasts, said he thought of Big Mary when Ringling Bros. announced last week that it would stop using elephants by 2017.

"She's an example of why we should never have put these animals in such unnatural situations in the first place," Stewart told The Justice Story. "This elephant was simply acting like an elephant. They are inherently dangerous, and I don't blame her for what happened. I blame those who put her in the circus. It's their fault."

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Asian elephant lynched in 1916

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Some of the details of how an Asian circus elephant named Big Mary became the victim of a lynching in a stony little east Tennessee town are obscured by the gauze of time.

But as kooky as it sounds, it's a true story.

The chain of events began as Big Mary and four other elephants from the Sparks Circus lumbered toward a water hole between their matinee and evening performances that Sept. 12 in Kingsport, Tenn.

When the elephant again pivoted toward the watermelon, Eldridge whacked her hard, digging into her flesh with the barb of the bullhook.

With that, Big Mary reached back with her trunk, plucked the scrawny Eldridge from her back and body-slammed him. She then squashed his head like a grape under her platter-sized foot.

A century ago, Tennesseans didn't see it that way.

Townspeople who witnessed Mary's deadly fury were stirred to chant, "Kill the elephant!" Someone in the crowd plinked five or six shots from a .32 revolver into her thick hide. She barely noticed.

Sparks surely didn't want to leave Big Mary behind. She was his star, with marquee billing for more than 20 years as "the largest living land animal on Earth," a skosh taller than P.T. Barnum's famous Jumbo.

If Big Mary had the longest tenure with the Sparks Circus, the handler she killed had the shortest.

Charlie Sparks gave shrugging concession, which allowed his show to go on.

An improvised gallows was waiting the next morning when the circus pulled into Erwin, Tenn., 40 miles down the rails from Kingsport.

Virtually the entire population of the town of 2,500 assembled for the spectacle. Big Mary was positioned beneath a 100-ton crane made to lift railroad cars. A necklace of stout chain was cinched around her head and linked to the crane, which slowly lifted the poor beast off her feet.

She dangled briefly, then fell with a bone-cracking thud when the chain broke.

"It made a right smart little racket when the elephant hit the ground," according to an eyewitness quoted years later in a local magazine story.

Big Mary writhed for more than an hour while someone fetched a thicker noose chain. Mercifully, the job was completed on the second go-round.

The Sparks show rolled on again the next day, leaving Big Mary buried in the Erwin railyard.

For decades, the bizarre lynching escaped notice, and the identities of those involved - beyond Sparks, Eldridge and Big Mary - were scrubbed as the tale was passed down in local history.

But the story has been resurrected in several recent books, and it has emerged as a bullet point among infamous elephant atrocities since the Ringling Bros. announcement.

"Mary sounds to me like an elephant that was fed up," said Stewart, the circus animal advocate.

For more than 30 years, his sanctuary group has urged a ban on traveling elephants. He said he now expects other circuses to follow the Ringling Bros.' lead. About 100 elephants now perform in American circuses, half for Ringling.

A ban on elephants and other wild animals in traveling circuses takes effect this year in England. And many U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, have banned the use of bullhooks, the device that apparently touched off Big Mary's fury.

"There have been circus-elephant protests at the grass-roots level all over the country," Stewart said. "The handwriting is now on the wall. This must end."

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'Fed up' circus elephant Big Mary lynched for 'murder' in 1916 - NY Daily News

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Some of the details of how an Asian circus elephant named Big Mary became the victim of a lynching in a stony little east Tennessee town are obscured by the gauze of time. But as kooky as it sounds, it's a true story.

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Circus animals were exploited and abused. Through animal rights organizations and new ideas about nature in society, the industry's cruel acts were protested successfully.

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p 153

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p 153

after the enlightenment, the connections between animals and humans were becoming more apparent

theory of evolution clearly shows animals and humans have same origins

some audience now sees animals as enslaved humans

Animal acts were consistently protested in late 19th century into the 20th

Animal welfare organization (ex Jack London Clubs)

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"untamed" animals trained to act like humans

Giving animals human traits made them more appealing and comical to an audience

animal tricks include walking upright, riding horses, playing instruments, and playing games

Bears were given alcohol and guns

Pigs were so often used because of their natural similarities to humans: pink skin, omnivorous diet, live with humans

"The circus, with humanized animals and animalized humans," p 152

why were circus animals trained to act like humans? the Enlightenment.

intellectuals were exploring the common origins of all animals

discovering animals have emotions, are sentient

no longer thought of as "living machines"

theory of evolution proved that animals are alike humans in many ways

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p 152
founder of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty towards ANimals

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How did the American circus industry in the 20th century impact animals? How did animal acts impact the American circus industry?

