How Circus Training and Abuse Killed These Baby Elephants

Posted September 22, 2015 by Kim Johnson

The first step in training baby elephants to perform is to destroy the bond between them and their mothers. To do this, Ringling Bros. trainers drag the babies away from their mothers. For up to 23 hours a day, the babies’ legs are tethered so that all they can do is stand in one spot on a concrete floor. They aren’t provided with any mental or physical stimulation, and they can’t lie down, stretch their legs, or even turn around.

After up to six long months of standing in their own waste, these once curious and energetic elephants lose all interest in fighting back. Their spirits are broken. Now, they’re under the control of the trainers, who begin forcing them to do confusing and painful tricks through the use of violence and fear. This type of “training” and abuse is what killed these elephants:

Riccardo

Riccardo’s life began inside Ringling’s misleadingly named breeding facility, the Center for Elephant Conservation. After Riccardo’s mother, Shirley, gave birth—while she was chained by three legs—she made several desperate attempts to reach out and care for her newborn, but instead of allowing mother and baby to bond, Ringling’s trainers pulled Riccardo away.

When Riccardo was only 8 months old, he fell off a pedestal and broke his hind legs. Ringling trainers originally claimed that he had fallen while he was playing, but it was later revealed in court that Riccardo actually fell while he was being trained to get on the pedestal. His trainer admitted that he was holding a bullhook and that a rope was tied around Riccardo’s trunk when the baby elephant toppled over. The damage to Riccardo’s legs could not be treated, and veterinarians euthanized him. 

Kenny

Kenny was just 3 years old when he died. In the wild, he would still be at his mother’s side, but in the circus, Kenny had to spend much of his time traveling around the country inside a cramped boxcar. One day in 1998, Kenny was reportedly very sick, but trainers still forced him to perform in two shows. 

According to the circus’s animal-care log, Kenny was “not eating or drinking.” He also was “bleeding from his rectum … had a hard time standing, was very shaky, walked very slowly,” and “passed a large amount of blood from his rectum.” Later that night, he died alone in his stall. 

Benjamin

Just a year after Kenny’s death, Benjamin died while he was traveling with Ringling. During a stop in Texas, he went swimming in a pond with another young elephant named Shirley (who would later give birth to Riccardo, mentioned above). When the elephants’ trainer commanded them to exit the pond, Shirley obeyed immediately, but being a young and curious elephant, Benjamin continued to splash and play in the water, ignoring the trainer’s commands.

The trainer then grabbed his bullhook and went into the water after Benjamin. Likely out of fear of the trainer and the bullhook, Benjamin moved away into deeper water and drowned. 

Bertha

In 2005, an 11-day-old elephant named Bertha reportedly died. The circus did not announce her birth or death.

What You Can Do

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has announced that it plans to phase out the use of elephants in its performances by 2018. While this is a great victory it is not enough. For the next three years, elephants with Ringling will still be chained, hit with bullhooks,and crammed into tiny boxcars. Many of the elephants suffer from painful arthritis or carry tuberculosis, and their retirement day needs to come now.

Three years is too long for a mother elephant separated from her calf, too long for a baby elephant beaten with bullhooks, and too long for an animal who would roam up to 30 miles a day in the wild but who is instead kept in shackles.

Never go to a circus that uses animals! Continue to speak up for animals abused by Ringling, and urge the circus to retire the elephants NOW.

Read more: http://www.peta2.com/blog/ringling-baby-elephant-training-deaths/#ixzz3mVvHRDhO

Girl Group Little Mix Says, 'Get Wild Animals out of the Circus!'

Article by: Hannah Easley

The girls of Little Mix is all up in circus' biz with this new Peta2 ad! Let's see what they have to say:

Wait wait wait.. let's get to know the girl group first.

"Little Mix (also known as RythmMix) Has 4 girls, including Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, and Jesy Nelson. They were formed exclusively for the eighth series of The X Factor in 2011 and became the first group to win the competition. Following their victory, they signed with Simon Cowell's record label Syco Music and released a cover of Damien Rice's "Cannonball" as their winner's single. " -Wikipedia

Origin	United Kingdom
Genres	Pop R&B hip hop
Years active	2011–present
Labels	Syco Columbia
Associated acts	Demi Lovato[1] Missy Elliott
Website	www.little-mix.com

"Why would they not support circuses?" You may ask, well I'll show you why. 

In circuses, many wild animals, (including: elephants, tigers, lions, bears, etc.) are forced to perform many odd tricks that are so unnatural. Not only that, they are trained very abusively, with bullhooks, fire, tazors, etc.



Do you think elephants stand up on their two left feet in the wild? No, they don't.
Do you think tigers love fire so much that they jump through hoops of them? No, they are terrified of fire.
What about bears? Do they wear tutus and ride tricycles in the wild? NO.

So let's thank Little Mix for speaking up for animals in the circus! 

