To remind the world that animals are still suffering under the big top, PETA members live-tweeted what they saw at a Ringling Bros. show in Brooklyn yesterday. With whips and bullhooks in hand, trainers made sure the animals hit all their cues. Despite Ringling’s announcement that elephants would be off the road by May, what was seen at the show was nothing more than business as usual for the circus, which has profited from the suffering of animals for nearly 100 years.
Protesters take over #BarclaysCenter entrance in #Brooklyn to show people what's behind the curtain #LiveAtRingling pic.twitter.com/ArviiWMr0j
— PETA (@peta) February 26, 2016
Elephants are still suffering at Ringling shows.
Painting pictures, playing basketball, rolling about on the floor to strike poses while loud music blared above a noisy audience—elephants at the show were forced to behave in ways they never would in the wild. With a trainer holding a bullhook always in sight, these animals know that a mistake will result in a painful jab from the sharp weapons, which have been banned in many cities across the country for their inherent cruelty.
This is Kelly Ann. She has been captive her whole life & has a history of toenail cracks & lameness. #LiveAtRinglinghttps://t.co/EqPKjXj7UB
— PETA (@peta) February 26, 2016
Making others, like elephant Karen, suffer for entertainment is not patriotic or entertaining. #LiveAtRingling pic.twitter.com/Eooh4irTDH
— PETA (@peta) February 26, 2016
Humans choose to play basketball. Elephants don't. That's why he has a bullhook. #LiveAtRingling pic.twitter.com/uKnDCbEFkU
— PETA (@peta) February 26, 2016
Bullhook (n.): Sharp metal weapons that circus trainers use to beat, hook, & gouge elephants on the most sensitive parts of their bodies. #LiveAtRingling
Posted by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) on Thursday, February 25, 2016
These elephants only perform on stage because they're scared of what would happen if they don't. #LiveAtRingling pic.twitter.com/fejh6zJl8X
— PETA (@peta) February 26, 2016
https://twitter.com/peta/status/703042975346106374
Elephants aren’t the only animals who suffer under the big top.
The show also included a kangaroo, horses, goats, pigs, dogs, lions, tigers, and others. These animals, like the elephants, are carted from town to town around the country in cages and boxcars and are forced to perform tricks under bright lights and in front of noisy crowds. They endure all the same stress, fear, and pain, yet, for them, there is no end in sight.
The sad truth about lions & tigers forced to perform for #RinglingBros.
Posted by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) on Thursday, February 25, 2016
The cats used are overweight, likely from their confinement in small cages & lack of exercise. #LiveAtRingling pic.twitter.com/1tzetyPpsW
— PETA (@peta) February 26, 2016
Babies are separated long before they would naturally, causing emotional distress for moms & cubs. #LiveAtRingling pic.twitter.com/WRX4ebWIJH
— PETA (@peta) February 26, 2016
Big cats are forced to eat, drink, sleep, defecate, & urinate in cramped cages. #LiveAtRingling pic.twitter.com/of0lpk8Lk7
— PETA (@peta) February 26, 2016
If this was your only few minutes out of the cage, you’d be looking to the crowd for help too. #LiveAtRingling pic.twitter.com/7BbskLItlc
— PETA (@peta) February 26, 2016
Meanwhile big cats & other animals will still be forced to live in cages & perform on stage. #LiveAtRingling pic.twitter.com/dIi8lZ4ZqU
— PETA (@peta) February 26, 2016
We need you to speak up to help these animals!
When Ringling pulls its elephant acts off the road in May, it plans to hold all the elephants at its so-called Center for Elephant Conservation (CEC) in Florida. While relief from the stress and physical demands of life on the road will be a positive change, life at the CEC is no fairytale ending for elephants …
When #RinglingBros “retires” their elephants in May, THIS is where they’ll be going. #LiveAtRinglinghttps://t.co/c6xBlRPU0k
— PETA (@peta) February 26, 2016
Conditions at Ringling’s breeding compound are nearly as bad as they are on the road. According to sworn testimony from the head of the CEC, elephants at the facility are chained on concrete for most of the day—and sometimes for weeks on end. That includes pregnant elephants, who are kept in chains while giving birth. Inspectors have found baby elephants at the CEC with chain wounds on their legs, and the facility’s records show that most of the elephants there have foot or leg problems related to intensive confinement. In addition, the facility is a hotbed of tuberculosis and has been under quarantine for years. Read more about what Ringling is really up to at its so-called elephant “conservation center.”
When #RinglingBros “retires” their elephants, she'll still be chained, & forced into behavior with bullhooks HERE. pic.twitter.com/pM8R0pd0y5
— PETA (@peta) February 26, 2016
If #RinglingBros truly cared about animals, they’d send them to sanctuaries to live in peace. #LiveAtRingling pic.twitter.com/n9ASH5tiW3
— PETA (@peta) February 26, 2016
Urge Ringling Bros. to pull all animals off the road and send them to true sanctuaries!
You can speak up today by signing our petition and urging Ringling to end all animal acts immediately and retire the animals to accredited sanctuaries, where they can truly be free of painful bullhooks and whips and have some semblance of a natural life after years of mistreatment and deprivation.
