We’re All Performing For An Unethically Operating “Circus”

Years ago, I went with my mother and sister to the circus when it was showing at Marine Park. We also went to circus performances in Coney Island and Madison Square Garden, where the colorful clowns, acrobatic performers and magic shows wowed the crowd.
 

Shortly after seeing the Cole Bros. Circus – the one that took place at Marine Park – a local elected official came down on one of the acts, which included cats ever-so-carefully walking on a tightrope. The cats were rewarded with treats after they successfully completed the trick, but the controversy over making the felines do crazy things for human entertainment dominated the otherwise playful show.
 

Now that elephants are being banned from the circus, I estimate that The Greatest Show On Earth® will soon be absent of ALL creatures that have to be tamed or trained. Yes – humans will soon be the only mammals undergoing excruciating practices to get a “wow” out of spectators.
New York City is already dealing with its own animal rights issues. The liberal mindset of those who want to ban horse drawn carriages comes up frequently in City Hall. Getting the votes to officially do away with this nostalgic tourist pasttime is always under scrutiny. But why wasn’t this attraction banned years ago? After centuries of having these beautiful equines symbolize the character of our city, with many coachmen at risk for losing their jobs, protesters NOW claim it’s a “cruel job for animals.” 
Is there something that’s currently being practiced by those who train animals that wasn’t implemented decades ago? I agree that many animals are the victims of cruel training exercises – but it’s 2015 and a lot of the protests are addressing what animals have been experiencing all along.
 

You might not consider yourself cruel – but how about the unethical treatment you’re imposing on your pooch when you’re training them? Who said Rover wants to roll over, sit, fetch, speak, or play dead? Play dead? Why are we giving our furry friends treats for mastering the art of simply being a carcass on the floor? I’m sure some animals have fun learning to dance on their hind legs for food that you dangle in front of their face (no, that’s not cruel at all!)
 

Let’s get real. There’s something about the sudden uproar of animal rights that gets politicians and activists talking. If the unethical treatment of elephants, lions, tigers and bears – oh my – has been going on for so long, what’s taking circus folk so long to remove those animals from their shows? Ringling Bros. recently announced that it will stop using elephants in their shows – but who’s next on the chopping block?
 

Other than attacking and going on a destructive rampage, animals can’t demonstrate if they’re being treated cruelly – especially if they’re being subdued by a circus trainer. Look at someone who worked with animals all the time – like Steve Irwin, who thought nothing of putting his head in a crocodile’s mouth in front of thousands of people. Irwin always tested the waters when he created a mini-circus with various animals, but he somehow pissed off a stingray in 

September 2006 and the shark-like fish killed him during a documentary taping.
 

Let’s take it up a notch! How about banning aquatic performances where trainers make sea lions or dolphins balance a ball on their nose or kiss some strange germ-ridden kid on the cheek?
If we’re going to do away with animal cruelty and the exploitation of any animal that provides a public service, we’ll have to start closing zoos and aquariums! Humans have long found ALL animals and their behavior – whether it’s trained or natural – amusing, but the curtain will surely come down on every act and we’ll have no entertainment at all…Until then, the show must go on!