Activists Live-Tweet a Ringling Show to Expose Animal Abuse

Published by Danny Prater.

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.

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.

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

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

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 …

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.”

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.

Get PETA Updates

Stay up to date on the latest vegan trends and get breaking animal rights news delivered straight to your inbox!

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.

Ingrid E. Newkirk

“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

— Ingrid E. Newkirk, PETA President and co-author of Animalkind

Read More