Jul 12 2011 by Jordann
MANY of us would have seen the recent film "Water for Elephants", if not for the movie itself but for the opportunity to stare at Robert Patterson for 135 minutes (I know I did).
It gave a small glimpse into the life of the circus, the TRUE side, and what shocked me were my friends' reactions.
The comments that came out of their mouths were:
"it's not real, an elephant couldn't even feel a hook like that"
"it's just a fake Hollywood story" and
"no one would actually be as cruel as the ring master".
So sadly I am writing this to say that no, it's not fake, the storyline followed by the film is one that is regrettably very real and being repeatedly caught on hidden cameras.
Exotic animals are confined in small barren box cars, cages and trailers for days, always travelling.
They have limited access to food and water, sleeping, drinking, eating, defecating and urinating in the same place.
They face widely varying temperatures, with no opportunity to warm up or cool down.
The famous American Ringling Bro's Circus has documents that reveal ON AVERAGE; their elephants are chained for more than 26 hours straight.
Animals such as lions and elephants don't naturally ride bicycles or stand on their heads; they are forced into unnatural behaviour through fear and suffering.
The requirement guidelines for keeping circus animals are significantly lower than those of the same species being kept in zoos, and completely disregard the animal's welfare, allowing this mistreatment of animals to continue freely.
Entertainment is not watching animals suffer, let's make a difference.
Pledge here to stop circus cruelty.
- Jordann (Ambassador for Circus Animals)