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pink = general info

yellow = influential figures

blue = US circus history

green = animals

purple = misc

#then number indicates which source I got the ntoes from

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p 148 of linked source

usually adult male animals

the more dangerous and "exotic", the more desirable & famous

Domestic animals had roles

Animals in entertainment were geared towards comedy

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circus influence outside of animal rights #00

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circus influence outside of animal rights #00

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p 144

shifting male gender roles

androgynous acceptance

genderless clowns

performing in drag

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chicago style citations

gale box: cswlibraryresearch

footnotes only need part of citation

if footnote is from book, put comma then page number after

for citing same source twice or more in a row in footnotes, make second footnote then use term "Ibid."

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Circus - 20th-century developments: In 1907, following the death of Bailey, Barnum's final partner, the Ringling brothers bought Barnum & Bailey Circus and continued to run it as a separate show. In 1919 they finally combined it with their own circus to form the concern that still flourished at the turn of the 21st century as the Ringling Bros.

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used in BP 1, BP 2

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In the News May 2017: Read Los Angeles Times Op-ed written by LCA's President, Chris DeRose

LCA President & Founder Chris DeRose led a very special demonstration at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus' last show on Earth! The final performance marked the end of a cruel era of Ringling breeding animals or stealing them from the wild and forcing them to perform demeaning, unnatural tricks out of fear.

The end of Ringling Bros. was a hard-won victory that followed decades of investigations and protests by LCA and other animal advocacy groups. The demonstration at the final show commemorated the occasion as well as urged Ringling to send the animals to sanctuaries and not sell them to zoos or other exploitative facilities.

HELP END CIRCUS CRUELTY:

CLICK HERE to contact your congressperson and urge them to pass H.R. 1759, The Traveling Exotic Animal and Public Safety Protection Act (TEAPSPA). This bill would ban the use of all exotic animals in traveling shows in the U.S.

After 146 years, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, owned by Feld Entertainment, announced they are closing down.

For decades, LCA has been at the forefront of undercover investigations and nonstop protests that garnered international attention exposing the severe animal cruelty that Ringling so desperately tried to hide and deny.

Ringling's CEO, Kenneth Feld, sent one of his own investigators, Steve Kendall, to spy on LCA's President, Chris DeRose. That move backfired as the investigator ended up "flipping" and worked with LCA after realizing the cruelty involved in Ringling's training tactics.

Steve Kendall was hired by Feld and worked for him for 8 years gathering information about leaders of the animal rights movement, but ended up helping LCA by supplying intel against Ringling.

"Anyone that gets in Kenneth Feld's way, he investigated. Chris DeRose was a threat, one of the biggest. Kenneth singled out individuals that targeted the shows and looked for other ways to combat them, trying to shut down those people and organizations (LCA, PETA) economically," states Mr. Kendall.

LCA's undercover investigator exposed some of the most egregious acts by trainers of circus elephants in the 15 years he worked for LCA, at serious risk to his own life.

It has been widely documented that Feld Entertainment employed unscrupulous tactics to obtain and train its performing animals:

Stealing infants from their mothers. An estimated 50 percent of the Asian elephants owned by Ringling were captured and torn from their families in the wild

Using bullhooks, ropes, and electric prods to forcibly train animals to perform unnatural, ridiculous tricks out of fear and domination

Failing miserably to meet even minimal federal standards of care for the animals

Entrapping animals for up to 11 months on the road in cramped, filthy boxcars and trailers

Succumbing to the nonstop outcry against the use of elephants in the circus, Ringling finally ended its elephant act in May of 2016. LCA, along with dedicated supporters and activists, kept up the fight, demanding an end to the use of all the animals. Because of actions like LCA's, ticket sales dropped dramatically.

Chris DeRose leads the protest outside Ringling Bros. last elephant show

On behalf of the animals, we are ecstatic about this victory. Ringling fought to continue the circus despite the continuous exposure of animal cruelty and public outcry. It's been a long, grueling battle, but LCA always knew that we would prevail and make a difference.

LCA thanks all of you who protested, signed petitions and wrote letters as we fought for this hard-won victory. Together, real change has been made for Ringling's circus animals and it would not have happened without you!

Thank you for helping to end Ringling's brutal treatment of animals. LCA will keep up the fight until no more animals suffer in the name of entertainment!

