I get a great amount of anonymous "hate" mail in regards to my stand on ECA, Federation Mondiale du Cirque, and OABA getting into bed with them. Laura van der Meer, who is an enviornmental lawyer-lobbyist in the European Community and its 25 Member States and is also ECA Brussels Representative and Executive Director, Federation Mondiale du Cirque was gracious enough to respond with her thoughts on October 28 to the link about ECA. I asked for some clarifications to some of her statements, and as of yet have received no response. Either I am not worthy or worth a response or she is very, very busy right now. But I do know an ip number from Brussels, Belgium checks the blog a couple of times a week, as well as I know an ip number from USDA, as well as a ip number from the Born Free Foundation have started reading the blog within the past week. I received an email from another circus blog, this morning saying they have been receiving ip address's from Born Free as well.
Ringling Bros. Circus right now is involved in a major lawsuit with USDA, and recently the court case was postponed until a later date. Assisting USDA in their law suit is The Born Free Foundation, of which in an earlier post,(which Mary Ann can probably find) I printed the story of Prince Albert donating leopards from the Monaco zoo to Born Free, and stating how happy he was for the leopards while a couple of weeks prior his sister Stephanie was forming Federation Mondiale together with ECA and the European Community and their 25 member states, along with Wayne McCary and OABA to keep performing animals in the circus. The hypocrisies and who is helping who here, and who is just helping themselves to free hors d'oeuvres and a photo op is gagging.
USDA I have no objection to. They are a valid United States Government, of which I am a proud citizen, organization, and I feel they are a "necessary evil" in the world of animal husbandry/ industry. But Born Free of which Albert endorsed, and it would seem Monaco did also by association is as hypocritical as "our" deal.
This is a brief bio of Ronnie Wilkie
"After 26 years in the Scots Guards, Ronnie resigned his commission and took up
employment with the global technological and commercial consulting company Booz
Allen Hamilton, where he managed their European facilities before taking on
global facilities responsibility as Director. He then became a Senior Director
overseeing operations in Europe, Middle East and Africa.
"He has been with Ascot Racecourse as a Board Director for 5 years, during which
time he and his team have worked extensively on the redevelopment of the
racecourse. In 2005 they took the Royal meeting to York.
"Ronnie is a staunch royalist, who is also a Board Director of the Born Free
Foundation and Born Free USA. Locally, he is president of St John Ambulance,
Ascot and Berkshire and the Royal Ascot Cricket club. He is currently working
with the Parish Council and other interested parties on a project to form a
local youth council and adventure club for teenagers." [1]
* Trustee, Ascot Charitable Trust
Who's Ronnie Wilkie? He is director of the board for Born Free, which advocates
no animals in any entertainment including zoos and marine parks, however he runs
a horse park in jolly old. How's that for a duo agenda.
England is where for all intents and purposes animals in the circus were shut in the 1990's.
Born Free is the organization that Prince Albert and the municipality of Monaco endorsed
earlier this year, that his sister and the 25 members of the European community and
now the United States with OABA's assistance are "combating", while the circus animal
awards are handed out at Circus Festival Monte Carlo?????? And yes, Chris Baltrop, with all
due respect, I think you can get too busy sucking up for a moment of acceptance to see the
big picture clearly.
Maybe that is why so many just don't express themselves and say anything publicly.
Privately is a very different matter, trust me. One would assume
they don't want to rock the boat, and just want to be "cute and charming" so they are
included in the festivities. Or maybe, they like I, really have no idea what is going
on either?
Posts
10 comments:
Wade, the post I think you are referring to was on Thursday May 29, and was titled "Agendas??? Does the Born Free Organization have an agenda, and if so why donate to them?" It had 38 comments and went on until June 3.
Mary Ann
Wade - I would be very surprised if Born Free, HSI and other like minded groups had not been monitoring this Blog, the History Channel, CMC etc for a very long time.
Given their penchant for quoting people out of context I think we all have to be very careful of the words that we choose to use.
Steve,
My God, you are missing the whole point, about this post. Anything taken out of context is not admissible anyplace, and can be explained. But the Prince of Monaco, giving Born Free, and his new friend Virginia McKenna, I quote, "confiscated from a circus" leopards, because the cages at the zoo were to small, and they deserve to be free in a world wide goodwill gesture, while his sister the Princess of Monaco and ECA and OABA are forming a liaison, to "help" us all to promote animal training and care in the circus for the future of the arts makes perfect sense to you? Who has a "penchant" for jerking who around here? Or maybe you can explain to us what took place in Monaco those 3 weeks in January in between receiving clowns?
