Sanguine Tenacious Tidings

How to love an Elephant?

On Sunday, the circus elephants of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will perform in New York City for the last time (here's a New York Times pictorial about it). Should events like the circus, which use trained animals in some acts, be considered cruelty to animals? What about other forms of entertainment that may feature live animals?

{www.motherboard.vice.com} article by Kaleigh Rogers

Should events like the circus, which use trained animals in some acts, be considered cruelty to animals?

This is a really broad question. My best answer from what I know as a trainer of dogs and horses has to be it depends on the use of the animal and the method of training.

Over the years I have watched PBS specials about specifically elephants. They cost about $65,00 dollars a year in care and feeding per elephant. People love them. Elephants are extremely intelligent and affectionate to people who show them love. Because of their size they can wreak havoc if angered. There are 2 exceptional rescue facilities that have adequate space for retired zoo elephants in the USA. One is in Tennessee the other is in California. Both have over 1000 acres of land devoted to wild life rescue.

The circus was using dated training that has risen from handling of elephants over the years. They actually won lawsuits against the animal right groups accusing them of cruelty. Also, I think the actually shipping from one city to the next may have added some wear and tear to the animals lives. If they are well cared for animals adapt to living situations just like humans. However, that does not mean we should not upgrade the living conditions as we learn more humane ways to adapt.

As a child I lived in a household that had an outhouse as a bathroom. Believe me I don’t intend to give up modern plumbing ever for any reason. Think. Do you want to live in a 5 by 6 foot box? Or do you prefer enough space for a kitchen, bath, living and sleeping area? Heat in you house in winter or cool in the summer months.

We have a problem with possums rabbits, chipmunks, etc. who want to move into our horse barn in the winter out of the weather. My horse leaves a small pile of hay in the corner for a wild rabbit to use as a bed.

What about other forms of entertainment that may feature live animals?

It has been my experience that animals love people. People can be very harsh in their views of animal intelligence. If an animal is treated well they enjoy their work. I once had a horse in my stable for retraining. He was a buckskin gelding. One of his owners had really used a whip harshly and he did not trust riders. Over a course of time with care he became my own special mount because he could trust me. We had a lot of good trail rides but he was not happy with other riders. You see he could tell the difference between a rider he was able to trust and any other rider who was not familiar to him.

In 1960 (approximate date) our high school held an assembly featuring a troupe of dogs and cats trained to do tricks with a trainer. After the act when students were suppose to return to classes I skipped out the back door to badger the trainer with questions as he was loading his truck with the animals. He explained some of his training techniques and even told me how he lived with the animals in his home base. The animals were all over him while he was loading up and they were treated kindly. But, I don’t think this is always the case it depends on the love and care you lavish on them.

The elephants being retired from the circus will be joining a herd of 40 elephants in a facility in Florida called the Center for Elephant Conservation. There will be approximately 53 elephants kept on 200 acres. This is probably not enough land to keep that big of a herd properly. The CEC has been a place dedicated to research, breeding and conservation of the species for some time. The only people allowed to visit the facility are scientists and animal researchers. How will they maintain this large of a herd. I hope they are not planning to use them in medical research. I recently saw a TV article about elephants in medical research.

Blood of the Tiger by J. A. Mills gives a good view of the plight of wild animals in all parts of the earth. It is not an easy book to read but worthwhile if you have a heartfelt desire to under stand animal cruelty and conservation. Because of books like this the USA has passed some animal laws for the proper care and conservation of wild animals not native to the USA. I would not be surprised as time moves on to see more and more regulations within the country for all species of birds and animals.