PETA killed more than 90% of the animals at shelter last year

[tinydancer]

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) distributed literature outside of the circus performance today in Baltimore urging that people never attend circuses that use animals. I'm no expert on animal ethics or circuses, but I did find it off putting to witness a large elephant lie down and spread her legs like a Burlesque dancer on Baltimore's "Block".

Elephant performing at the circus

It's called a "roll over".

Oh my goodness. Is PETA trying to portray this as elephant porn? I want to bazooka barf.

It's just a roll over. Aye carumba!

I took the picture myself at the Ringling Bros show in Baltimore. The image and its interpretation have no connection with the PETA organization. Speaking for myself, I did not pay $14.50, which was the cost of a half price ticket, to watch elephants roll about on the ground like that. It's not my idea of entertainment.

You are an old person. You don't understand children.

Children think it wonderous.

Don't you get it?

The child sees this. Relates to this. Like I did as a child and I cared. I learned to care about a beast that lived in a jungle far far away.

I found the beast magnificent. As I did tigers and lions in the circus. I came to care. More than what a teacher can tell you.

They were there in front of me. I could smell them. I could almost touch them. I heard the tigers roar.

I learned how special they were.

One circus moment. One day.

 

[Bill Angel]

It's called a "roll over".

Oh my goodness. Is PETA trying to portray this as elephant porn? I want to bazooka barf.

It's just a roll over. Aye carumba!

I took the picture myself at the Ringling Bros show in Baltimore. The image and its interpretation have no connection with the PETA organization. Speaking for myself, I did not pay $14.50, which was the cost of a half price ticket, to watch elephants roll about on the ground like that. It's not my idea of entertainment.

You are an old person. You don't understand children.

Children think it wonderous.

Don't you get it?

The child sees this. Relates to this. Like I did as a child and I cared. I learned to care about a beast that lived in a jungle far far away.

I found the beast magnificent. As I did tigers and lions in the circus. I came to care. More than what a teacher can tell you.

They were there in front of me. I could smell them. I could almost touch them. I heard the tigers roar.

I learned how special they were.

One circus moment. One day.

I believe I have some understanding of what children find wonderous at circuses.
I took the following pictures earlier in the week, before the circus performance.
The elephants visited a local market to have lunch and to entertain spectators.
These children were watching the elephants eat banannas, watermelon, and other assorted foods.
The elephants did not have to perform tricks like rolling on the ground to hold the children's attention.
They just had to show up and to eat.


Spectators Watching the Circus Elephants Eating Lunch at Lexington Market

Circus Elephants Eating Lunch at Lexington Market

 

[DarkLion]

You are an old person. You don't understand children.

Children think it wonderous.

Don't you get it?

The child sees this. Relates to this. Like I did as a child and I cared. I learned to care about a beast that lived in a jungle far far away.

I found the beast magnificent. As I did tigers and lions in the circus. I came to care. More than what a teacher can tell you.

They were there in front of me. I could smell them. I could almost touch them. I heard the tigers roar.

I learned how special they were.

One circus moment. One day.

Yeah, the child sees them performing unnatural tricks in an unnatural environment. They have no perspective of the real creature, which is going extinct at an alarming rate. Circuses do nothing but exploit animals.

 

[depotoo]

You are an old person. You don't understand children.

Children think it wonderous.

Don't you get it?

The child sees this. Relates to this. Like I did as a child and I cared. I learned to care about a beast that lived in a jungle far far away.

I found the beast magnificent. As I did tigers and lions in the circus. I came to care. More than what a teacher can tell you.

They were there in front of me. I could smell them. I could almost touch them. I heard the tigers roar.

I learned how special they were.

One circus moment. One day.

Yeah, the child sees them performing unnatural tricks in an unnatural environment. They have no perspective of the real creature, which is going extinct at an alarming rate. Circuses do nothing but exploit animals.

you do know it is natural for elephants to lie down, right?

 

[Noomi]

^this I agree with. They might be fed, and treated well, but they are made to do 'tricks' for entertainment, and they are deprived of their natural habitat.

 

[Bill Angel]

^this I agree with. They might be fed, and treated well, but they are made to do 'tricks' for entertainment, and they are deprived of their natural habitat.

I agree. There is nothing natural in the behavior that is on display here. I surmise one objectionable aspect is that the elephants don't have free will and a choice over whether or not to participate in such shows.

