FVA Statement: Ringling Bros. Counterdemo

FRESNO VOICES for ANIMALS
'We Choose Because They Can't'

FRESNO, CA- As Fresno residents who have become increasingly concerned with the treatment of animals held in captivity, we cannot turn the blind eye to the fact that one of the worlds most well known animal abuse groups has crept into our backyard .

“Over just a two-year period Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus was sited 65 times by the USDA for Violations of the Animal Welfare Act, which only requires the most minimum standards of treatment, “ said Nicholas DeGraff of Fresno Voices for Animals. “Watching tortured and abused animals perform unnatural acts hardly seems like family entertainment.”

Not only are people becoming fed up with the inhumane treatment of these animals but are starting to realize that human and non-human lives can be lost. Since 1990, at least 18 people have been killed and 800 others injured by dangerous incidents involving exotic anmilas at circuses, zoos, and private menageries. According to Officer Blaine Doyle, an officer who had to shoot an elephant run amok, “I think these elephants are trying to tell us that zoos and circuses are not what God created them for … but we have not been listening.” (‘Elephants Pose Giant Dangers,” LA Times, 10-11-94)

“It is hard to see, with all of the abuse, neglect, and violence that surrounds the circus, how anyone could call this the greatest show on Earth. Truly, the greatest show on earth is the one that plays out everyday in the natural environment that these animals have been stolen from,” said Teresa Hele of Fresno Voices for Animals.

Animal circuses have been banned across the nation by communities in: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, and Washington State.

Fresno Voices for Animals will maintin our vigil to raise awareness of Ringling Bros. torture tactics and will contunue to hand out flyers and educate the public on the abuse and torture that is standard procedure for Ringling Bros. until they leave town on Sunday.