Re: Life’s a circus, especially when you are at the circus, April 14.
I’m sure that the exotic animals at the circus also wished that Ryan Taylor had taken his kids to the dollar store instead of the circus. It would have been kinder.
It’s too bad that Mr. Taylor didn’t take his children behind the scenes to see what the animals’ lives are like when they’re not performing.
Elephants are kept in chains and during transportation and in inclement weather (like in North Dakota in winter?), they are kept in their transport trailers.
Read Also
Growth plates are instrumental in shaping a horse’s life
Young horse training plans and workloads must match their skeletal development. Failing to plan around growth plates can create lifelong physical problems.
They are dangerous and unpredictable. They can’t be exercised like a dog. This is no life for an animal that, in its normal habitat, would be walking for approximately 20 miles a day and foraging for food.
Bob Barker recently stated that because of their intelligence, no animal suffers more in captivity than elephants.
The tigers jumping through hoops live a pretty miserable life as well. They are kept in their small transport cages every minute they are not performing, cages in which they can barely turn around. Compare this to the majestic cats that live in the wild and it’s easy to see why it’s cruel to keep them in these travelling menageries.
Almost all municipalities in B.C. have banned circuses with exotic animals. This includes Vancouver, Surrey, Langley, Victoria, and dozens of other smaller places.
So lest you still feel OK about that money going to a children’s hospital, Mr. Taylor, think about this. You don’t need to be cruel to animals in order to be kind to children.
Debra Probert,Executive Director, Vancouver Humane Society, Vancouver, B.C.