 

[Mr. H.]

Circus of Heaven

(Jon Anderson)

The day the Circus of Heaven came to town
Local folks lined the streets in a Midwestern town
Waiting anxiously for the parade to begin all around
On the very last day

A unicorn headed the mystical way
Surrounded by what seemed a thousand golden angels at play
Behind were Centaurs, elves, bright fairies all in colours of jade
On the very final day

For what seemed only just a moment in time
Seven solemn flying silvered regal horses rode by
Seven golden chariots in tow, a wonder to behold
The Seven Lords of the Mountains of Time
There then arose where nothing really stood there before
A giant tent rising one thousand feet high frofrom the floor
Towns people flocked inside with their eyes all amazed
To greet the Seventh Lord of the seventh age
A fanfare rang out in an incredible sound
Bringing out the strangest visions perfect harmony round
Any dreams he asked would they like to have seen
From historical or mythical scenes

Then there above their heads just as vivid as life
Each vision transported multitudes inventing light
Grecian galleons, the sack of Troy, to the Gardens of Babylon
A play of millions roared along
The gigantic dreams of Alexander the Great
Civil wars where fbrothers fought and killed their friendship with hate
All seen by Zeus performing scenes in the magical way
The day the circus came to town

Outside great animals as tame as the trees
Angels high in starlight dancing streets
Turning their colours with indigo and gold
Dropping violet, red and emerald snow
As the circus finally changed its invisible course
A new world to be found

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll4ptrujf7w]Circus of Heaven by Yes - YouTube[/ame]

 

[jon_berzerk]

You are an old person. You don't understand children.

Children think it wonderous.

Don't you get it?

The child sees this. Relates to this. Like I did as a child and I cared. I learned to care about a beast that lived in a jungle far far away.

I found the beast magnificent. As I did tigers and lions in the circus. I came to care. More than what a teacher can tell you.

They were there in front of me. I could smell them. I could almost touch them. I heard the tigers roar.

I learned how special they were.

One circus moment. One day.

Yeah, the child sees them performing unnatural tricks in an unnatural environment. They have no perspective of the real creature, which is going extinct at an alarming rate. Circuses do nothing but exploit animals.

it depends on how the animal is treated

many animals love to work hand in hand with humans

 

[Mr. H.]

You are an old person. You don't understand children.

Children think it wonderous.

Don't you get it?

The child sees this. Relates to this. Like I did as a child and I cared. I learned to care about a beast that lived in a jungle far far away.

I found the beast magnificent. As I did tigers and lions in the circus. I came to care. More than what a teacher can tell you.

They were there in front of me. I could smell them. I could almost touch them. I heard the tigers roar.

I learned how special they were.

One circus moment. One day.

Yeah, the child sees them performing unnatural tricks in an unnatural environment. They have no perspective of the real creature, which is going extinct at an alarming rate. Circuses do nothing but exploit animals.

it depends on how the animal is treated

many animals love to work hand in hand with humans

But it's not about animals working hand in hand with humans... for animals existed long before humans. Evidently they're better off dead.

 

[jon_berzerk]

Yeah, the child sees them performing unnatural tricks in an unnatural environment. They have no perspective of the real creature, which is going extinct at an alarming rate. Circuses do nothing but exploit animals.

it depends on how the animal is treated

many animals love to work hand in hand with humans

But it's not about animals working hand in hand with humans... for animals existed long before humans. Evidently they're better off dead.

peta thinks so

 

[tinydancer]

^this I agree with. They might be fed, and treated well, but they are made to do 'tricks' for entertainment, and they are deprived of their natural habitat.

I don't even know what to do with people like you. Ok picture it. I'll pull a Sophia here. I started crying last night so this post didn't turn out so well so I'm cleaning it up.

There was this moluccan cockatoo I had to rescue and I have the scars to prove it. He was a wild caught. I worked with a lot of wild caught birds some abused, some just frightened out of their minds. But I was also blessed to have worked at the time with the first hand raised babies in Canada.

Rosellas my Gypsy and my Tramp.....why would I ever learned about your land? Why would I have learned to care about your world? My rosellas opened the world of Australia to me. Cockatoos are goofy and wonderous. I can't imagine the sight of a flock of umbrellas or moluccans. I swear I'd stroke out.

I probably know more about your world than you do. I have loved and lived with beasties you could only die for.

