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Inside the Circus Tent at Morton
(photo by Dixie A. Walter)
by
Dixie A. Walter
May 24, 2003
A rather
pathetic, one-ring circus, Culpepper & Merriweather, due to arrive in
Eatonville Sunday, May 25, raised its tent in Morton Saturday
morning for a one-day stay in that small town. The tent raising was done
mostly by "roustabouts" with some help by Barbara, one of the
circus's two African elephants. Only a handful of locals attended the tent
raising. The tattered, torn and dirty tent went up slowly without incident.
Above, see how close the bleachers are to the ring. The quarters are very
close and the whole operation looks precarious.
Later an "Endangered Species"
presentation was attended by about a dozen people. The man
"teaching" the group gave some false information. For example when
asked why one of the juvenile elephants, Connie, swayed consistently, the
small group was told she did it to "communicate." Asked what she
was communicating, he said the elephant was "Happy." Yes, the big
animal was trying to communicate. All information concerning this
behavior in captive wild animals points out the swaying behavior shows the
animal has become neurotic from the captivity. To tell people this behavior
indicates happiness is the reversal of truth. And an insult to the
intelligence of the few people who attended the small presentation.
This sad circus is almost constantly
on the move. It will travel to Yelm May 26 and Orting May
27. That's four towns in four days with two performances a day.
Happy Elephants?
(photo by Dixie A. Walter)
Unshackled
for a water break, Barbara drinks from a trough. In the background
Connie shows her happiness by straining her leg chain to get to some taller
grass. The "trainer" holds the always present bullhook used to
control the giant animals. The bullhook is being moved almost all the time
as a reminder to the elephants that they better behave or they will get the
hook. Another circus employee told a small group that they water the
elephants twice a day. Very often performing animals do not have access to
food or water except at certain times, as circuses, and some zoos, don't
want the animals urinating or defecating during the shows. The
elephant
pictured above is one of the huge animals that escaped from this circus
three years ago in California. Nothing separated her from the public but a
small and flimsy fence which is shown in the foreground. This circus has
been cited by the USDA for "failure to have an adequate fence to
contain potentially dangerous animals..." And "for inadequate
barriers to the separate the animals from the public..."
The Elephants' Home...
(photo by Dixie A. Walter)
The two young
elephants travel and live in this red trailer. Connie stands at the
doorway swinging her head back and forth, back and forth as she waits to be
chained outside. A small group of people were told that the elephants could
pull the trailer over and break their chains if they wanted to. The fact
that this didn't happen apparently proves just how much the animals enjoy
their life in the circus. This circus has been repeatedly cited by the USDA
for "failure to provide veterinary care...failure to have a complete
veterinary care program...failure to comply with minimal standards of
veterinary care..." According to circus employees no veterinarian is
traveling with this circus presently. Culpepper & Merriweather Circus
has also been cited for not providing adequate shade for their animals. This
blue canopy was the shade provided for the elephants in Morton. The morning
was warm and the day promised to become even warmer as the hours passed.
Notice the shadows in the photo. Does adequate shade allow for shadows?
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May 15, 2003
Yes, We Know a Circus is Coming to
Town.
No, we do not support this
circus. ENN will never financially, or otherwise, support animal cruelty in
any form, especially when the cruelty is called "entertainment,"
and is aimed at children.
Culpepper & Merriweather
Circus
This circus has
been cited by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) 29 times since
June 1991. The USDA does not cite circuses for minor infractions. However,
the USDA is not a "watchdog" group and many violations in zoos and
circuses go unnoticed by authorities. Culpepper & Merriweather Circus has
not met the " minimal federal standards for the
care of animals..."
Many of the citations involve the African
elephants and their care. This circus has had public safety issues,
"October 31, 2001: The USDA cited Culpepper & Merriweather for
failure to provide adequate veterinary care to an elephant in need of foot
care, for failure to maintain the structural strength of perimeter fencing,
failure to have an adequate perimeter fence to contain potentially dangerous
animals, and failure to maintain in the structural strength of the elephant
transport trailer."
On April 20, 2000 the two elephants,
Connie and Barbara, escaped in Yucca Valley, California. One person's
hip was crushed by being stepped on by one of the enormous animals. She
frightened many people as she roamed the city for several hours before being
recaptured. The circus was cited for "mishandling elephants." A
couple of weeks later Culpepper & Merriweather was cited "for
failure to correct previously identified violations of mishandling of
elephants by inexperienced handlers, failure to provide minimum space to a
camel, failure to have a complete veterinary care program, and failure to
submit the required itinerary."
