Animal rights: Quit clowning around

Emmett Kelly in 1953   (Public Domain)

Although not every circus animal is abused, enough of them are in need of the solicitous attention they’re now getting.

On the mighty heels of elephants that no longer have to endure bull hooks at Barnum & Bailey Circus, activists are now trying to extend such compassion to other performing animals.

A recent proposal in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania seeks to ban most “wild-animal entertainment.”  This was met by demonstrations of crying clowns, designed to convince the public that such a ban is downright evil.

Let’s face it:  Clowns can be scary enough when they’re smiling.  But what’s even scarier are the conditions in which many animals are kept.  Brian Bonsteel of Humane Action Pittsburgh asserts:  They perform out of fear of what will happen to them if they don’t.

Resources

https://www.yahoo.com/news/circus-clowns-beg-lawmakers-not-ban-animal-shows-153435555.html?nhp=1 

Copyright May 29, 2016 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved