Thunder Bay: Ban Animal Circuses

Dear Thunder Bay Public,

In nature, bears don't ride bicycles, elephants don't stand on their heads, and a tiger would never hop on it's hind legs.The Shrine Circus will be coming to Thunder Bay in late May. I am not against circuses, I however, am against animal acts in the circus. Shrine Circus has failed to meet minimal federal standards for the care of animals as established by the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), as have many other circuses. The majority of the animals in the circus have been captured from their natural homes in the wild and are then taken into what can be called "a life of slavery". Because of the nature of travelling shows, namely that they are in the business of travelling, most performing animals spend their lives in small, barren transport cages known as beast wagons. Lions, tigers, leopards, bears, chimpanzees, orangutans and many other animals are routinely kept in beast wagons. Their cages are often so small (many measuring just 4-5 feet wide by 8-10 feet long) that it is difficult for the animals they contain to simply turn around. The animals defecate, urinate, eat, drink and sleep in the same small area. Such conditions can be found even in the largest circuses. In nature, bears don't ride bicycles, elephants don't stand on their heads, and a tiger would never hop on it's hind legs. In order to train these poor animals into performing these confusing acts, trainers use whips, muzzles, electric prods, and bullhooks (clubs with a sharp steel hook at one end which they swing like a baseball bat and jab into sensitive areas of the animal's body like the ears, trunk, mouth, chin, and feet.)
Baby elephants are tied to ropes which burn lesions into their feet. Because elephants are standing on concrete chained up all day, they endure foot problems and arthritis. Tigers are cramped in small cages where they can move very little. Animals want to be in their natural homes in the wild with their families, so they can run, play, and exist for their own purposes, not ours. It is cruel and wrong for these animals to have to endure this cruelty. I propose a bill for the entire City of Thunder Bay to ban animal acts in the circus, and only accept circuses that use only humans as legal. I recommend you visit www.zoocheck.com for more information about the cruelty in circuses.