Wade
Steve,
I don't think you were referencing things like the "paralyzed beak" issue that I brought over here in an effort to address it, and possibly find a cure or a way to prevent it. I don't think we have ever discussed anything that could be taken out of context and directed at any of the participants in the discussions or the industry as a whole.
Or maybe this one from the same site as the"paralyzed beak" link that is revered by the uninformed who are with it and for, and are donating there time to help "our" cause:
Many years ago in San Juan with
Jimmy Harrington's Circo Pan
Americano playing a ball field
Lemke (maybe it was Jerry) had
a fairly big group of chimps
that included an older bad male
named "Susie"
Jerry kept a short pipe in his
sleeve for "protection" that
fell to the ground one night
Susie got hold of it and chased
Jerry all over that field
Reread the May 29th post Steve. Tell me what the world was told, before they even had the buffet table cleaned up. When we address "our out of context/spin", then I will be glad to help you address, their "out of context/spin."
With all due respect,
Wade
The Lemke story is a classic case of what I was talking about- and no, it was not run on your Blog. My call for caution was a general one and not a criticism.
You and I [and all of us] are aware of many things that we can talk about in our, more or less, universal circus "language".
Once those stories get out into public forums they can have different interpretations put on them according to the agenda of those doing the interpreting.
If we've got to "spin" the story to make it acceptable then better not to tell the story at all in public.
And you know as well as I do that nothing that happens in Monaco is going to have any positive impact on our industry in either the US or Australia.
No I am not talking about subjects of very real concern to all of us who work with animals. "Paralysed beak" is a serious matter which needs open collaboration and information sharing if we're going to get to the solution of it. But it is difficult to talk openly about such subjects without leaving ourselves open to misinterpretation. I bet you've seen enough stories on AR websites to recognise how molehills get turned into mountains.
Dear Mr Burcke , Sorry for bieng anonymous, But to add to The Monaco. Born Free. The money spent on Producing Gold Silver and the other colour everybody now seems to get, Maybee! The whole thing is just like the festival,Run by Al Capone. As an animal trainer i used wished to work at Monte Carlo, to show people what i have done and for personel pride. But sadly i hav nt kissed enough arse in the past to deserve a clown. I have no intention of even trying to go to Monte Carlo. It is not just what we show the people for 8 mins in the Ring its what we do all day every day that counts and is much more important than Gold etc, In the Usd, Veterinary and any other things concerning Animal welfare there must be at least a Profesional from the Circus World . To represent the Real World, I have been following Your Blog for a while and i i admire very much your stanse and no Bulshit aproach. Many Things are blown up out of proportion by the media etc, Thank You Very Much.
Anonymous,
If you are a colleague and a brother in arms, call me Wade please.
I respect your need for anonymous, and also respect you for speaking up. Very few have that courage in this business, preferring to agree in private, but shrugging their shoulders in public. Thank you for the words about the blog. Many are on a "cute and charming" mission right now, and I have seen enough image remakes and damage control in the past 5 years to gag a maggot. For me it has always been the animals first, the industry second, and if there is time left, me.
I agree there needs to be a Professional as part of the various organizations. But you know as well as I most of the "fame" is this business is perceived based on double cheek kisses, glad handing with the fans, and self serving paper. Ability and knowledge are of no consideration, the "perception of" is paramount. A number of skilled people all over the world are overlooked because of that. It would be very hard find somebody to appoint that was not in somebody with a private agenda or something to gains pocket.
I would like to meet your acquaintance and toss around training ideas. If you would please contact me at wburck3@aol.com
Respectfully,
Wade
Steve,
I disagree. Anything talked about openly and "honestly" can never be misinterpreted, ever. Fact's would speak for themselves.
Does he need the steel pipe? Does a rider need spurs? Does the dog handler need a leash? If the answer is yes, are they qualified and knowledgeable in the use of pipes, spurs, and leash's? Or was he/she the only one there and available?
I can recall looking at 3 AR sites in the past 20 years, and as I don't address it here, should be an indicator of how little I care about what they say. They are of no concern to me, as I know what they are, and I have never felt it was directed at me. No, their mole hills that are turned into mountains are of no concern. But it is the mountains that turn into molehills on the circus site's that alarm me greatly.
