Another side of amusement

To the Editor;

I waited until the circus and fair season was over because I had no desire to harm the good they do for the region with controversy. I’m writing now to give those who plan these events enough time to affect change.

My appeal to them is that they please cease providing events featuring wild animal acts. It’s no secret that people love these animals and they they’re a draw, but these amusements necessitate capturing, training and exploiting these magnificent animals.

I appeal to those who patronize these amusements to look beyond the 10 minutes of “thrill” they and their children receive during the performance, and visualize the terror and mind-numbing boredom and constraint that is the rest of their lives behind the scenes. The wild elephants who, when free, will walk anywhere from 30-35 miles in a day, are chained to the floor at all times outside the performance or training time. This includes the untold hours while being transported from one site to another.

I’ve used elephants as the example here, but be said for lions, tigers and, yes, “oh, my,” bears. They are confined in tiny cages. These are the “kings of all beasts” and yet we denigrate them into mere shells of what the real item is in the wild.

Speaking for myself, I do not see what other people see at these events — people who are laughing and smiling at the spectacle. What I see is a shame on humankind. I see the dark side of my species and I am ashamed to be “human.”

Clare Kierstead

Presque Isle