Mercy For Animals

RINGLING BROS. Tortures Animals

Although the Ringling Bros. PR department has been working hard to deceive the public into believing that the animals imprisoned in the circus are "treated like family," no amount of false propaganda can sanitize the circus’ record of animal care.

Ringling Bros. Circus has failed to meet minimal federal standards for the care of animals used in exhibition as established in the Animal Welfare Act. Ringling paid $20,000 to settle U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) charges of failing to provide veterinary care to a dying baby elephant. The USDA has also cited Ringling for failure to possess records of veterinary care, failure to provide animals with sufficient space, failure to provide animals with exercise, and endangering tigers who were nearly baked alive in a boxcar because of poor maintenance of their enclosures. In less than two years, two baby elephants died, a caged tiger was shot to death, a horse who was used despite a chronic medical condition died during Ringling’s traditional animal march, and a wild-caught sea lion was found dead in her transport container.

When the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus brought its dirty show and extensive history of animal abuse to Ohio in May, MFA made sure they didn’t get off the (bull)hook. MFA turned the opening night performance of the world’s largest circus into a soapbox when Amie Hafner, MFA mother of two, stormed the center ring at Dayton’s Ervin J. Nutter Center. Hafner stunned an unsuspecting audience of thousands when she jumped in front of the lion trainer. She then unfurled a banner reading "Ringling Bros. Circus Tortures Animals," while she yelled to the audience, "animals are beaten and whipped into submission for your entertainment." Security eventually caught the MFA activist and dragged her out of the arena in front of the shocked crowd.

The gutsy action received enormous attention when footage of the takeover made its way to the top story on the local ABC affiliate. Other media outlets, such as NBC channel 22, FOX 45 and the Dayton Daily News also covered the event.

Two weeks later Ringling Bros. was in Columbus, and so was MFA. This time MFA had something even bigger in store: a 12' x 25' banner confronting the circus’s animal abuse. On May 16, activists risked arrest when they unfurled a giant banner that read "Ringling Bros. Tortures Animals," from a Nationwide Arena building during the bustling lunch hour on the circus’ opening day. Media coverage of the event exposed the circus’ abusive practices to the Columbus public. MFA kept the pressure on by protesting and leafleting at every Ringling Bros. show.

Testimony from an Insider:

The following is a statement issued by former Ringling Bros. Performer, Kelly Tansy:

"On my very first day with the circus, I witnessed animal cruelty. I saw an elephant being beaten in what appeared to be a disciplinary action. The beating was so severe that the elephant screamed. I have come to realize, through all the circuses that I have worked for, that mistreatment of animals is a standard part of training and is thought to be a ‘necessary’ part of exhibiting them. I have seen chimps locked in small cages constantly when not performing; elephants chained continuously; and even animals being beaten during performances. You won't find these quotes in circus programs anymore, but one well-known elephant trainer stated in the 1978 Ringling program that, according to his father, ‘An elephant trainer must have a strong back, a weak mind, and a savage disposition.’"