[USAP] Breaking News: Ringling Whistleblowers

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This is why I protest the circus when they do come to town - was out at the Patriot Center in Fairfax VA every day, for nine days, this last spring when Ringling was here. People need to be out there protesting/ demonstrating with signs & pictures, as well as giving out information to people attending - we have to try & "educate" the public to the awful horrors, immense cruelty & abuse these precious, innocent beings endure every single day of their lives. Breaks my heart so - that is why I was out there & will be again & again, if need be. Do contact PETA & other organizations for brochures, information, etc to educate yourself as well as others. Banning/ boycotting is not enough - we need to be out in the streets for our fellow brethen, fighting for them! Patricia Julie Winters <charlielawdogs wrote: Ringling had done this type of abuse for years. One elephant was lame up here in Seattle and was whipped. I reported it, and told the guy that was doing it to stop or I would make a citizen's arrest. He stopped, and it was the last time I ever went to the Circus, my whole family bans them. If everyone bans them, they will cease to exist. Check out the abuse on the local racetracks.

J.Marjorie Banks <Banks_marj (AT) comcast (DOT) net> wrote: - Ladybugcav (AT) aol (DOT) com helpwithrescue ; CriticalPetsRescue (AT) googl (DOT) com ; ChristianPetRescue ; animalrescuers ; animalrescueandadoption ; AnimalRescueAdoption ; animal-lovers ; animal-disaster-assistance ; animal-angels Tuesday, November 14, 2006 11:34 PM [animalrescuers] Breaking News: Ringling Whistleblowers In a message dated 11/14/2006 10:45:26 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, lhasaluvr (AT) secludedhearts (DOT) org writes: This is why my children have never been to a circus and never will. - Linda and Mike Lynn Collea-Price ; speakuploudandclear Tuesday, November 14, 2006 2:30 PM Fwd: Breaking News: Ringling WhistleblowersTony Madsen <tonymusa > wrote: Ringling Employees Tell of Bloody Beatings, Routine Abuse Two former Ringling employees have contacted PETA independently with allegations of routine abuse in the circus, including bloody beatings and a culture in which employees who object to animals’ cruel treatment are either ignored or punished. Still haunted by what she witnessed, Archele Hundley quit Ringling’s red unit

in June 2006 after just two months, and Bob Tom, who worked on the same unit for two years, was fired in August 2006, allegedly for complaining about the beatings. Elephants Live in Fear of BeatingsBoth Hundley and Tom worked on the animal crew and tell PETA that they witnessed a violent beating of an elephant that lasted at least 30 minutes when Ringling had a layover at the fairgrounds in Tulsa, Oklahoma. When an elephant refused a command to lie down, Ringling’s head elephant trainer, Sacha Houcke, allegedly beat the elephant with a bullhook, hooking her behind the ear, on the leg, and on the back. At one point, he reportedly inserted the hook inside the elephant’s ear canal and pulled on the handle using both hands and the full force of his body weight. The elephant cried out in agony and was left bleeding profusely from severe wounds. The following were among the whistleblowers’ declarations to PETA: Elephants are so terrified of the trainers that they begin urinating, defecating, and trumpeting in fear at the sound of their voices. Elephants are aggressively hooked on a daily basis, and handlers rub dirt into bloody bullhook wounds to conceal them from the public. Elephants suffering from arthritis are kept on the road. Elephants are only unchained when the public is around. Some employees were outraged at Sacha Houcke’s recklessness when he brought Luna and another elephant perilously close to a PETA staffer and assaulted him in Oklahoma City. Luna is extremely dangerous and unpredictable. She has attacked handlers and frequently shows aggression toward people, and employees are

regularly warned not to go near her. The circus knows in advance when U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors are coming for what are supposed to be unannounced inspections. Horses Beaten and WhippedHorses are one of the most commonly used animals in circuses, but they receive the least protection, as they are not covered by the federal Animal Welfare Act. Hundley and Tom reported severe alleged abuse of horses, including the following: Horses are grabbed by the throat and shoved, jabbed with pitchforks, and given “lip twists,†a sadistic way to inflict pain on one of the most sensitive areas of a horse’s body. Most of Ringling’s horses are head-shy from being punched in the face so many times. If you try to pet them, they jerk their heads away because they fear being hit. A

handler allegedly tethered a horse named Sonny and whipped the horse with the metal snap of the lead for 10 minutes. The horse was later found to have a broken tooth. A miniature horse got loose and was repeatedly punched on the back and sides when he was recaptured. Sacha Houcke allegedly slugged a shrieking miniature horse named Gunther in the face twice with such force that it would have knocked down a full-grown person. The sound of his fist, which could be heard 20 feet away, knocked the horse senseless. A horse named Mizean had cuts across his sides and back from being viciously whipped. Miserable Transport ConditionsThe former circus employees further report that during transit, elephants are packed inside boxcars so tightly that they are unable to turn around or lie down. On three- and four-day trips, animals are let off the train for exercise only once. Most of the time, they are forced to stand in mountains

of foul-smelling feces and urine that fill up to two Dumpsters. Hundley says that the stench inside the boxcars is so bad that it causes people’s eyes to water and their noses to burn. Some elephants scrape their backs when they are loaded and unloaded from the trains because the openings in the boxcars are not large enough. Tom described an incident in Fairfax, Virginia, where two horses suffered heatstroke after they were left in stifling boxcars for almost 12 hours in near 100°F heat. Whistleblowers Threatened While Abusers Go UnpunishedThe whistleblowers contend that Ringling falsifies personnel performance reports for employees who quit in disgust or are fired after complaining about the systematic abuse of animals so that the phony records can be used to discredit anyone who goes public with what he or she witnessed. Employees are warned not to show affection

toward animals. And Ringling management tells employees who complain about the beatings, “If you don’t like it, pack your bags,†and even threatens them with legal action if they report abuse to advocacy groups. Instead of firing employees who mistreat animals, circus management simply cautions handlers not to discipline animals in view of the public. You Can Help Change This Find out what to do when the circus comes to town—and how to keep it from coming in the first place. Forward this to a friend. Help support PETA’s lifesaving work to stop the suffering of elephants, tigers, and other animals abused in the name of “entertainment.†Avengecharlie/ Sponsored LinkDon't quit your job - take classes online and earn your degree in 1 year. Start Today Patricia Breen

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