Bread and Circuses
This evening, at the Benton County Fairgrounds, Circus Gatti will stage two shows for the public's viewing pleasure. The promoters advertise the circus as a traditional three-ring family affair, with high-wire acts, flame-jugglers, acrobats, trapeze artists, clowns and, of course, animal shows.
The animal shows are problematic for many. Circus Gatti puts on approximately 450 shows in 150 cities in the course of 9 months. They travel with ponies, monkeys, Rottweilers, Siberian and Bengal tigers, and elephants, but sometimes have to leave the larger animals out of town in certain regions where there are bans on using exotic animals in acts such as this. The USDA has cited Circus Gatti repeatedly for failing to provide adequate enclosures and care for the animals. At previous shows, distressed chimps dragged their trainer into the crowed and mauled a child and a tiger became stuck in a flaming hoop.
Circus Gatti representatives claim that the situation is overblown and that the animals receive proper care. But frankly, I'd still rather go to the zoo. At least the zoo tries to emulate the natural habitat for their animals, as opposed to coercing them into performing for a couple hours a day, only to be shoved back into their travel trailers.
The animal shows are problematic for many. Circus Gatti puts on approximately 450 shows in 150 cities in the course of 9 months. They travel with ponies, monkeys, Rottweilers, Siberian and Bengal tigers, and elephants, but sometimes have to leave the larger animals out of town in certain regions where there are bans on using exotic animals in acts such as this. The USDA has cited Circus Gatti repeatedly for failing to provide adequate enclosures and care for the animals. At previous shows, distressed chimps dragged their trainer into the crowed and mauled a child and a tiger became stuck in a flaming hoop.
Circus Gatti representatives claim that the situation is overblown and that the animals receive proper care. But frankly, I'd still rather go to the zoo. At least the zoo tries to emulate the natural habitat for their animals, as opposed to coercing them into performing for a couple hours a day, only to be shoved back into their travel trailers.
posted by Corvallist at
12:12 AM
2 Comments:
Ick. Shame on our county for allowing these animal "tricks" to continue. Give me an animal-free circus any day!
By
Anonymous, at 5:10 PM
Aren't there some real circus's around, acrobatics with stunning movement and costume and eye trickery? I think I have heard of such circuses and I would certainly prefer to see intelligent beauty and athletics than man overpowering beast, the crapo macho acts that are truely unentertaining and disgusting in nature. Elephants are beautiful. Tigers are also. They belong where they were born, and not harnessed into submission for stupid circus stunts, entertaining to the dullwitted and super macho only.
I remember an elephant who went nuts finally in Hawaii or somewhere and just took off running, whacking and stomping anyone in her or his way. I guess I commisserated to see that elephants final run for freedom. Everyone was shooting at her. She was killed. Elephants are so family oriented. To chain one to such a life as a circus sideshow is really very sicko and sad. Our species could act nobley, I think, but we don't try very hard in so many ways.
By
Strayer, at 10:28 PM
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