Escaped elephants are not as uncommon in
circuses as one might think. Humans killed and injured by the huge
captives is not an uncommon occurrence either. Since 1990, 18 people have
died and 89 seriously injured in the U.S. There is a real threat of danger
wherever elephants are in close proximity to humans. For more information
about Culpepper & Merriweather's USDA violations, please see Circus
Does This Look Safe?
(photo by Tony Scherer)
What's wrong with
this picture? The elephant is forced to sit in an unnatural position. Wild
elephants don't contort their bodies by sitting up. This behavior may look
"cute," but the elephant has learned the trick at the tip of a
bullhook and other painful methods. She performs out of fear, she performs
to escape the pain of the hook. Who knows how painful it is for such a huge
animal to be forced to sit and beg like a poodle.
Look how close the audience is to the
elephant. Not in the picture is the other elephant equally as close to
the people. This picture of the Culpepper & Merriweather Circus was taken
last summer. Adding to the danger are elephant rides. More than one elephant
has "rampaged" with children on their backs. Three children were
hurt at a Shrine circus in Michigan when the elephant they were riding fell.
In Salt Lake City, Utah, an elephant giving rides to children, attacked and
injured two trainers.
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American Circuses Were Built on the
Broad, Strong Backs of Elephants...
by Dixie A. Walte
May 18, 2003
The
circus as we know it, flash, glitter, sex, cotton candy, clowns, adrenaline
pumping animal acts and animal cruelty began with a two-year-old Asian
elephant purchased by Captain Jacob Crowningsheild in India. This baby
elephant was displayed on the street in New York City and sold to a man
named Owen. Newspaper archives of the era chronicled a life of constant
travel for the elephant which was never given a name, but was eventually
given a gender ,"female." The last record of this poor animal was
in 1818, twenty-two years after arriving in America.
The next elephant brought to this country, in 1815,
had a name, Old Bet. This elephant was auctioned off and went for $20 to the
brother of Mackaliah Bailey. Bailey paid $1000 for Old Bet and toured
with her for many years. Eventually Bailey leased the elephant to Nathan
Howes. Old Bet made Bailey and Howes rich men. Each built their own circus,
The Great Howe Circus and the legendary Barnum and Bailey Circus.
Old Bet was killed by a group of fanatics in
Maine who shot her for religious reasons. The elephant was moved on
foot from exhibit to exhibit. This was done for financial reasons, who would
pay to see the elephant if they could see her on the road? A group
of men caught the group moving Old Bet and shot her six times because she
was being used for entertainment on Sundays.
Nine months later Old Bet's stuffed body was put on
tour for four years until the skin was sold to the American Museum in
New York. Next came Columbus, the third elephant in America, who was on
"constant display" from 1818 until 1847, 29 years.
None of these early elephants did
"tricks." Enter "The Learned Elephant, Little Bet"
who knew many tricks. She had been "trained" to contort her huge
body into various unnatural positions. Her owner, displaying a complete lack
of elephant knowledge, played up the misconception that the skin of an
elephant is tough. This man repeatedly told audiences her skin was so thick
a bullet couldn't "penetrate" it. This resulted in the death by
bullet of Little Bet. Five "youths" shot Little Bet in the
eye in an attempt to prove her skin was bullet proof. She died
instantly.
Eventually elephants were no longer the main draw and most
traveling shows built menageries for touring . In 1882 P. T. Barnum paid
the London Zoo $10,000 for Jumbo. This elephant was touted as the largest
elephant in the world and was the largest in captivity. Jumbo's name has
become a part of our language. Unfortunately, Jumbo, the Giant Elephant, was
killed by a train in 1885. His skin was given to Tufts College and his
skeleton was given to the Museum of Natural History.
Not Reality - This is a Fictional
Circus Elephant...
Dumbo was born in
a circus and his mother loved and protected him. Dumbo wasn't hurt by
humans as much as he was hurt by other animals in the circus. He was always
with his adoring mother. Not even close to the truth.
One Reality...The Right One
xEPtb5.jpg)
Wild elephants
travel in Matriarchal groups of varying numbers; eight,
twelve to fifteen mothers, babies and juveniles travel from 20 to 30
miles a day foraging for food in a sort of mobile village. These sensitive
animals are highly social, and rival almost all other mammals, whales, apes
(especially chimps) in intelligence. These
groups are so strongly forged, and orderly, that the Matriarch's daughter
may take the leadership role when she is no longer able. Stealing elephant
babies from their mothers is extremely traumatic for baby, mother and the
rest of the elephant "village." The young African
elephants, Connie and Barbara, with the Culpepper & Meriweather Circus
very likely started their life like the babies in the above photo.
