Because my family owns our own circus and have collectively been in the business for over 40+ years, I know the ins, outs, and secrets of most circuses around the world. In addition, my mom used to be a clown and rode an elephant with Ringling Bros. for 3 years, and 99% of our friends are still involved with internationally acclaimed circuses that use animals. One of my best friends is the head of promotion for Feld Entertainment (who manages Disney On Ice, Disney Live, Monster Jam, and more specifically Ringling Bros (who has been under fire for years in regards to animal abuse)).
I don't know how much I can say in regards to specific incidents but I will try and fill you in on as much as I possibly can.
In regards to animals being abused in circuses, truly and honestly, there's very very very little incidents of actual abuse. And furthermore, most of the "claims" major animal rights groups have made have been legally proved to be false. Such cases included:
- PETA sending a worker in disguise to work for Ringling for several years with the sole purpose of one day stage himself abusing a group of elephants (which ended up being the controversial video that was leaked several years ago).
- PETA sending another worker several years later to work her way backstage. Upon coming to the elephant chambers, she tried to sneak grapefruits to some of the elephants but as that's against policy, the caretakers took the grapefruits away from her, later finding out that they were filled with razors. PETA felt it was better for the animals to die a tortuous death then be "forced to perform."
These are just some of the many cases. Of course, no organization is perfect and some circuses have their rotten eggs that they must eliminate. But truly and honestly, circus people are family and the only thing they value more than their own children are their animals. I guarantee you half the people that are against animals in circuses have never actually met a real circus family that performs with animals. The animals are given royal treatment and their trainers spend years of their life loving and caring for them. You will never see a more magical bond between human and animal than you will in circuses.
I find it utterly despicable when people do absolutely 0 research on animal acts in circuses and take what they read on the internet for granted. Animals in circuses are treated better than humans are and in the cases that they are not, the people who are mishandling them are fired and legally charged
heavily. We value animals with the upmost respect and many circuses rescue animals that have been abused or are unable to fend for themselves in the wild. Feld itself (Ringling) spends millions and millions of dollars every year rescuing their elephants and housing them in a facility in South Africa where they can often times return to the wild. And, in the cases that they do perform in the circus, they are NOT forced to do anything they don't want to do. And anybody who has ever worked with an elephant or wild animal knows this. Many times, animal abusers don't even make it to the court house before they are caught because the elephant just sits on them. That usually ends in death for the abuser.
So please, for the sake of everything holy, do NOT say you're against animals in circuses unless you've experienced circuses first hand and have ACTUAL knowledge on the situation.