Last week, the Cole Bros Circus set up a giant tent in the parking lot of ShoppingTown Mall in DeWitt, but not all locals were lining up to buy tickets. On Friday, July 10, more than 20 protestors from several local animal advocate groups showed up to demonstrate against the circus, which uses live animal acts including elephants and tigers.
Many of the protestors believed because the circus is in the parking lot in the middle of July, the animals would be subject to harmful conditions such as hot weather and dehydration. Several phone calls by animal welfare groups had been made to ShoppingTown Mall to stop the circus, but no response was given.
The protestors also said they believe animals in the circus receive abuse while being trained, and moving to eliminate live animal acts would be the most humane thing to do.
“Many of these animals do the tricks they do because they’re afraid of what might happen if they don’t,” said Brittany Bennett, one of the animal welfare activists who helped organize the event. “I don’t think there’s any form justifiable reason for violence to the point where the animal spirits gone … When we bring children to these things, it justifies the exploitation and captivity of the animals.”
Randy Hales, a marketing Director for Cole Bros, said he believes many people come to the circus for the animal acts because it is a part of the tradition of traveling tent circuses.
The animals are not owned by Cole Bros, but are contracted like all of the other acts in the production, with their own self-contained units in addition to handlers and caretakers that many of the animals have known their entire lives.
“I see these animals being taken care of and loved by their trainers. They live safe conditions and their trainers are knowledgable of what is best for them,” said Hales.
According to documents from the company on their animal policies, the trainers have to regulate animal conditions and care within standards set by the United States Department of Agriculture and the Animal Welfare Act.
Hales said the circus was previously notified of the planned demonstration, which is something he said Cole Bros sees often as they travel around the eastern United States.
“I believe they [the protestors] have the right to protest as long as it doesn’t interfere or disturb our customers,” Hales said.
DeWitt Police and ShoppingTown Mall security were on hand, but only had to ask the protesters to move across the street from the circus set-up.
This protest stemmed from the June 22 DeWitt Town Board meeting, where Jan Markarian, a member of People for Animal Rights, brought up concerns of the conditions the animals would be in during their stay at the ShoppingTown Mall parking lot.
Markarian said she believes circuses should look in to eliminating their live animal acts and looking to a ‘Cirque du Soleil’ model and only use human acts.
At this meeting, DeWitt Town Supervisor Ed Michalenko said he would like to see what codes and laws other municipalities have regarding this issue to see what path the town of DeWitt may be able to take when considering circus performances with animal acts coming to the town in the future.
Hayleigh Gowans is a reporter for the Eagle Bulletin. She can be reached at [email protected].