How You Can Help Animals in the Circus

"Join Little Mix in speaking up for animals! Remember that every circus ticket purchased directly supports the suffering of these animals. Never go to any circus that uses animals, and encourage your friends and family to stay away, too." -Peta2

These Videos Are No ‘Friend’ to Animals

Written by Jennifer O'Connor | August 5, 2015

The Internet has spawned a wave of videos called “unlikely friends” showing normally incompatible species interacting. The problem isn’t when a dog and a cat cuddle up on the couch. It’s that the videos in question are distributed by seedy roadside zoos in an effort to make their cruel businesses more palatable to the public.

We’re not embedding these videos because ignoring them is the strongest statement you can make.

Here are three of the worst offenders:

• A gross Android ad features animals from a notorious outfit called T.I.G.E.R.S. The operator, a guy named Bhagavan (Kevin) Antle, has been repeatedly cited by federal authorities for failure to provide animals with adequate veterinary care, sufficient cage space, protection from the elements, and clean water and for failure to provide dogs with an exercise plan and primates with a program of environmental enrichment. Antle routinely crossbreeds animals and removes infant animals from their mothers to be used as photo props.
• Dade City’s Wild Things in Florida promotes its awful business by posting “unlikely friends” videos such as a tiger cub swimming with a dog. The roadside zoo, which is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for violating the Animal Welfare Act, churns out cubs and acquires them from other breeders and dealers and then just as quickly relegates them to tiny pens or discards them to other roadside zoos where they’ll spend their lives being denied everything that is natural and important to them. All these vulnerable babies belong with their mothers, not in swimming pools and sitting on people’s laps.
• The Garold Wayne Interactive Zoological Park (G.W.) in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, spins the friendship between a lion and a dachshund as charming, but the living conditions for exotic animals at this hellhole are deplorable. G.W. is currently the subject of four USDA investigations, including one for the deaths of two tiger cubs in May 2013 and another for the deaths of 23 baby tigers over a seven-month period from 2009 to 2010. Last year, the facility was cited for failing to provide four juvenile bears, who had suffered from untreated skin conditions for months, with veterinary care. It was also cited last year by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for a 2013 tiger attack that caused an employee to lose part of her arm and nearly bleed to death.

What You Can Do

Share this blog post on social media and post comments anytime you see an “unlikely friends” video online.

What happens when animals are released from captivity -

Posted July 22, 2015 by Lily Trahan

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re probably aware of all the awful things that SeaWorld does to the animals it holds captive. But it isn’t just SeaWorld—other marine parks as well as aquariums and zoos treat animals terribly, too!

NO species exists just to be locked up, whether animals are born into captivity or not, plain and simple. All living beings—human or not—deserve to be left alone so that they can fully enjoy life in their natural habitats with their families. Facilities like zoos and aquariums rob animals of these opportunities and everything that’s natural and important to them, which is why it’s crucial to speak out and call on these businesses to free suffering animals.

Now, people sometimes question what would happen to animals after they’ve been freed and if it’s even possible for them to survive. Well, we have the answers:

Where would these animals go?

If animals were released from these types of facilities, they could be sent to true sanctuaries where they’d be able to live in an appropriate habitat. They’d receive care and support while still being able to enjoy what’s natural and important to them. Most importantly, they’d no longer be treated as nothing more than a way to make money.

After years in captivity, Sunder enjoys the sanctuary life!

Do places like aquariums and zoos help with conservation?

If animals are taken from the wild and placed or bred into captivity, they virtually never return to their natural habitat. Zoos and aquariums help little with funding conservation efforts and have very limited breeding programs designed to release animals back into the natural world. Studies show that keeping animals in captivity actually harms conservation efforts.

What about protecting animals from hunters?

Places like zoos and aquariums serve only as a band-aid for animals at risk because of hunting. We need to get rid of the problem at the source, which is to end sport hunting first.

“Canned hunting” ranches often buy unwanted or surplus animals from zoos.

Are these places educational?

Sadly, no. If we truly want to learn about animals and their abilities, it’s best to view them in their natural habitats. This is the only way to see what they’re fully capable of. There’s nothing natural about watching animals behind bars, in inadequate conditions, or without family members to interact with—which is important for social animals.

Can they survive in the wild if they were born into captivity?

Usually not, but they can thrive in sanctuaries!

Iris the monkey goes from living in filthy isolation, to enjoying an island paradise at a sanctuary

Seventeen bears had been held captive in virtually barren concrete pits at Black Forest Bear Park in Helen, Georgia, but nowthey are living it up at the stunning 60-acre natural habitat at The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colorado.

How can I help animals in the meantime?

Avoid places that use animals for “entertainment,“ and support legit sanctuaries and habitat conservation! Spreading awareness makes a world of difference, too, because it’ll encourage others to vote with their dollars. Together, we can be the voice for animals who are suffering in silence.