This is Reality for All Circus
Elephants
These African Elephants, Connie and
Barbara, Belong to
Culpepper and Meriweather Circus. Do They Look Happy?
Note the chains
are on opposite legs. The animals cannot move. This photo was taken in July
2002.
The young African elephants coming to
Eatonville with Culpepper and Merriweather Circus next weekend are wild
captured. It's not Walt Disney. This was a very sad beginning for these highly intelligent,
mostly gentle, animals. For the rest of their lives it will be one traveling
circus after another. And their end will most likely be as sad as their
beginning as they often end their days at some pathetic roadside attraction.
Do these young animals look happy? This type of life turns the highly
intelligent animals into sad, neurotic and often dangerous shadows of real
elephants. Far too many captive elephants go into meltdown after years of
ill treatment. Naturally all circuses maintain they love and adore
their animals and take the most excellent care of them. This just isn't
supported by facts. (photo by Tony Scherer)
Elephants Can Look Happy...
This animal is
one of several baby elephants at a sanctuary in Africa. Note the expressive
face on the baby. Animals cared for with love and affection don't get that
sad captive elephant look in their eyes. Nor do they become enraged and
attack their "handlers," as many captive elephants do.
Do Elephants Cry? If So, Why Do They
Cry?
The
following excerpt is from an eyewitness account of the devotion of a mother
elephant. The report is by D. J. Schubert, Peace Corps volunteer in
West Africa:
"The
baby elephant was lying on his side ... his aunts and mother surrounded him,
shading him from the hot sun. He would try to stand but would fall back on
his side with a heart-wrenching scream. The mother would follow with a
louder, seemingly more painful scream. She tried everything to help ... she
would drop to her knees and lift the baby with her trunk ... each time he
fell back ... the baby would scream, the mother would scream. I saw the
elephants stroke the mother's back reassuringly with their trunks. They
would intertwine trunks and gently touch each other in and around their
mouths in what humans might describe as a kiss.
At dusk I returned.
... The baby had died and been covered with dirt, grass, and leaves. The
mother had positioned herself over her child and rocked back and forth over
him for hours. Occasionally, another elephant came up and stroked her back
affectionately or intertwined trunks ... I saw the love, attachment,
compassion, and camaraderie that these incredible animals display toward
each other."
"In The
Natural History of the African Elephant, Sylvia K. Sikes tells us, 'It
is unusual to see tears running from the eyes of wild
elephants, although it is common in captive specimens.'"
Do
Elephants Really Cry?
In an excerpt from The Elephant Alliance comes
this sad story witnessed, and written about, by a former circus
employee...
"With
only two weeks to get ready for opening night at the circus, we had to work
fast to get the elephants ready to perform. Sadie, the youngest, was
very timid and frightened. One day we had her in the ring for training. She
could not do her tricks and ran out of the ring, afraid of punishment. We
caught her, brought her back, forced her to the ground and began to punish
her for being so stupid. Suddenly, we stopped hitting her and looked
at each other. Sadie was crying like a human being. She lay there on
her side, tears streaming down her face and sobs racking her body."
(From "Elephant Tramp" by trainer George
Lewis. Edited by F. Lambert)
Circus Elephants and
Kindness Don't Mix
.jpg)
(photo by Bob Walter circa early 1980s)
Notice the man,
some would say "elephant trainer," on the left. The
instrument in his hands is the "bullhook," also called
"elephant goad, ankus," or "elephant hook." This
"tool" is used to control captive elephants by pain. The skin of
elephants is extremely thin and tender in many places on its huge body.
Bullhooks are jabbed, pushed, poked and prodded into these animals
whenever the "handler" wants to be in command of elephant. Which
basically is always.
Although this photo was taken many years ago the
treatment of elephants has not evolved. The bullhook remains the piece of equipment
most used to "train" captive elephants. The animal pictured above
is an Asian elephant, now on the endangered species list. The circus being
brought to Eatonville by the Daybreak Lions features African elephants, not
endangered, but threatened. The skin of African elephants is just as
sensitive as that of Asians.
Close up detail of just one tool used
in the captive elephant trade.
Bullhook Points
This is where the iron hooks are used
on captive elephants. Many elephants have scars from bullhooks behind their
ears, on their genitals and other places which are hidden from public
view.
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