WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
The following article from the Detroit Free Presents a great opportunity for
letters to the editor against the use of wild animals in human entertainment.
The Detroit Free Press takes letters at
letters@freepress.com and advises, "Please put the letter in text of the
E-mail, not as an attachment. All writers must provide full name, full home
address and day and evening telephone numbers. Letters should be 200 words or
less and are subject to editing. Anonymous letters, letters to third parties and
letters to other publications will not be considered."
Please also consider writing to other Detroit papers, such as the Detroit News (letters@detnews.com)
regarding the Ringling Bros. visit to Detroit.
http://www.morebeautifulwild.com/c_home.php is a good source of information
on the issue.
Here is the Detroit Free Press piece:
Protest over pachyderm performers planned
BY HUGH McDIARMID JR.
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
November 8, 2005
http://www.freep.com/news/metro/elephants8e_20051108.htm
Rancor over elephant care ethics -- a debate that captivated metro Detroiters
during a yearlong saga involving Detroit Zoo pachyderms -- could ignite again
this week when the circus comes to town.
Nine elephants were scheduled to arrive Monday night for performances of the
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus that begins Wednesday in Auburn Hills.
Protesters -- banking in part on heightened public awareness in the wake of the
controversial shipping of the zoo's elephants, Winky and Wanda, to a sanctuary
-- will greet circus patrons with anti-circus literature and animal welfare
information Wednesday night.
"This one is going to be a doozy," reads the Web site of Southeastern Michigan
Animal Rights Team. As of Monday, about two dozen of the group's members are
expected to protest at the Palace of Auburn Hills, according to Kelli Marshall,
the group's director.
"I am hoping that the retirement of Winky and Wanda raised awareness about these
majestic creatures, and that people will come to realize that if elephants
cannot get the care they need and deserve at a zoo, they certainly can't get it
from a circus," Marshall wrote in an e-mail to the Free Press on Monday.
Circus officials said protests are common in big cities but acknowledged that
the publicity over Detroit's elephants during the past 18 months creates an
unpredictable dynamic.
Metro Detroiters rallied behind Detroit Zoo Director Ron Kagan's 2004 decision
to send Winky and Wanda to a California sanctuary despite initial opposition
from the American Zoo and Aquarium Association.
The struggle generated international publicity after Kagan declared that zoos,
especially in cold North American climates, could never adequately meet the
animals' complex physical, social and psychological needs.
Kagan contends circuses are no better -- and probably worse -- at caring for
elephants.
"Moving around in an artificial environment is not healthy and performing tricks
does not contribute to animal welfare or a better understanding," he said.
The Detroit publicity could hurt attendance at the circus, or it could draw more
visitors if folks realize it is their only chance to see -- or have their
children see -- a live elephant in Michigan.
Historically, publicity has not been found to affect attendance, said Bruce
Read, vice president of animal stewardship for Ringling Bros. "But Detroit
certainly seems like as good an area as any to have this discussion right now,"
he said.
Read said Ringling's pachyderms are happy and healthy -- walking several miles a
day, living in groups, being constantly stimulated with tasks to perform and
problems to solve, and getting top-notch veterinary care.
The company also runs a breeding and retirement facility for its aging elephants
in Florida.
"Part of our education program is to bring a unique set of animals to inner-city
people," Read said. Protesters "deal with the issue from an emotional
perspective. We deal with a knowledgeable and factual perspective."
But many elephant experts disagree, contending circus elephants are stressed
from travel in railroad cars, are frequently chained to the ground, get little
mental stimulation and suffer from arthritis and foot problems caused by
constantly standing on hard surfaces.
Cynthia Moss, one of the world's most widely respected elephant researchers,
concluded in a recent statement signed by nine other international elephant
researchers that the use of elephants in circuses is "a travesty and to allow
this practice to continue is unjustified and unethical."
Liesa McDonald said Monday she wouldn't hesitate to take her daughter, Hailey,
7, to the circus.
"We went last year, but I doubt we'll go this year," said McDonald, 38, of
Grosse Pointe Park. "I think the problem with the zoo's elephants was the cold
weather. With Ringling, they travel all around. So I don't agree with"
protesters, she said.
Contact HUGH McDIARMID JR. at 248-351-3295 or
mcdiarmid@freepress.com.
(END OF DETROIT FREE PRESS ARTICLE)
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CONTACT THE PALACE OF AUBURN HILLS
Ask the Palace of Auburn Hills not to host circus events that use animals in the future.
http://www.palacenet.com/contactus.cfm?category=9&pageid=79