I also respect you and your stand, and the courage and pride to speak out, mate.
Wade
Wade - with the greatest respect I've got to say that I think that you are looking at this through rose coloured glasses. History has shown that sometimes the truth never comes to light and sometimes the truth comes to light so late that irreversible damage has been done in the meantime.
You are obviously a very decent Dakotan and expect everyone else to operate at your level of decency - even after 34 years in this business!!! It aint going to happen that way, mate!
I agree wholeheartedly that "facts will speak for themselves" - no argument there at all. It's just that they take such a bloody long time to make themselves heard sometimes and, in the meantime, we all get screwed by misinterpretations and people getting quoted out of context to serve other people's agendas.
And yes, our own mob are just as good at this as the other side.
But the other side has the power to get into the ear of the legislators with their skewed "facts" and half truths and that is where the short term damage to us can happen. And that short term damage can sometimes never be corrected. Better not to let it happen in the first place.
Why don't WE have the power to "get into the ear of the legislators" ourselves. Because as you so rightly point out [and I'm backing you all the way] we're more interested in licking Royal ass in Monaco, whitewashing the duds in our business because they give us free tickets or simpering at a flash from one of the cute and charming brigade.
NOBODY seems to want to WORK at developing basic industry Standards that everyone will have to achieve if they are going to stay in this business. And that is the only way that the younger generation [our future] are going to have any hope of participating in this very honourable profession that has given people like you and me such a fulfilling and fulfilled life.
That is why I argue that we should choose our words carefully on a public Blog. We should certainly tell the truth and nothing but the truth but the WHOLE truth is best kept in mind by those who develop industry Standards.
Too much information can cloud the issue for those who can't [or won't] handle it honestly.
With respect.
Steve,
Well said, and your points are taken, and I have put some of the shoe's on.
I still have a hard time, given the "political climate" of the times, with the statements of Prince Albert to the world, the forming of a "circus animal protection" league, and a "representative" of an American "circus animal protection" league joining with them, all in a time frame of a couple of weeks. And the American membership knew nothing about the "joining forces."
Now if nobody picked up on that little bit of drama, that occurred while they were handing out yet another bronze clown to a cage act and yet another silver to a great animal act, and golds to the rest, maybe the Born Free's and the HSI's of the world are not as sharp as we are giving them credit for.
Heres some more insight at that few week period of time. I saw the caging/husbandry of the act that received bronze, and posted a picture of the old arena with the "bear pit" hooks extending in on this blog. Rumors buzzing around the land of Oz at Festival time, was that the act awarded low because of the caging/equipment and historical husbandry practices??? That should have nothing to do with the "performance" Unless you are setting a standard. If that is the case, it should have never been there in the first place, and every animal act/presenter for the last 10 years should have been scrutinized with as fine of a comb.
In a nut shell, The Prince donates "two confiscated from the circus" leopards because their housing is inadequate in Monaco, and they would be better off in their "homeland", don't you see and gets a world wide conservation double cheek kiss, pat on the back. While his sister and 25 member Nations form a association to combat all the negative, taken out of context, mole hill made into mountains stories that are spread by "these" people. It makes perfect sense to the Yank from OABA. So much sense that he isn't even going to ask the membership, which does pay by the way, Laura. Hell, they are poring cocktails already. There is barely time to book a flight, let alone send one of the "circus representatives/officers" from OABA with the blessing's of the membership.
And what's with this Born Free organization? They shouldn't care, because THEY HAVE NEVER BEEN VALIDATED BY THIS INDUSTRY!!!!! So what if the caging/husbandry is inadequate? He is available and we need a by God circus if we are going to get those tourist dollars. We just need to make sure the judges don't give him much of an award, but we will make sure those tourists know this is the "Best 0 the Best" of the circus world. So forget HSI and the rest of the clowns like them and their lies because THEY HAVE NOT BEEN VALIDATED BY THIS INDUSTRY!!!!
All circus animal trainers that we are looking out for, particularly you wild beast handlers, the ass kiss line forms on the right. Pucker up, boys and girls.
I and future generation greatly appreciate what you have done for us, but with the rush that line has gotten to long. I don't think I will stick around. But thank you very much for your help. I'll drop a little something in the donation box on my way out.
Wade
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