Humane circuses can survive Ringling demise
Last weekend’s announce- ment that the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will tear down its iconic Big Top for good this May comes as surprising, bittersweet but welcome news.
On close examination, however, the death of the nation’s most popular traditional traveling fleet of human entertainers and restless animals is not all that surprising at all.
In today’s world of instant entertainment gratification at one’s fingertips, the traditional 19th-century based, animal-infused circus has become an anachronism.
As Americans’ attitudes have evolved to embrace compassionate treatment of lions, tigers, monkeys, elephants and other circus-animal staples, the once proud and thriving institution of the Big Top increasingly has been placed under the probing lens of the microscope.
And what much of the once circus-loving public has seen has neither been pretty nor entertaining. Thanks to such organizations as The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, off-stage scenes of cruelties began to upstage the amusing antics of four-legged animals in the ring.
Consider the plight of elephants in traditional circuses, thankfully removed from the Ringling repertoire last year. Many circus pachyderms routinely spend most of their long lives either in chains or on trains, under constant threat of the bullhook, the menacing tool used to control elephants.
Ponder the cruelty toward tigers. Many have been documented to endure food deprivation and whippings to coerce them into stupid human tricks of fearful jumps through fiery hoops.
Or contemplate the conditions of virtually all circus animals that are forced into lives of stark confinement, causing unnatural physiological and psychological maladies spurred on by their removal from natural habitats.
It’s hardly surprising then that more and more Americans have responded to such demeaning treatment by bypassing and boycotting these greatest shows of depravity on Earth.
As a result, Ringling and other circus operators have found their shrinking revenue bases and mounting operating costs unsustainable. Feld Entertainment, parent company of Ringling, cited steep declines in attendance for its bottom-line decision announced Saturday to end the circus and retire its animals to protective sanctuaries.
As longtime proponents of humane treatment of animals, we commend Feld for that difficult decision.
AN EMOTIONAL VOID
At the same time, however, we recognize that millions in the nation and tens of thousands in the Mahoning Valley will feel a deep emotional void that Ringling’s absence will create this year.
The American circus has a deep and rich tradition in our community. For more than five decades, the Aut Mori Grotto circus entertained thousands of adoring fans at the former Struthers Fieldhouse. Over the past 10 years, the Ringling Bros. circus has given the Valley its circus fix at the Covelli Centre public arena in downtown Youngstown.
Despite the sometimes misguided and inhumane treatment of their animals, the annual event still carries with it a certain mystique and allure. We therefore can understand the sadness that Ringling’s farewell tour brings to many aficionados of the uniquely American form of entertainment.
Clearly, from the human side of the show, there’s much to miss – from the daring young man on his flying trapeze to the excitement of human cannonballs exploding into midair to the mesmerizing skill sets of dexterous jugglers to the whimsical and slapstick antics of colorful and playful clowns.
Fortunately, however, a variety of circus companies specializing in all- human performances has witnessed growth in popularity in recent years. Among them, according to PETA’s Fact Sheet on Animal-Free Circuses, are the Circus Vargas, the Cirque Plume and the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus. These offer a blend of acrobats, clowns, trapeze artists often combined with music, dance, comedy and gymnastics.
Here’s hoping that those booking shows at the downtown Youngstown arena or other Valley venues keep those animal-friendly circus options foremost in mind to satisfy audiences’ taste for that nostalgic yet still entertaining form of amusement. As for operators of other animal-centric circuses, we strongly urge them to follow the difficult but responsible and compassionate lead of Ringling Bros.