The Circus Is Coming To Town! – Excited? Think again.

The Carson and Barnes Circus is coming to Sonoma County next month. What I’m learning about this circus, and others that employ animal acts, is nothing short of shocking. These circuses attempt to entertain us with dogs, apes, birds, ponies and horses, hippos, tigers, and of course, elephants.

Elephants are highly social, intelligent animals with a complex system of communication. In their natural environment, they roam over large areas and cover considerable distances of up to 50 miles every day. The elephant family is led by the oldest female, the matriarch, and is bonded by kinship, affiliation, experience, great loyalty and affection.

The elephants that you see in circuses are bought and sold like commodities. They are transported long distances in small compartments on trucks or trains. They are separated from their friends and family, confined and chained. To control the elephant’s behavior in this restricted environment, the ‘handlers’ need to establish and maintain dominance. This is done through the use of violence and cruelty, using electric prods, whips and large bull-hooks. When attacked with these weapons, the elephants scream in pain. Understandably, these creatures eventually go mad, and end up endangering human lives in the process.



This treatment is appalling and unethical. I would rather watch a nature show on PBS about these amazing creatures than see a live elephant being forced to stand in line with her feet on the back of another.

What can you do?
1. Don’t go to circuses that use wild animal acts. Non-animal circuses include Cirque du Soleil and the local Pickle Family Circus.
2. Tell your friends, write to your local newspaper, contact your local schools, and ask your City Council to ban circuses with animal acts. Literature is available to download from various sites. Click here for a good brochure.
3. Ask business to drop their sponsorships of circuses with wild animal acts.
4. Report animal abuse to local authorities and the USDA.
5. Suggest and animal-free circus for your community.
6. Participate in or start your own anti-circus demonstration. There may be a local animal rights group in your area that holds these events.

Bay Area demonstration dates and times:
DALY CITY (Cow Palace Parking Lot, 2600 Geneva Ave, Daly City):
May 29 (Fri) @ 3:30p and 6:30p
May 30 (Sat) @ 6p
May 31 (Sun) @ 3p
June 1 (Mon) @ 6p
June 2 (Tue) @ 6p

DUBLIN (Martinelli Way and Hacienda, Dublin):
June 5 (Fri) @ 6:30p
June 6 (Sat) @ 3p and 6:30p
June 7 (Sun) @ 3p

SANTA ROSA (Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa):
June 8 (Mon) @ 3:30p and 6:30p
June 9 (Tue) @ 3:30p and 6:30p

PETALUMA (Sonoma-Marin Fair, 175 Fairgrounds Drive, Petaluma):
June 10 (Wed) @ 3:30p and 6:30p
June 11 (Thu) @ 3:30p and 6:30p

More links:
Circus Issues

Peta Literature

Compassionate Consumer Literature

Information for Educators