Animal Cruelty at Circuses

Circus animals do not willingly stand on their heads, jump through rings of fire, or ride bicycles. They don't perform these tricks because they want to and they don't do any of these meaningless acts in their natural habitat. The ONLY reason circus animals perform is because they are scared of what will happen to them if they don't.

The circus would like you to think that these intelligent and sentient creatures perform because they are positively reinforced with food, praise etc. There is no such thing as positive reinforcement for animals in the circus - only varying levels of punishment, neglect, and deprivation. These animals have limited access to food and water as to will them to perform, as well as to prevent untimely defecation and urination while they are on stage or in public view.

An LCA investigator went undercover inside the Carson & Barnes Circus, where he documented extreme animal abuse, including elephants being beaten with baseball bats, pitchforks, and other objects; shocked with electric prods; and hit on the head and across the face. LCA worked with local media to expose this cruelty and filed a complaint with the United States Department of Agriculture.

CRUEL TRAINING
Training circus animals involves physically punishing them. These training practices generally will be hidden from public view to make the audiences believe these animals want to and are willing to perform. Because these animals have been conditioned through violent training sessions, they know that refusal to obey in the ring will result in severe punishment later. Moments before entering the ring, while just outside of public view, trainers may give the elephants painful whacks or blows to remind them who's in control and to ensure that the elephants perform the specified tricks on command.

Animals in the circus are routinely whipped, beaten with long metal rods, shocked with electric prods, and struck with clubs. Trainers often strike elephants with a bullhook or an ankus on the sensitive areas of their skin such as around their eyes, under their chin, inside their mouth, and behind their knees and ears. A bullhook is also sometimes used to hit animals across the face. Bears have their noses broken and their paws burned to teach them to walk on their hind legs. Carson & Barnes trainers have even been documented using blowtorches on elephants. Circuses easily get away with these cruel practices because no government agency monitors training sessions.

A number of animals are even drugged to make them more manageable. Others have their teeth removed; one group of chimpanzees had their teeth knocked out by a hammer. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus use some of the worst training practices with elephants ever documented. Elephants have a very similar life cycle to humans and they care for their young much like we do. These captive elephants are forced to breed as young as 8 years old, that's like breeding an 8-year-old child. After the mother gives birth, tied by 3 legs the entire time, the babies are taken away immediately which causes the mother severe duress. Ringling Bros. chains the mother by all 4 legs to take the baby away so that the mother elephant won't be able to hurt the trainers. Even before being weaned these baby elephants are put in a separate area from their mothers and are then chained for up to 23 hours a day. In the wild, elephants often nurse their babies until five years of age. Then the "correction process" for the baby elephants starts where they are tied up and beaten repeatedly to break their spirit. This training process is so brutal, that Ringling Bros. WILL NOT let their own PR department film the training of these baby elephants.

ONGOING CONFINEMENT

Ongoing travel means that circus animals are confined to boxcars, trailers, or trucks for days at a time in extremely hot and cold weather, often without access to basic necessities such as food, water, and veterinary care. Elephants, primates, big cats, and bears are confined to cramped, filthy cages in which they eat, drink, sleep, defecate, and urinate- all in the same place. The climates circus animals encounter during their exhaustive travels are often very different than that of their natural habitats. Bears are forced to endure extreme heat in the summer, and sometimes even walk across hot concrete on their way into the performing arena. Lions, on the other hand, find the cold very difficult to bear; some circus animals freeze to death.

The majority of circus elephants are captured in the wild. These wild elephants walk as much as 40 miles a day while in their natural habitat. Once captured, they are chained in one place for up to 23 hours a day. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus brags that it's three units travel more than 25,000 miles as the circus tours the country for 11 months each year. Ringling Bros. own documents state that on average, elephants are chained for more than 26 hours straight and are sometimes continually chained for as many as 60 to 100 hours. When the animals arrive at their next destination, instead of being let off the railway cars immediately after arriving at the arena, they are sometimes forced to remain inside for hours despite extreme temperatures.

Two large cats in cramped cage at Ringling Bros

Baby elephants chained at Ringling's elephant farm

ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR

Elephants are very social creatures and they form tight bonds with their families and other elephants. They feel joy, compassion, sadness, and grief just like humans do. Many circus animals become dysfunctional, unhealthy, depressed, and aggressive as a result of unnatural and unrelenting confinement in which they are kept and treated. When these elephants have their babies taken away, that lifelong relationship is abruptly terminated and every moment, every natural instinct, and every natural behavior is subject to discipline.

