Where Do You Stand?
Here are excerpts from White Tops (The Circus Fans Association of America, or CFA, journal), May/Jun 08, p-19, by Gary C. Payne, concerning anti-captivity activists whom he calls animal extremists:
"We must not allow these businesses to rob us of our rights to enjoy a circus with performing animals; a zoo; an aquarium; a wild animal park; a steak; a fur coat; the right to hunt or fish if you so choose. …CFA members support animal welfare and make a distinction between that and animal rights. …Our CFA supports zoos, circuses, aquariums, and animal parks that responsibly keep, breed, and train these animals. We support the science that this is becoming. We support goals that are mutually beneficial to exotic animals and humans."
Compare that view with what American zoos have collectively done in the last couple of decades, to cater to the prevailing wind and play a "good boy (pardon me, I should be gender-sensitive!)" role while turning a hostile eye on circuses. Once zoos opened the door to the animal extremists in the last decades, it was all over. Those with historical perspective and insight (in a rapidly dwindling and aging minority fraternity) knew all along what was going to happen next. Extremists now tell us how to run zoos. Zoo after zoo announce that they will phase out elephants, stating, in many cases, the cost as a reason. Truth of the matter is, I believe, they are afraid. A recent account on Denver Zoo's plan for a new elephant facility (28 June 08, Rocky Mountain News) is encouraging, but Denver's voice is being drowned in the storm by the extremists. It has been said that UK is the most difficult place to run a zoo, followed by Australia. USA is rapidly catching up, and it is the zoos' own fault.
Once, US zoos were blessed with strong and capable leaders who, among other things, built the foundation of today's AZA (Assn. of Zoos and Aquariums) in the early 1970s, as eloquently chronicled, not by zoo professionals but by young college professors (The Politics of Zoos, Jesse Donahue and Erik Trump, Northern Illinois University Press, 2006).
Also, some of us may recall that National Zoo’s Bill Mann was a circus fan and more recently, Denver Zoo’s Clayton Freiheit was a circus supporter. Life does not allow us a chance to play out alternative history, but it is reasonable to assume how those zoo leaders of yore would deal with those animal extremists. They are missed sorely, at least by this writer who grew up in the zoo field, who has chosen to wash his hands from US zoos. Ken Kawata 1 comments Anonymous said...
Ken Kawata's piece is resounding in its honesty and insight. We ignore his perceptions at our peril. There is a strong future for working animals however it must be conducted at the highest of levels with a foot in the past while looking to the future to further the welfare of our charges. It is a difficult balance however it is one which must be made for without iron determination the future of performing animals is bleak at best.
My comment:
I see where Gary Payne is using the word extremists in the right context, and staying away from Animal welfare. Anonymous is dead on. But when will it be conducted at the highest of levels? Is there a new industry training and ethic's standard that has been set, that I was not aware of? The past is an excellent place to learn from mistakes so yes, we need to look back occasionally. When are we going to admit "we did it to ourselves", as rodeos and zoo's did. When are we going to quit pointing an accusing finger at them, because they did change and set standards?
Wade Burck
Posts
2 comments:
Having devoted a number of years to arguing on behalf of circus, I'm afraid I'm not much convinced that Gary Payne for all of his laudible efforts really understands to actual argument. I don't have to defend the right to eat a steak, or wear fur, or hunt or fish. While the beef industry, the fur industry, or hunters may also be targets of animal liberation, the mistake we make too often is trying to fight the broader fight while activists focus on a single issue. In discussing the use of an ankus, any mention of steak or fur is wasted breath. Why aren't zoo directors circus fans? I'd suggest that the answer isn't simple. Some zoo directors aren't fans of "training" period...while others may question whether circuses can live up to reasonable welfare expectations. Or maybe some directors have had the unpleasant experience of listening to "circus fans" refer to chronic AWA violators as "great showmen." The real question goes back to training. Wade mentioned Hediger the other day, and of course Hediger was a great zoo director and a staunch advocate of training. I would suggest that any zoo director who opposes training isn't going to be a circus fan, even if she or he loathes activists as much as we do in the circus. Likewise I would suggest that directors who have a more favorable view of training might be potential circus fans, but only if circuses are serious about animal care standards. Simple sharing an interest in animals isn't enough. If I like dogs, and my neighbor breeds and fights pit bulls, that doesn't make us both dog lovers.
Ben
Ben,
I just have always assumed that if God did not want us to eat animals, he wouldn't have make them out of steak.
But you are right, so may thing's get thrown into the debate that are not relevant, I think the public has become so confused on the "real issue" of animal training/abuse that they just want it done with.
Wade
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