The rescue possum did not work out well. Ok I'll cave on that one.

Just to make sure you know what I'm talking about and to add a little levity to this thread...

 

[tinydancer]

^this I agree with. They might be fed, and treated well, but they are made to do 'tricks' for entertainment, and they are deprived of their natural habitat.

Natural habitat. Oh sweet lord do you know how they are being slaughtered.

This is so stupid.

 

[DarkLion]

you do know it is natural for elephants to lie down, right?

It is not natural for them to lie down on command. It is not natural for them to live in cages and perform on concrete floors.

 

[DarkLion]

it depends on how the animal is treated

many animals love to work hand in hand with humans

Absolutely, they can love it. Many humans also love to do things detrimental to their health. Look at NFL players, they love it. But they'll be in pain the rest of their lives. But they do it under their own free will, these animals don't.

Ever worked with retired circus animals? I have. You see, my screenname is more than just some random name I came up with, I used to work at a big cat sanctuary. A lot of our cats were retired performers, discarded by the circus like used condoms. Their bodies were shot from years of performing on concrete. You know what astroturf does to NFL players? How much more damage it does than playing on natural grass? Well, these cats weigh twice what those humans weighed, and performed more often, and concrete is harder.

So you do the math. These animals' bodies are done for after they are retired. Yet they still crave to perform. My sanctuary held shows with trained cats to raise money for their care. The ones whose bodies were too shot to perform would cry out and try to get to where the others were performing. They wanted it so bad. But they couldn't even do simple tricks anymore.

Ever seen a tiger try to jump up on a stand like it did when it was young, only to lose its balance and crash down to the ground, because its joints are too shot to do even simple things anymore? They cry out in frustration and try again. And fail again. It is the saddest fucking thing you could ever see.

 

[Noomi]

^this I agree with. They might be fed, and treated well, but they are made to do 'tricks' for entertainment, and they are deprived of their natural habitat.

Natural habitat. Oh sweet lord do you know how they are being slaughtered.

This is so stupid.

So why is a circus better?

 

[TemplarKormac]

^this I agree with. They might be fed, and treated well, but they are made to do 'tricks' for entertainment, and they are deprived of their natural habitat.

Natural habitat. Oh sweet lord do you know how they are being slaughtered.

This is so stupid.

So why is a circus better?

Because like it or not, we all take part in it.

 

[Franticfrank]

The circus is just too easy a target for these PETA people. Their organisation should be abolished for what's going on in their shelters. Disgusting.

 

[nitroz]

Nathan J. Winograd: Shocking Photos: PETA's Secret Slaughter of Kittens, Puppies

Pics of PETA's treatment to animals (GRAPHIC CONTENT!!!)

 

[tinydancer]

^this I agree with. They might be fed, and treated well, but they are made to do 'tricks' for entertainment, and they are deprived of their natural habitat.

Natural habitat. Oh sweet lord do you know how they are being slaughtered.

This is so stupid.

So why is a circus better?

My point is only that instead of an image on a screen be it television or computer if a child attends a circus, or goes to a zoo, or an aquarium, it's not quite hands on but you learn how absolutely magnificent they are.

At the circus with my little box of pink popcorn seeing them run in. The earth moved with their feet. They trumpeted. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven seeing them.

I wanted to be the girl in gold that the elephant so lovingly took in its trunk and lowered to the ground.

And then you care enough to spend the rest of your life fighting to stop this....
ETA I can't do that picture it's just too horrid.

This gives you the same idea without the gore.

 

[Katzndogz]

Animals in the circus are generally treated very well. They also love to perform. An animal that doesn't love to perform is sent to a zoo someplace. They can be trained to perform, but if they don't love it, the performance will be wooden and lackluster. It won't generate any electricity in the crowd. The animal will go through the motions. Like any performer.

PETA's goal is to have no human/animal interaction. They are against pet ownership and consider all dogs, cats and horses that live with humans to be prisoners better put back in the wild. That's why they have such high kill shelters. They feel that an animal is better off dead than in a loving home. They don't believe in working animals and would remove all service dogs completely.

PETA Is Against Service Dogs ? Period | Al Brittain

PETA considers animals to be just unthinking, uncaring, unintelligent insects with no love, loyalty or ambition. PETA would suck all joy and happiness from an animal's life and sentence them to painful death.