Some signs of abnormal behavior found in captive elephants include rocking, swaying, head-bobbing, or other repetitive movement. These behaviors are signs of extreme psychological distress. Elephants who are breathing with their mouths open are usually in pain. Captive large cats and bears pace back and forth and some bears have been known to beat their heads against their cages. Bar biting and self-mutilation are also common among circus animals and is directly related to the stress caused by confinement.

PUBLIC SAFETY AND EDUCATION
Wild animals behave instinctively and unpredictably. Circus animals have run amok through streets, crashed into buildings, attacked members of the public, and killed and injured handlers.

Additionally, some circus elephants have been diagnosed with a human strain of Tuberculosis (TB) and have passed it on to their handlers. Elephants in circuses are predisposed to TB because of routine transport that often exposes them to other infected elephants and because of stress factors, including severe punishment, constant confinement, inconsistent water quality and food supply, and poor nutrition. TB is an airborne disease which spreads through tiny droplets in the air. If TB is diagnosed in an elephant there are clear public health implications as the disease can be spread by close contact with infected animals and people. Circuses often allow members of the public to feed, pet, and ride the elephants which puts them at a great risk.

Observing circus animals teaches the public and children nothing about the natural behaviors of the animals. A lot of people mistakenly believe that captive breeding will help elephants and other species from becoming extinct. However, elephants that are born in the breeding centers of circuses can never be returned to the wild. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus operate under the umbrella of conservation. Ringling Bros. built a property in Florida that is known as "The Center for Elephant Conservation". This "farm" is not open to the public. A former worker at Ringling's elephant farm became a whistleblower on their training methods and took pictures and videos detailing the abuse. Gary Jacobson, the general manager of Ringling's elephant farm, was filmed roping all four legs of baby elephants and then stretching their legs in every direction to force them to the ground and break their spirits.

LCA SPEAKING UP FOR CIRCUS ANIMALS

LCA and animal activists have protested Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circuses throughout the United States. LCA's campaign against animals in circuses is dedicated to educating the public about the abuse circus animals suffer and working to get current footage and information to put an end to traveling animal circuses.

LCA needs volunteers to attend protests and to help film and photograph the circus. To volunteer, click here.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP

* Do not visit circuses that use animals.
* Write to circus sponsors and tell them you do not want to see wild animals in circuses, for the sake of the animals and the public.
* Write letters to editors of local newspapers asking sponsors to stop supporting the circus.
* Organize or attend a protest.
* Support legislation protecting circus animals.
* Report any possible violations of state and local animal protection laws to the police and animal control.

* Cirque du Soleil
* The New Pickle Family Circus CIRCUSES THAT DO NOT USE ANIMALS (partial list)
* Bindlestiff Family Circus
* Circus Millennia
* Circus Smirkus
* Cirque Eloize
* Circus Oz
* Mexican International Circus
* Cirque Ingenieux
* Earth Circus
* Fern Street Circus
* Little Russian Circus
* Neil Goldberg's Circus
* New Shanghai Circus
* Circus Vargas

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Last chance for Animals is a national, non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating animal exploitation through education, investigations, legislation, and media attention. The organization believes that animals are highly sentient creatures who exist for their own reasons independent of their service to humans; they should thus not be made to suffer for the latter.

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"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for..." Drum rolls sound from the band. One by one, a herd of elephants stroll out onto the stage. In a single file line, they stand up on their hind legs while their headdresses cast an elegant glow. The crowd shrieks of excitement as they know there are many more tricks to come.

This is what little I remember from the first time I went to The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. I was only nine years old, and I never imagined being able to see my favorite animals in real life. Nor did I ever want to.

Ever since I was a young girl, using animals for entertainment purposes has left me feeling uneasy. As I have been getting older, I continue to question the unsettling reputation of circuses being subject to animal cruelty, despite what changes are being made.

Just because Feld Entertainment released the 12 Ringling elephants to their Center for Elephant Conservation, I do not believe that this has ended the ongoing dispute between whether or not circus animals are treated ethically. I do not believe that this should cast a shadow on more than 200 years worth of elephant abuse.

Elephants were not always taught tricks or cast as the main attraction of the American circus. In the 1800's, elephants were only displayed in exhibits.

It wasn't until P.T. Barnum bought Jumbo the African elephant from the London Zoological Gardens that circuses became well-known for their elephants. It wasn't until he bought Jumbo that the elephants began to be mistreated.

While Jumbo was at the Gardens, he was tormented by his cramped enclosure. He most likely suffered from a degree of claustrophobia, and the rats constantly gnawing at his hooves only made it worse. Eventually, he entered musth - the equivalent to a flood of testosterone.

