1,362 likes and 274 dislikes out of over 7 million views in 3 years
4 likes and 0 dislikes out of 847 views in one year
28 likes and 0 dislikes out of 54,000 views in one year
Kelly, you mention building a web site, which is commendable. In building that web site do you look at how other industries deal with the issues of "animal rights" which is also an issue for your industry? Or do you look at other circus web sites, to see how they deal with it? Ponder for a moment, if other animal industries have the same issues with animal rights that yours does, why is theirs succeeding and yours has been kicked to the curb?
Possibly instead of "alibiing" to the public by saying "I only carry the whips, the hook, etc. but I never use them, maybe we should explain and show what and why is done with them as rodeo champion Ty Murry does in the top clip. I have heard people analogize a police man with a gun, as being similar to carrying the whips, but never using them. Why don't we explain to the folks that the reason he only has to carry it on his hip and not use it, is because we have learned that if we make him use it, it will have unpleasant consequences. Instead of alibiing the public with, I only carry the whips, but never use them, what is wrong with honesty saying, "of course, I use the whips if I have. The animal has learned through repetition and reward, that if I have to use , them it is unpleasant for him, as a spur is to a horse that doesn't move from pressure.
You stated, "there are good and bad people in every profession." That is very true, and also a popular cliche that our industry has parroted from other industries, two of which are the legal profession and the medical profession. I don't know about down under, but here in the colonies you can go online or call by phone Kelly, to find out which lawyers are good and which are bad. Same with the medical profession. Is there a similar site or phone number to call and find out "who is good, and who is bad" in our industry, each time we use the cliche "there are good circus's and bad circus's?
A baseball player, a professional, and acknowledged "as one of the greatest" who has 3 world series rings, and was elected to 17 All Star Games, will never be elected to the Hall of Fame and is banned from ever having anything to do with baseball professionally. He was suspended/banned from his world his livelihood , and way of making a living Kelly, because he gambled. Gambling is not illegal for the the rest of the world, but if you are a member of Major League Baseball it is. Is there a similar "professional organization" in the circus Kelly where members are bound to a standard of conduct, and if they "break" one of the rules or standards, they are banned forever, regardless of what they own, who they are, who they know, who their mother or father is, or how great they are?
Friday, January 21, 2011
How an industry packages and presents it's self.
Posted by
Wade G. Burck
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Though I still have plans on a circus animal website it is a very difficult area to navigate and to be honest I have rethought it's structure.
As selfish as it sounds I am leaning more toward a website that talks just about our show and which can advertised on the circus posters,etc.
Have you seen the Lacey family big cat website? More along those lines.
It's the only way I can be absolutely secure that I'm being truthful with people,
It's a much more polite way of getting across the points I think need to be expressed without the risk of being discredited by the mistakes of other shows.
I think it's important to understand that from what I've seen,while the agenda remains the same for all our countries,the prevalent anti-circus arguments differ between Australia and America.
From what it seems,AR people in the U.S say that circus animals get bashed,whipped,neglected,elephants get dragged from their mothers,they bring up the bull hook,etc.
Along with the usual points of stress and close confinement.
They seem to focus more on claims of physical abuse.
Australia is different.
Our "legitimate" animal welfare organisations like RSPCA say themselves that their anti-circus stance is not based on intentional cruelty/abuse,nor do they bring up neglect.
The points we hear all the time are along the lines of "unable to express natural behaviour","kept in small cages","stress of travelling".
More an issue of housing.
For this reason my facebook group has firstly has plenty of photos showing the way the horses/dogs are housed,secondly the way they are trained and perform.
And I make no apologies for also using "feel good" photos too.
Within reason though.
Even when I've put up heaps of informative photos,the images that always get the best response are the cutesy ones.
There are two pictures I have received a big response to when sent to RSPCA FB pages,animal liberation pages,etc
One of is of the 3 working dogs,they were running around loose (each wearing a rug as it was a cold day),I called them up for dinner and took a photo of them very obviously wagging their tails and looking cute.
The other is of the two palomino geldings scratching each other with a lovely golden summer coat,in a green paddock on a sunny day.
In amongst informative photos I see no problem with cute photos.
It's not like these cute photos are a lie.
I do try to avoid the usual "I love them,they are my children/family" argument though,as I feel it sounds a bit scripted and uninspired.
This line doesn't have any true bearing on the animal's welfare/wellbeing.
(Anyone who has watched animal rescue shows like Animal Precinct will know what I mean.)
That said,I do care about the animals very much but this should shine through without needing to constantly say it.
Only once have I discussed training aides with a liberationist.
All I said was that whips,elephant hooks,spurs,etc have the potential to be very cruel in the wrong hands.
As can a leash on a dog if one chooses to yank hard on it.
Whips,hooks,spurs,leashs,bits,check chains aren't cruel,the person using them can be.
There is no more reason to ban these than a dog collar/leash.
One last thing,I have visited Melbourne Zoo on a number of occasions,and Adelaide Zoo two days ago.
Even though they still cop some flack from the extremists,overall people overwhelmingly support zoos in Australia.
So I look at the way they, as you say "package and present themself".
One thing that sticks with me is that both have old unoccupied cages at the front of the zoos used as history exhibits.
The kind of cages one associates with the zoos of 80 years ago.
What a great PR excercise to include such a clear comparison to show how times have changed for the better.
Both have signs explaining how enclosures these days are built with animal welfare in mind,etc,etc and how zoos have learnt from the past.
Very simple idea but effective.
Why can't circuses also acknowledge that mistakes have been made in the past instead of the usual tactic of making excuses for it?
If they think progressively,animal circuses have their place in the future as do zoos.
Didn't realise I wrote so much,there's my rant for this week! haha
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