Thank you letter writers
January 10th, 2007 by admin
The Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus is performing in cities across Florida in January. The circus’ tour through our state is an opportunity to educate the public about the sad reality of life for animals in the circus. Fortunately, several people have done just that by writing letters to their local newspaper.
Last week, Delray Beach resident Kim Emerson wrote in a letter published in the Sun-Sentinel, “How sad, the circus is in town. I wonder if people would still go to the circus if they knew the reality of circus life for the animals.” She continued, “People can choose the life of being a performer in a traveling show; animals don’t have that choice.”
In the St. Petersburg Times, local resident Joseph Patner wrote, “At a time when many communities are working to improve the plight of captive animals, particularly elephants, Ringling promotes a culture of animal abuse in the name of cheap entertainment.” He recommended, “Before attending the Ringling circus, please research its history of animal training techniques, injuries and deaths associated with their animals.”
In a letter published in Monday’s Orlando Sentinel, Carla Wilson (Winter Springs) asked, “Ever wonder what life must be like for a circus elephant?” Carla highlighted the stark contrast between elephants in their native Africa or Asia and elephants in the circus, “Elephants in the wild stay with their families for many years, and it’s not unusual for a herd to live together all of their lives, with babies staying close to their mothers at all times. Elephants love water and are very good swimmers. In the wild, elephant herds can roam up to 100 miles a day…. That close family bond is broken as Ringling’s elephants are torn from their families, babies separated from their mothers. While their bodies ache to roam, they will be chained in train cars, traveling from city to city throughout the year, forced to do unnatural acts they would never do in the wild.”
Today’s Orlando Sentinel included a letter from Julie Eberhart Painter (Port Orange). Julie described a recent trip to Kenya where she saw, “a family of elephants, a newborn calf toddling along, as close to his mother as he could manage between toppling over and trying to nurse.” She concluded, “Captivity stunts growth, shortens life and breaks spirits.”
Our thanks for Kim, Joseph, Carla and Julie for their great letters!