For Chris

Animal Rights Groups Protest Circus Visit - New York Times

The above article from 1999 will give you a place to start in understanding Chris. It is a very small tip of the issue I will just take a moment to tell you the thing's the report doesn't tell you, and to point out the things that are not true in the article.

a woman was trampled to death by a Beatty-Cole elephant in New London, Conn., in 1985 and that in 1993 a man was crushed to death in Fishkill, N.Y.
"the 1985 death was blamed on another elephant(Freida) who was notorious for running away, in the hopes that if the elephant had to be removed it would not be a useful elephant. The killer would remain there hidden."

one of the two elephants involved in the fatalities had been sold and that the other no longer performed with Beatty-Cole.
"the elephant that was sold, which was blamed for the death, was sold to Hawthorn for 1.00 after she(Freida) and another elephant name Debbie who also had a history of running, got in a fight and chased each other for over 4 miles through a town eventually ending up in a car lot where the destroyed a number of car's as well as the glass on the building and other great damage to various structures. Freida was put in a pen with 2 other elephants which was designed for one elephant, where she stayed for 6 years until confiscated by the United States Government. Debbie was also purchased for 1.00 by Hawthorn, and she was sent with an elephant name Liz to do a "church carnival" and they got in a fight and caused 10's of thousands of dollars in damage to the church. She and Liz was also seized by the United States Government.

Now the false statements Chris,

Ms. Storey said. ''We aren't going into the wild and taking baby animals from their mothers.'' All Beatty-Cole elephants were born in captivity"

The program distributed to circus spectators argues that captive-bred animals help preserve species in the wild.

''If they didn't have healthy animals, no one would go to see them. (Given what we have learned on this blog, Chris would the public be able to tell if an animal was healthy??)

Part of opponents' misgivings about the circus is the tricks the animals have been trained to perform. But Beatty-Cole's program claims that the elephants perform the same maneuvers in the wild.
''The hind leg stands, roll-overs, headstands, are all characteristic behaviors that elephants in the wild frequently exhibit during their foraging for food, mating, or fighting within their herd for dominance,'' the program stated.

Our elephants are members of our family.'' (This is just cornball Chris but I added it anyway. Look in the mirror Chris and honestly ask yourself, "Do you love animals, or do you love the Circus?) It had to be forced to change for the betterment of the animal Chris. I could tell you a horror about some horse from England and a person you admire much, but I won't as it would serve no purpose. They changed and the world of performing animals is changing. It is not home safe by any stretch of the imagination. The more realistically educated folks like yourself are, the better chance we have of making it right for the animals we love. Again with respect, just because you don't like the answer, doesn't mean it is a wrong one. By the same token, just because you like the answer, doesn't make it the right one. You have to believe Chris, I may know a lot more about this deal living with it 24 hours a day. Is the unanswered question, right or wrong?