Community Corner

Circus Protestors Plan Demonstrations

Others say the animals are well-cared for.

Animal rights advocates are planning demonstrations to protest the coming of the Cole Bros. Circus to the East End this week.

Demonstrations will take place Tuesday in Southampton and at the performances of the circus scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday in Greenport.

The California based organization In Defense of Animals alleges that Cole Bros. Circus is guilty of "animal abuse" and "public endangerment," and said recent concerns involve "two baby elephants, Val and Hugo, who are traveling without their mother, which we feel is extremely stressful and traumatic, and possibly detrimental to their health," said Deborah Robinson of IDA.

"In general, animals forced to travel and perform in circuses are deprived of everything that is natural to them - room to roam, participation in family and social groupings, and any ability to exert choice and control over their lives," she added. "This is particularly hard on animals like elephants, who naturally are on the move for most of the day, and who, in the wild, stay with their mothers for their entire lives, in the case of females, or at least until adolescence if they are males. By contrast, the elephants traveling with Cole, who are leased from Carson and Barnes Circus, spend their days on trucks, in chains or in tiny pens, and have all been taken from their mothers as babies."

IDA recently urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate the "physical and mental well-being" of the two baby elephants.

The IDA said they have submitted complaints about Cole Bros. Circus, prompting federal action including a fine in 2012 for "failure to provide veterinary care to an emaciated elephant, failure to handle an elephant in a way that minimized the risk of harm to the public and the elephant, using handlers who lacked the training and knowledge to safely handle tigers and elephants in public, and illegal trafficking in tigers."

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In 2011, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fined the circus and owner John Pugh $150,000 for the illegal sale of two endangered Asian elephant, the IDA said.

Local residents said they are unhappy that the circus is coming to Greenport. "I have not been to the circus since I was a small child," said Dawn Bennett, dog trainer and owner of North Fork School for Dogs. "I never took my children. These animals do not belong in small cages, traveling the country doing tricks, but this is the world we live in, I'm afraid."

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Added Cutchogue resident and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals member Marilyn Flynn, “I’ve always been against animals in circuses; they’re teated abominably. It's insulting to the dignity of these anmals to make an elepant put all its weight on its back feet, and it's hard on them. It's a terrible thing to do to them."

She added that she wrote a letter last year asking that the Greenport Fire Department bring in a circus with no animals. "Here they are; they're back again," she said. 

But according to Cole Bros., much of what is said is rumor and speculation.

"There is a lot of misinformation concerning Cole Bros. Circus' record concerning animal welfare," said Renee Storey, Vice President, Administration of the Cole Bros. Circus. "Over its more than 128 year history, Cole Bros. Circus has been committed to maintaining high animal welfare standards for animals that appear in conjunction with our show. Cole Bros. Circus has never been found to have violated any animal welfare law. Cole Bros. Circus has never been found to have mistreated elephants."

She added, "The humane and responsible care provided by licensed, professional exhibitors at Cole Bros. Circus ensures the health, welfare and safety of all humans and animals involved in the relationship."

Storey also said videos about elephant care and training were recently completed and independently produced by Lane Talburt, member of Circus Fans Association and Circus Historically Society. To view a video, click here.

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