Tuesday, November 24, 2009

From John Francis Dolphin


ADI PRESS RELEASE - 11 November 2009

Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus European tour crumbles

As pressure from Animal Defenders International (ADI), AnimaNaturalis,
and other animal welfare organisations mounts in Spain, Ringling
Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus has cancelled a visit to Valencia
from its European tour. This follows cancellation of a tour of Germany
planned for December and January.

Fronted by former Ringlings' employee, Tom Rider, ADI has launched a
Europe wide call for circus workers to blow the whistle on animal
cruelty. Last month the huge American circus arrived in Italy for is
first ever European tour and was greeted by Rider, ADI and Italy's
AgireOra. Shows were flooded with leaflets featuring Rider's accounts
of suffering inside the world's biggest animal circus and the media
screened shocking images from inside Ringlings.

Last week, Ringling Brothers Circus arrived in Seville to start the
Spanish leg of its European tour, only to be greeted by a press
conference hosted by ADI, the Seville Green Party, AnimaNaturalis and
Tom Rider.

Tom Rider, who earlier this year appeared as the lead witness in the
prosecution of Ringling Brothers Circus under the US Endangered Species
Act said: "I saw the beatings of elephants, horses being punched, and
tigers whipped and jabbed with sticks. I saw the elephants chained by
the legs for around 22 hours a day and tigers living in small cages. It
starts to eat you up inside what you are seeing happen to these animals.
I would urge all circus workers to stop looking away when they see
cruelty but speak up for the animals."

A special video appeal from Rider to circus workers to blow the whistle
on cruelty is online in English, Italian and Spanish.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3TepfTvf60

On the circus' opening night in Seville, a demonstration was held in
front of the Polideportivo de San Pablo by ADI, AnimaNaturalis, the
Colectivo Andaluz contra el Maltrato Animal (CACMA) and other
campaigners.

Tim Phillips, ADI Campaigns Director said: "We are delighted that
Ringlings Bros circus has cancelled its shows in Valencia having already
dropped the dates proposed for Germany. Our investigations have
repeatedly shown the violence and suffering endured by animals in the
name of circus entertainment. We have a simple message for the public:
Don't go to circuses that feature animals. And for circus workers:
Don't look the other way, help stop the suffering."

Jonathan Torralba, AnimaNaturalis Spain Director said: "We are thrilled
with this news, we hope that after seeing the way this circus treats its
animals the citizens will decide not to buy tickets for the next shows
in the cities of Madrid and Zaragoza. It is worth noting that three
different animal circuses will soon arrive in Valencia and we urge the
people not to go to these shows either."


Posted by Buckles at 11/24/2009 10:51:00 PM

1 comments:

Dominique Jando said...

Hi Buckles!

Interesting article on Ringling leaving Europe, but this looks like a Ringling Press Department's spin. Several friends who saw the show in Italy reported houses of 500 or so on week days, in arenas of 7,000 seats and more -- which is too big for that kind of one-ring, intimate show anyway. (They didn't, however, report unusual animal rights activities, and Europe, especially Italy, has plenty of circuses with animal acts and large animal collections.)

I think the entire venture was particularly ill conceived. In Europe, Ringling is still "Barnum & Bailey" -- the giant circus with three rings and a herd of elephants. It is not seen as a one-ring circus not much better in acts than an average European circus, with just good production values. To see Ringling in Italy with a well-known Italian elephant act, for instance, is not an event... In this department, you'll see much better at Togni's "American Circus", to mention but one! There are hundreds of circuses all over Europe, and a large contingent of good ones, so bringing another "European style" show was certainly not to impress anyone.

As for Spain, judging by the Italian response, everyone expected that it would be even worse; somehow, the Spanish audience is more discriminating and knowledgeable then the Italian. And Ringling wouldn't have stood a chance with that show in Germany, competing with Roncalli, Krone, Flic Flac, and others, in a country that is very circus savvy.

It's amazing to see how the Felds have lost track of what the Ringling name still means all over the world.

- Dominique

25 November, 2009 13:05

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