Read more: http://www.peta2.com/blog/where-captive-animals-released/#ixzz3iYJ4tWmE

Zero Joy for Zebras in the Circus

Posted July 1, 2015 by Hannah Healy

After years of being hauled around the country and forced to perform for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, a 12-year-old zebra named Lima broke free from his trainers, squeezed through a fence, and ran through the streets of Atlanta for 40 minutes, pursued by police and his trainers.

After police blocked off lanes of the interstate on which Lima was running, he was eventually captured. A Ringling Bros. spokesperson said that Lima would likely perform as usual—but the injuries to his hooves were so severe that he had to be euthanized.

Just like the lions, tigers, and elephants circuses exploit, zebras are wild animals. They tend to be high-strung and unpredictable, which puts both the animals and the public at risk. For example, three zebras, including Lima, escaped from Ringling while the circus was performing in Baltimore and dashed into traffic. In another incident, a Ringling veterinary technician informed California authorities that zebras had jumped out of a pen during a show. And when Ringling was performing in Colorado Springs, Colorado, four zebras and three horses who were being walked into an arena got spooked. All seven animals reportedly ran loose near a busy interstate.

Zebras are meant to roam large areas, and being kept inside cramped pens is bad for their health. There’s no vaccine data available for zebras, and they can contract diseases from horses and pass illnesses on to them. Yet Ringling travels with both horses and zebras.

According to a study by three veterinarians, two of whom worked for Ringling, zebras require heavy sedation (“ultrapotent narcotics”) for even minor procedures, so any injury puts them at risk.

Zebras are natural prey animals. Placing them in the middle of large crowds—not to mention in close proximity to lions and tigers—is extremely frightening to them. Because of their tendency to be easily spooked, this is dangerous for them and everyone around them. Zebras also have distinct social structures, but in the circus, they’re forced to live in incompatible groups. Less aggressive individuals can be bullied and hurt.

In the wild, zebras spend their days grazing together and grooming one another. They’re social animals who thrive in the company of other zebras. If one is threatened or attacked, the herd will often circle the wounded zebra, defending him or her from the attacker.

Zebras want to live in herds in the wild, not traveling in cramped boxcars or performing stupid tricks for humans’ “amusement.” They are NOT OURS to use for entertainment. Never go to any circus that uses animals, and urge your friends and family to stay away, too.

No chains. No cages. No Tanks. 

Read more: http://www.peta2.com/blog/circus-ringling-zebras/#ixzz3hPcqnDEi

Where Do Captive Animals Go After They've Been Freed?

Posted July 22, 2015 by Lily Trahan

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re probably aware of all the awful things that SeaWorld does to the animals it holds captive. But it isn’t just SeaWorld—other marine parks as well as aquariums and zoos treat animals terribly, too!

NO species exists just to be locked up, whether animals are born into captivity or not, plain and simple. All living beings—human or not—deserve to be left alone so that they can fully enjoy life in their natural habitats with their families. Facilities like zoos and aquariums rob animals of these opportunities and everything that’s natural and important to them, which is why it’s crucial to speak out and call on these businesses to free suffering animals.

Now, people sometimes question what would happen to animals after they’ve been freed and if it’s even possible for them to survive. Well, we have the answers:

Where would these animals go?

If animals were released from these types of facilities, they could be sent to true sanctuaries where they’d be able to live in an appropriate habitat. They’d receive care and support while still being able to enjoy what’s natural and important to them. Most importantly, they’d no longer be treated as nothing more than a way to make money.

Do places like aquariums and zoos help with conservation?

If animals are taken from the wild and placed or bred into captivity, they virtually never return to their natural habitat. Zoos and aquariums help little with funding conservation efforts and have very limited breeding programs designed to release animals back into the natural world. Studies show that keeping animals in captivity actually harms conservation efforts.

What about protecting animals from hunters?

Places like zoos and aquariums serve only as a band-aid for animals at risk because of hunting. We need to get rid of the problem at the source, which is to end sport hunting first.

“Canned hunting” ranches often buy unwanted or surplus animals from zoos.

Are these places educational?

Sadly, no. If we truly want to learn about animals and their abilities, it’s best to view them in their natural habitats. This is the only way to see what they’re fully capable of. There’s nothing natural about watching animals behind bars, in inadequate conditions, or without family members to interact with—which is important for social animals.

Can they survive in the wild if they were born into captivity?

Usually not, but they can thrive in sanctuaries!

Iris the monkey goes from living in filthy isolation, to enjoying an island paradise at a sanctuary

Seventeen bears had been held captive in virtually barren concrete pits at Black Forest Bear Park in Helen, Georgia, but now they are living it up at the stunning 60-acre natural habitat at The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colorado.

Read more: http://www.peta2.com/blog/where-captive-animals-released/#ixzz3hD33CzTW