Kelly Miller Circus in Empire
The Kelly Miller Circus hosted by the Empire Sleeping Bear Eagles #4404 will roll into town on Saturday, August 18, 2007. Everyone is invited to come out and watch the animals being unloaded and fed, and the elephants raising the big top. Activities will begin at 7:30 a.m., and the tent will be raised between 8:30 and 9:00 a.m (video of the tent going up). Guides will be furnished for school groups and anyone attending.
The traditional "old style" circus will present two performances at 2:00 & 5:30. Buy your tickets from the Empire Eagles in advance and save!
Beeeee careful! I saw this circus last year and it was NOT pretty. The animals were kept out in the heat and sun with no shade or water. The camels (and I do NOT understand this one) were tethered to the ground! The elephants, one of which was limping and looked in pain, were tied into this tiny little pen between shows where they could barely walk past each other.
It was a miserable time. I looked up Kelly Miller circus animal cruelty on Google and lo and behold- a whole WHOPPING amount of info came up about their violations and USDA reports.
Parents, be warned. You may end up spending the day as I did, explaining to your children why the animals are tied up and look so "sad and homesick."
Comment by Shayla — June 26, 2008 @ 12:44 pm
Another lesson that impressionable young children could learn from these hideous spectacles is a dangerous one: aberrant behavior. Child psychologists warn that watching animals being hit, prodded, injured, and humiliated for entertainment desensitizes children to the suffering of others.
In this day and age, it's the last thing we need. We should emphasize compassion and kindness, not humilation and degradation. We've evolved beyond forcing others to perform tricks for our amusement.
Or at least I hope we have.
Comment by Frank Mortimer — June 26, 2008 @ 4:08 pm