What will happen to the Ringling animals?

So many of you wrote me about Ringling Circus closing… You echoed my joy, learning that these animals will no longer be confined to travel cages and barren enclosures, they won’t die in overheated railway cars, and they won’t be chained to a wall to “learn” to stand.

MAYBE.

Did you know that Ringling has not said WHERE the animals are going? Did you know that the common practice is to sell unwanted wild animals to the highest bidder?

They could be:
– sold for a truckstop attraction.
– sold for canned hunts (happens RIGHT HERE IN USA.)
– sold to private owners (no federal laws regulate the possession of exotic animals)… good intent can quickly lead to gross neglect; keeping a wild animal is not simple! These animals frequendly end up living locked in rooms, basements, and cages amid their own waste.

SIGN THE PETITION: ASK RINGLING TO SEND THE ANIMALS TO SANCTUARY.
a TRUE sanctuary.

WHAT IS A TRUE SANCTUARY?

1. A true sanctuary is accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS). This is an important distinction because MANY places use the word “sanctuary” in their title to sound legitimate.
2. A true sanctuary does not buy or sell animals, they don’t allow people to touch wild animals, they don’t exhibit them off property and, most important: they don’t breed them.

Did you know:
That when you pet tiger or lion cubs, you are holding and petting babies who will end up in canned hunts… read more about the truth about tiger cub petting, and what happens to those little cubs used in cub petting experiences.

Did you know:
You can kill these now-grown-babies right here in America! Ranches in Texas and Florida offer the opportunity to kill exotic animals… it is legal to kill big cats, zebras, giraffes, etc. on ranches right here in the United States.– Want to kill exotic African animals? Just go to Texas.**

**the title of that article is actually “Want to hunt exotic animals?” but I changed it to “Want to KILL exotic animals?” because HUNTING involves running REALLY FAST… jumping… attacking your prey… getting bloody during a battle… and a good chance of your own failure or death.

If you are just hanging out with a gun, THAT IS NOT HUNTING.

Did you know:
There are more captive tigers JUST in the U.S., than there are wild tigers in the world... and of those captive tigers, 94% are in non-accredited private hands like roadside tourist attractions or your neighbor’s backyard.

Did you know:
Captive tigers actually have a NEGATIVE impact on conservation efforts. (that’s a post for another day! but this book is a wonderful resource if you’d like to understand more!)

Did you know:
For every performing lion or tiger, 30 lions or tigers are destroyed because they don’t have the look or temperament for training.– Blood of the Tiger: the Battle to Save a Magnificent Species

Did you know:
Wild animals in circuses are ILLEGAL in so many places!

So! While circuses that use wild animals are only one aspect of the way that animals suffer when they are seen as commodities for humans, Ringling closing is still progress!

Let’s make it an opportunity to raise awareness! Let’s be a voice for these intelligent, amazing animals who have their OWN language, but do not share ours and so go unheard.

As Ringling wraps up, (they are performing until May, here is a list of known, planned protests; coming to Philadelphia Feb 16… join our group!)

People in each city Ringling visits will be there asking:
WHERE ARE THE ANIMALS GOING?
WHERE ARE THE ANIMALS GOING?
WHERE ARE THE ANIMALS GOING?

.@NicoleFeld when will you tell us the future of @RinglingBros animals?? Will they go to TRUE sanctuaries?? https://t.co/8DJSmtJw6f

— Victoria E Barnes (@victoriaEbarnes) February 7, 2017

.@NicoleFeld what is the future of Ringling animals? Animal lovers want them to go to CERTIFIED @GFASsanctuary! NOT to the highest bidder!

— Victoria E Barnes (@victoriaEbarnes) February 3, 2017

I know you probably think this post should be over soon… but NOPE! I have WAY MORE TO SAY!

Do you know where Ringling sent the elephants… NOT to a sanctuary!

Ringling could have sent the elephants to a TRUE SANCTUARY… but since they already had a “breeding facility” they just decided to rename it a “sanctuary.” Is it better than hauling these animals around in cages and chains? Sure! BUT WHY NOT SENT THEM TO SANCTUARY? Let me guess! Does profit have anything to do with it?

A California sanctuary, run by the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), offers elephants rolling hills, lakes to bathe in, and trees to browse; there’s enough room for elephants to wander all day and sleep where they choose.

In contrast, Ringling’s spread is flat and treeless except for the bamboo that is fed to the animals as roughage. Ringling’s female elephants and youngsters sometimes graze in vast pastures, but may also be penned for the day on an acre of sand, as males always are. One male, Gunther, frequently balances himself on the five 80-pound rubber balls in his enclosure. Other pens have fallen trees, chunks of concrete, or an old tire as diversions. — National Geographic

In the wild, female elephants usually don’t begin mating until they are 18, but Ringling used Shirley for breeding when she was only 7 years old. In the video below, you can see that she was restrained with chains during her labor, and she couldn’t see her baby as he was being born and she inadvertently kicked her newborn… then the “humans” pulled the baby out of her reach and prevented her from touching him… you can see her reach her trunk for her baby and cry for him.

Eight months later, her baby was euthanized after sustaining severe and irreparable fractures to both hind legs… The baby may have been afflicted with a bone disorder caused by malnourishment because his mother was never allowed to nurse him.

RINGLING DOES NOT CARE ABOUT THESE ANIMALS.

Ringling has been paying Animal Welfare Act violations for neglect and abuse for decades! If you think that’s just hype from the crazies like me who think we shouldn’t abuse animals, go read this AMAZINGLY researched and documented Mother Jones article that centers around Kenny, a three-year-old baby elephant who was so badly neglected by Ringling that he died alone, shackled in his stall.

During the afternoon performance, he began bleeding from his bottom and afterward struggled to stay on his feet. It was only then that Gary D. West, a circus veterinarian, arrived to examine the young elephant. West prescribed antibiotics and recommended that Kenny skip the evening show—”he might pass some blood which might be seen by a spectator and cause speculation as to his well being.” West was overruled and Kenny made his third appearance, although he was too weak to perform any stunts.

After the evening show, the bleeding continued. The elephant crew gave Kenny rehydration fluids and shackled him in his stall. Less than two hours later, a night attendant discovered his bloodied body on the concrete floor. The cause of death remains unclear.

Since Kenny’s death, 3 more of the 23 baby elephants born at Ringling’s breeding facility have died, all under disturbing circumstances that weren’t fully revealed to the public.

Since Kenny’s death, inspectors have found baby elephants injured and bound at Ringling’s Center for Elephant Conservation in Florida. Whistleblowers have stepped forward with harrowing accounts of beatings. Activists have released even more videos of elephant abuse, and local humane authorities have documented wounds and lameness… None of that has moved regulators to action. — The Cruelest Show on Earth, Mother Jones