Written by Grace Brosofsky for the sake of animals
Most people likely recall a visit to the circus as a fun childhood experience filled with memorable sights and spectacular performances, but I have discovered that lighthearted circus shows often have a much darker side marked by animal cruelty. After years of working behind-the-scenes at Ringling Bros., elephant trainer Sam Haddock became ashamed of the torture he helped inflict upon animals at Ringling's "Center for Elephant Conservation" and decided to do the right thing and reveal the disturbing truths of his career. The trainer gave a firsthand account of what he witnessed and partook in on a day-to-day basis, revealing that the methods Ringling uses to train elephants are not based on rewards and motivation but on pain and punishment. According to Haddock, "...violent training methods are the only way an elephant can be trained to perform certain tricks required for a circus act. It's bunk when the circus says that it's showcasing an elephant's natural behavior." While it may seem ideal to believe circus elephants are enjoying the performance as much as the audience, the cold truth is that the "fun" stunts are not possible without the animals experiencing harsh treatment, and the tricks that seem delightful are an expression of misery, not pleasure. Here are the facts.
After being roughly dragged away from their mothers at only 18-24 months of age, baby elephants at Ringling Bros. are constrained by all four legs and often become afflicted with lesions through their struggles to gain free movement. Even during walks, the animals' freedom is severely limited. The babies are tied to anchor elephants and restrained by ropes around their legs and bullhooks on their trunks- hooks resembling fireplace pokers that Haddock, as a former bullhook-maker, admitted have the sole purpose of hurting the elephant.
Bullhooks are not the only painful aspect of Ringling's method. Preparing a baby elephant for its destiny in the circus is characterized by "a lot of manpower, brute force, electricity, and a savage disposition...like raising a kid in jail." Photographs reveal the degree of cruelty that characterizes Ringling's attempts to mold elephants into circus performers during training sessions.
Trainers use ropes to force the elephant pictured above into positions it will need to learn for its circus career, paying little mind to its screaming- a very commonplace noise in the training center according to Haddock.
In this image, bullhooks are used so that elephants can be forced into learning tricks out of fear.
These hard facts and shocking images are only the beginning of the world Ringling's elephants must live in outside of the crowd's eye. When animals suffering a life of hardship is an integral part of Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus, can big-top performances really be called entertainment? Or is Ringling's "Greatest Show on Earth" really the "Saddest Show on Earth"? Next time the circus comes to town, remember the story behind the show, and before buying tickets take a moment to consider whether Ringling Bros. is torture or entertainment.
For more information and ways you can make a statement against circus cruelty, visit http://www.ringlingbeatsanimals.com.
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