Expert: Tina Volpe - 11/23/2008

Question
QUESTION: I've heard about the abuse of circus animals from PETA and other animal rights
supporters and they say Ringling Bros. is one of the circuses that performs this
type of abuse but the website of Ringling Bros. says they treat the animals nicely
and they have good lives. How do I know which story is true?

ANSWER: Hi Rachel,

Sorry to say, but would you admit you were abusing animals?  It's really a very simple answer.  All of the abuse that continues to go on every second of every day is always, and I mean always - hidden.  

Visit a factory farm or slaughterhouse, or when and if you do go to the circus, sneak back behind the 'public eye' and see what is really happening... you'll see animals crying out for help, people beating them to get them to do what they want - it's pretty sad and it goes on constantly.  

All you have to do is look for yourself.  Or view videos that have been secretly taken when nobody was looking.  These are the true heinous crimes that go unnoticed.

Until people realize that animals are not ours to eat, use, wear and use for our entertainment, there will always be abuse.  It's the mentality that 'the voiceless animals' are ours to do with what we choose, even though they cry, beg, and resist.  

With love for the animals,
Tina Volpe

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: If the abuse still goes on, then how is it legal for the circus to openly lie about
how they treat their animals? The circus websites say how much the animals love
their life and say people who are for animal rights, like PETA, edit videos to
make it seem like animal abuse,  when its really not. If it is not true that circuses
treat the animals equally and nicely, how can they lie that they do?

ANSWER: Rachel,

You need to realize the mentality of people who 'use' animals for profit.  They will say anything to get 'off the hook' because if the general public knew that they abused their animals, they would lose money/business.

PETA has no reason on earth to falsify records and/or videos, there is enough abuse in this world to tape and expose, in the fur industry, in viva-section (experimenting on animals), in factory farming, in circuses and rodeo's, dogfighting, cockfighting - bull fighting - PETA is a busy group and I personally know Ingrid Newkirk who founded PETA.  This woman spends her entire life saving animals from abuse - she lives in a small sparse apartment with no frills, and travels around the world to expose cruelty and save animals from it.   This is a person with NOTHING to gain, except to see animals treated kindly.  

All I can tell you is decide for yourself, have it make sense to yourself and try to understand the benefits to both sides.  The benefit to the Circus is that they get animals to do 'unnatural' things - and would lose profits of anyone saw what went on -

PETA's benefit is nothing, except to expose the cruelty to the public eyes, in order to save animals from suffering.  

Do your research.  PETA is not the only group that is exposing cruelty all over the world.  SHARK (www.sharkonline.org) is another group, so is HSUS who just exposed Petland Pet Stores for selling Puppy Mill dogs at their stores.... Farm Sanctuary, Mercy for Animals, Compassion over Killing... the list is endless of the groups who expose animal cruelty.  Spend some time on some of these sites - don't just take PETA's word for it, but do your research - I warn you, you will be shocked at what goes on in the world when it comes to animals.

BTW - domestic animals are the only ones with laws to protect cruelty to them, and that does not stop the Michael Vicks of the world, nor does it stop puppy mills, or circuses from abusing them.  Laws are pretty much ignored unless exposed.

Tina Volpe





---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: So there are laws against abusing these animals and lying about it, just people
don't know about them so the circus ignores them?

Answer
Hi Rachel -

Thanks for your rating on my services, that was very nice of you :)  

As far as laws, yes, there are laws however law enforcement officials do not know them, and fail miserably to uphold them.  Here is some great information on Wikipedia about animal cruelty and the section about circuses is in there as well, explaining why animal entertainment has been banned in a lot of countries.  

Hope you enjoy this read, it's pretty informative :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruelty_to_animals

Please don't hesitate to ask anything further, but my expertise is mostly in factory farming and animals raised for food.... and diet, disease prevention, etc.

With love for the animals,
Tina Volpe