Behind the glitz and glamour of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus lies a world of suffering. Ringling’s animal-care history is riddled with USDA violations and penalties. Videotape and testimony from former Ringling trainers and circus employees reveal that force and abusive training methods are common behind-the-scenes.

At least 25 Ringling elephants have died since 1992! Kenny and Benjamin, in the photo at right, were among four baby elephants who have died. 4-year-old Benjamin drowned in a pond as he tried to move away from a trainer poking him with a bullhook. 3-year-old Kenny was forced to perform even though he was sick; he died shortly after a performance in Jacksonville. In August 2004, Ringling killed an 8-month-old elephant named Riccardo after he fractured both hind legs when he fell off a circus pedestal.

For the past several years, ARFF’s circus campaign has included a presence at each of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey shows throughout Florida. Committed groups of animal advocates spent long hours making sure the behind-the-scenes story of the animals was heard.

As his family stood in the cold, drizzling rain outside AmericanAirlines Arena, waiting to see the new Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus show Friday night, 14-year-old George Fuentes stood transfixed by a protester's DVD.

It showed circus elephants being whipped by trainers. The video was part of an exhibit by the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida.

''It's horrible what they did. I don't feel like watching the circus anymore,'' said George, who lives in Miami.
   — Miami Herald, January 5, 2008

At performances across the state, ARFF volunteers said that they were surprised at the low attendance. We also learned that Ringling Bros. is de-emphasizing animal acts. We hope this trend continues, and that Ringling will soon decide to entertain audiences without exploiting animals.

2006-07 — Canceled Shows
This year, ARFF focused on showing circus-goers shocking undercover video documenting the abuse and confinement of animals in circuses. In Miami, ARFF’s video monitors attracted crowds to our busy table located just outside the American Airlines Arena where Ringling Bros. was performing. In Orlando and Daytona Beach, ARFF volunteers wore mobile televisions showing video and handing out flyers. Similar efforts by outstanding volunteers took place in Jacksonville, Tampa, Sarasota and Lakeland.

Our presence before and after every show allowed us to have meaningful one-on-one conversations with circus-goers who were horrified to learn that their dollars had been supporting animal cruelty. It wasn’t hard to convince Floridians to think twice before supporting Ringling Bros., or any animal circus. ARFF’s efforts were rewarded as Ringling Bros. was forced to cancel two shows, one in Miami and another in Lakeland, due to poor ticket sales!

2005-06 — ARFF Investigation, Local Media Expose Circus Cruelty

ARFF has released behind-the-scenes video of elephants in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, taken as the circus arrived in Miami in December 2005. Please choose a format below to watch the video.

The 3-minute video is large (12MB) and may take several minutes to download. Turn on your computer's speakers.

Windows Media (preferred format) Quicktime

The footage provides a rare glimpse into the tiny and filthy railroad cars that elephants are confined to for long journeys across the country. Elephants can be seen chained and forced to stand in their own urine and feces. Such severe confinement takes an enormous physical and psychological toll on elephants.

CBS Channel 4 special report
In late 2005, south Florida's WFOR-TV aired a powerful story about Ringling's abuse of elephants. Click here to watch the Special Report.

Television advertising campaign
In 2005, ARFF met the circus with demonstrations and a television advertisement exposing the miserable lives of animals in circuses. Our TV ad, featuring renowned civil rights activist Dick Gregory, urged people to boycott circuses that use animals and ran on Animal Planet, MTV and other popular cable channels in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties, as well as in the Orlando and Jacksonville areas.

ARFF trains humane investigators on conducting circus inspections
In the past, circuses often took advantage of the fact that animal control officers and state wildlife agents were unfamiliar with exotic species such as elephants or with what constitutes cruelty. In 2006, ARFF staff conducted a training class for Miami-Dade Animal Service investigators on how to monitor circuses for potential violations of Florida's animal cruelty statute and the federal Animal Welfare Act. Investigators were instructed on monitoring unloading and performances, checking for signs of illness and injury, looking for evidence of abuse and neglect, and reviewing basic husbandry. After completing the training, the investigators were shocked at the routine abuse inflicted on animals in the circus and were eager to utlize the information they had learned to better protect them from inhumane treatment.