After another long winter, I should be rejoicing at the arrival of milder weather. But I am not. because spring means the arrival of one of the cruelest shows on earth.
Each year, the Ringling Brothers Circus, which has a history of abusing its animals, comes to town. The bullhook is designed to inflict pain, and it is the fear of that forcing elephants to perform. A 2011 article in Mother Jones detailed a yearlong investigation that determined these animals are not the "pampered pets" that Ringling, owned by Feld Entertainment, would have us believe.
Ringling elephants spend most of their long lives either in chains or on trains, under constant threat of the bullhook or ankus — the menacing tool used to control elephants.
They can be lame from balancing their 8,000-pound frames on tiny tubs and from being confined in cramped spaces, sometimes for days at a time. They can be afflicted with tuberculosis and herpes, potentially deadly diseases rare in the wild and linked to captivity.
Ringling was fined $270,000 in 2011 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for violating the Animal Welfare Act. It has been sued by animal welfare organizations.
Elephants love, and they mourn their dead. No animal wants and no animal deserves to spend its life confined and chained for the amusement of people.
Can't we do better?
Parents would do well to teach their kids compassion by not attending this event and explaining why. The city of Albany could demonstrate class and integrity by banning this and all events that involve the imprisonment and suffering of exotic animals for entertainment.
Carol Roberts
Troy