To the Editor:
Once again people associated with the animal rights group PETA (letter, June 19) have tried to disparage the commitment circuses have for animal care and conservation. Despite the claims made in the letter, circuses like Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey are dedicated to providing the very best of care for all our animals, especially the Asian elephant. Rather than adopt stringent United States animal care standards, which Ringling Bros. fully supports, officials in Mexico City unnecessarily banned circuses with animals.
In the United States, 10 million fans a year see a Ringling Bros. performance, and their No. 1 reason for coming is our animals. Rather than rely on PETA’s rhetoric, circus fans should come and see for themselves how all our animals are thriving at the Greatest Show on Earth.
STEPHEN PAYNE
Vienna, Va., June 19, 2014
The writer is vice president, corporate communications, for Feld Entertainment, parent company of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey.
20 June 2014
18 June 2014
From Today's New York Times
To the Editor:
Re “Worry Under the Big Top as Mexico City Moves to Ban Circus Animals” (news article, June 15):
Mexico City joins the growing list of cities that have banned the exploitation of animals in circuses. Several countries, including Austria, Bolivia, Colombia, Greece, Peru, Britain and Paraguay, have already imposed or approved bans. Why is the United States lagging so far behind?
Our elected officials must recognize that beating elephants with bullhooks—heavy batons with a sharp metal hook on the end that can tear elephants’ skin—and whipping tigers until they cringe and cower, are ethically indefensible.
When not performing, animals spend most of their lives caged or chained in tractor-trailers and railroad boxcars while traveling from city to city. They have none of what makes their lives worth living: roaming freely, controlling territory, socializing and simple autonomy.
The trend is undeniable: The days of hauling and hurting animals in the name of entertainment are quickly coming to an end.
JENNIFER O’CONNOR
Staff Writer, PETA Foundation
Norfolk, Va., June 16, 2014
Re “Worry Under the Big Top as Mexico City Moves to Ban Circus Animals” (news article, June 15):
Mexico City joins the growing list of cities that have banned the exploitation of animals in circuses. Several countries, including Austria, Bolivia, Colombia, Greece, Peru, Britain and Paraguay, have already imposed or approved bans. Why is the United States lagging so far behind?
Our elected officials must recognize that beating elephants with bullhooks—heavy batons with a sharp metal hook on the end that can tear elephants’ skin—and whipping tigers until they cringe and cower, are ethically indefensible.
When not performing, animals spend most of their lives caged or chained in tractor-trailers and railroad boxcars while traveling from city to city. They have none of what makes their lives worth living: roaming freely, controlling territory, socializing and simple autonomy.
The trend is undeniable: The days of hauling and hurting animals in the name of entertainment are quickly coming to an end.
JENNIFER O’CONNOR
Staff Writer, PETA Foundation
Norfolk, Va., June 16, 2014
01 June 2014
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