As a result, he became mildly dangerous. When he came to the United States, the only way to control him was with sledgehammers, spears, and hooks. Although elephant hide is two inches thick, these tools easily penetrate their sensitive skin - so sensitive that they can feel flies land on them.

Since Jumbo's time, the circus and its elephants continued to grow in size. There was a greater need for more effective and less time-consuming techniques to guide and teach the elephants. The use of bullhooks became far more prominent and a normal occurrence.

In December of 1984, Glenn Ewell and James Stechcon quit working mid-tour because they witnessed regular elephant abuse and more than 12 extended beatings during three months alone. After one performance, Stechcon said:

"We left the show, brought the animals back to their area, and... We took the headpieces off, and as I was hanging them up, I heard the most horrible noise-just whack, whack, whack. I mean, really hard. It's hard to describe the noise, like a baseball bat or something striking. Something not...not soft, and not hard. I turned around to look, and this guy was hitting her so fast and so hard [with the ankus]... Sometimes he would take both hands and just really knock her, and he was just doing that. And I was like, 'I couldn't believe it.'"

With such treatment from the elephant's trainer, it created continual stress and emotional trauma. This led to the elephant's inevitable death.

Ringling elephants not only suffered from bullhooks but also were forcibly removed from their mothers. This occurred when they were barely a year old.

Elephants enter puberty around the age of ten. One elephant, named Shirley, was impregnated before her seventh birthday and gave birth at the age of eight. During labor, she was chained by three legs and surrounded by handlers who poked her with bullhooks.

While Riccardo, her newborn, was still covered in blood, he was immediately taken away. His training began when he was three months old and still being bottle-fed. At six months old, he developed severe knee problems from having his trunk and feet tied by ropes in efforts to pull him onto 19-inch-high tubs.

He was taking painkillers for all four of his legs, yet they never stopped his training - not even when he was falling off of the tubs.

Two months later, Riccardo was euthanized after he broke two of his legs.

Philip K. Ensley, a retired veterinarian who worked at the San Diego Zoo for 29 years, stated that nearly 100 percent of Ringling elephants have had serious foot problems or musculoskeletal disorders. All their feet were misshapen, ulcerated and infected. An average of 12 in 16 young elephants suffered from various foot or limb maladies, such as stiffness, peg-legs, chronic left stifles, and sloughing toenails.

Yet, the conditions in their boxcars granted even worse conditions. In each boxcar, there were up to five elephants. The average elephant produces approximately 15 gallons of urine and 200-plus pounds of solid waste in a 24-hour period. Usually, the train conductor did not make any stops along the way. If he or she did, the circus attendants only refilled their food and water. They did not remove waste until they reached their destination.

Ringling elephants spent most of their long lives either wrapped in chains or caged on trains. They were under the constant threat of the bullhook. They were lame from balancing their 8,000-pound bodies on tiny tubs and from being confined in cramped spaces for days at a time. They were afflicted with tuberculosis and herpes, potentially deadly diseases that are rare in the wild - their natural environments.

If this is the case, then why do people still attend circuses? It's because circuses promote the ideology that animals perform exciting tricks out of their own will - their own enjoyment. A successful circus will make the most artificial and coerced performances appear natural.

Most of the time, these acts are sought to be educational. But, the only thing these performances are teaching is acts of injustice. They are pushing the concept of having animals as living toys and entertainers.

"There is a sea of change going on in our culture about animals, and we are coming to recognize the profound depth of animal emotion, thinking, and suffering," said Barbara King, an anthropology professor at William & Mary and author of How Animals Grieve.

No one wants to see an animal be abused, yet this mistreatment is legal and overlooked by legislators. We need to work as an organized force - we need to have animal cruelty laws that reflect our values as a society.

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The Ringling Bros. Circus: A History Of Elephant Abuse

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"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for..." Drum rolls sound from the band. One by one, a herd of elephants stroll out onto the stage. In a single file line, they stand up on their hind legs while their headdresses cast an elegant glow.

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ringling bros

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When was circus popularity at its peak?
Which animals were most often used for entertainment? How specifically were they abused and exploited? Where were the animals taken from? How were they transported? Who actively opposed animals in entertainment? When did it end?

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Exotic animals were stolen to be used as entertainment. Customers at circuses were oblivious to the reality. Animal entertainment is over now.

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The American Historian: The History of Animal Protection in the United States

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Antebellum activism and cultural thought created a foundation for a new social movement after the Civil War. The abolition of slavery and the horror of battle-documented in thousands of wartime photographs of dead soldiers and horses-brought suffering and human rights to a national audience, therefore catalyzing a national movement.