EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey -- Animal rights activists handed out fliers documenting Ringling Bros.' alleged record of animal cruelty to people on their way into the "big tent" at the Continental Airlines Arena from March 7 to 11.

      Claudia Rose, Chair of the Englishtown, NJ-based New Jersey Animal Rights Alliance's (NJ-ARA) Circus Committee, and Jean Fredericks, founder of the Wayne, NJ-based God's Creatures Ministry (GCM), were among those on hand, flanked by colorful banners and reaching out to anyone who would listen.


        "Please educate yourself about what you're doing," Ms. Rose said repeatedly to passersby.  "Animals don't perform out of joy; they perform out of pain.  Please boycott Ringling Bros."

         Ms. Rose said later that the animals are "carted around 11 months of the year.  If they don't perform well, they're beaten."

        "Think about the circus animals," the NJ-ARA flier reads. "When you buy a ticket to a circus with animals[,] you are supporting animal cruelty and their deaths.  Ringling Bros. Circus has over 100 animal welfare violations for the lack of care and abusive treatment instituted by the Animal Welfare Act (AWA).   At least 26 female endangered Asian elephants have died under the care of Ringling Bros. Circus since 1992.  In the wild Asian elephants to live to be about 70 yrs. old, but circus elephants die prematurely and live [to be] about half that age.  In the wild female Asian elephants would stay with their mothers their entire lives and live in a family setting with aunts and sisters.  Male Asian elephants would live with their mothers until they were about 14 yrs. old."

      A photo of a circus elephant is captioned, "Ringling elephants are chained, tigers caged almost all the time except when they are performing."

      Ms. Rose said that she handed out approximately 700 of these fliers during the four days, falling short of her goal of 1,000.   However, she had to cancel two of her appearances, one scheduled for the evening of March 7 and the other for March 12.   She screened a video exposing allegedly cruel Ringling Bros. animal training techniques during her evening appearances.   Ms. Rose said that Ringling Bros.'s techniques include hitting an animal with a bullhook.

     Ms. Fredericks handed out a brochure describing GCM.  The brochure includes the ministry's mission statement: "GCM is a non-profit organization with a mission for all animals to be treated by people with kindness.  We promote compassion, respect and protection of all sentient creatures and encourage churches and similar organizations to have either their own animal ministry or GCM extension.  We advocate sharing the sharing the environment with all creation in peace and harmony."

   The brochure's text cites Romans 8:19-22: "For creation awaits with eager expectation of the revelation of the children of God; for creation was made subject to futility, not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it, in hope that creation itself would be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.   We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now," though it is not quoted.  The second Bible passage cited (and also left unquoted) is one referring to Jesus Christ, Colossians 1:15-17: "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.  For in Him were created all things in Heaven and on Earth...all things were created through Him and for Him.   He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together."   The GCM brochure indicates that the phrase "all things" includes animals, who are worthy of dignity and compassion.   The brochure also refers to Psalms, Isaiah, Genesis, and 1 Corinthians.

      GCM's goals are listed and include "humane treatment of animals on farms" and opposition to factory farming methods that cause animals to suffer.   "Slaughter is always terrifying and, recent reports have shown, often terribly painful," the text continues.   Other objectives include "humane clothing" (anti-fur, especially fur farms): "Animals grow up in tiny cages, which make them go crazy, then they are usually killed with intensely painful electrocution;" "humane research:" "Animal experimentation is inherently cruel, and non-animal methods are, in many respects, scientifically superior."   One of the points pointed directly at Ringling Bros. -- humane entertainment.  "For example," the brochure reads, "circuses often use violent training methods; rodeos hurt animals in many ways; and staged fighting (bulls, roosters, dogs) is cruel."  Cockfighting is illegal in the United States.  The final principle is "respect for God's creation."   GCM recommends teaching "compassion to animals" in classroom, distributing literature "in public places and at Christian events," eating vegetarian, assisting in pet food drives for poor people with pets, thinking about one's purchases affect animals an the environment, and other pro-animal actions.   The brochure also notes, "GCM promotes a healthy lifestyle, remembering that the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19).  Most diseases are a result of poor diet and living outside of God's will morally and physically."


      In a follow-up e-mail interview on March 18, Ms. Rose described her experience "walking with Ringling animals from the train tracks to the Continental Arena" on March 6.  

      "Endangered Asian elephants, horses, and miniature horses were forced to walk

         

        

 

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