Top Five Reasons to Protest Ringling

Written by PETA

Posted 04-15-2011

When Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus brought the Cruelest Show on Earth to Norfolk, Virginia, where PETA is headquartered, we were waiting for it with a demonstration 75 people strong.
 

 
Why are we so riled at Ringling? Here are the top five reasons it's better to protest Ringling than to attend a performance:

  1. Ringling tears families apart—ripping baby elephants away from their mothers to spend a lifetime in the circus—but protesting brings families together.
  2. Four dead baby elephants—and counting. Babies Bertha, Kenny, Benjamin, and Riccardo have all died since 1992. Baby elephant Barack was recently pulled from the road when he became very sick with the stress-related and often fatal disease EEHV for the second time in his young life.
  3. Ringling's "training" consists of beating elephants with steel-tipped bullhooks, sometimes until they're bloody. Handlers cover the wounds with a gray powder called "Wonder Dust." 
  4. When they aren't being forced to perform, elephants are often chained inside filthy, poorly ventilated boxcars for 26 straight hours, on average, and sometimes for 60 to 70 and even 100 hours at a time while they're traveling.
  5. And the best reason of all … you can perform the spectacular feat of caring. Anybody can do a belly flop into a net, but how many people can say they helped to protect animals from cruelty today?
     

Written by Michelle Sherrow

Tags:
, , , , , , ,
Recent Comments
Post a Comment
  • *
  • *
  • *
  • * Required field(s).

By submitting this form, you are agreeing to our collection, storage, use, and disclosure of your personal info in accordance with our privacy policy as well as to receiving e-mails from us.

REPORT CRUELTY

If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2. 

Recent Posts
PETA Tweets

Follow PETA on Twitter!

Most Shared
Feeds
Chicken Photo: © Rommel Manuel

 

Almost all of us grew up eating meat, wearing leather, and going to circuses and zoos. We never considered the impact of these actions on the animals involved. For whatever reason, you are now asking the question: Why should animals have rights? Read more.

General Info:

Site Tools:

International Sites:

Navigation:

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
501 Front St., Norfolk, VA 23510 | 757-622-PETA (7382) | 757-622-0457 (fax)
PETA is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) corporation.