Not a Huge PETA Fan, But….

Ok, I have to admit it……I am not the biggest fan of PETA, I don’t necessarily agree with all their views and tactics, but I still have an pen mind and I listen to what they have to say.  I am signed up to receive newsletters from them and the other day they sent me something that was a little disturbing and extremely sad.

I want to share it with you, if you don’t agree with what I am discussing, that is perfectly fine…I am just asking you to keep an open mind and at least listen to what I have to say.  Please feel free to leave your comments!

I am just going to go over the general idea of what was included in the video they sent to me (I will include a link to the video if you care to watch it).  I don’t see the sense in being too graphic in my post, so I will keep it light.

We have all been to the circus at one time or another, and I know we have all probably seen various stories over the years on the abuse of the circus animals.  PETA just sent me a video that shows in graphic detail the abuse of circus elephants.

The elephants are kept in very tight quarters with very little room to move, and during their training, a semi-famous elephant trainer is shown using an electric prod and a steel-tipped bullhook to get the elephants to perform.  He is heard saying things like “Stick it in his foot” and “Make ‘em scream”.  The video also documents what can go wrong when elephants turn on their trainers and go on a rampage.

Below is the link to the video, I am going to caution you that the video contains very graphic language, and disturbing images, and if you are incredibly sensitive, you should not watch it.  This video is not intended to be viewed by children. 

Please copy/paste the following link into your browser:

http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/Prefs.asp?video=training_and_tragedy_revamp_3-08

You may be asked to select a video player for the video.  Once you select it, you will be taken directly to the video.  Please leave me your thoughts and comments, I would like to know if anyone out there has worked for a circus and seen similar training methods in place, or just your thoughts on this topic.

Thanks for reading!  As always your participation in comments and discussions is encouraged and greatly appreciated!!