Friends of Animals Circus Vigil Covered by Major Media
10 May 2007, Hartford, Conn. — Friends of Animals held a peaceful yet spirited rally outside the Hartford Civic Center on Wednesday, May 9, when the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus arrived for a week of performances. Activists raised awareness about circus acts in which animals such as horses, elephants, tigers, and zebras perform for local students and families.
The point isn’t only about how the animals are treated, the activists observed, but that nonhuman animals are used in circuses at all.
“Depriving animals of their freedom so they will entertain us is mistreatment,” said Priscilla Feral, president of Friends of Animals, interviewed for WTNH by ABC’s Erin Cox.
“No matter if they are taken from their lands or bred for the purpose, animals don’t endure travel from town to town and parade in glitter because they want to,” Feral added. “They do it because a profit-based company imposes its will on them, and customers pay for it.”
The rally attracted news coverage from every network-affiliated Connecticut television station: ABC News covered it for New Haven, and Hartford coverage included Fox, CBS and NBC. Signs reading “The Saddest Show on Earth” and “Once a Year for You, 365 Days in Chains for Them” were filmed for the 10 and 11 o’clock p.m. news on May 9.
The vigil received positive feedback from pedestrians and circus customers alike, many of whom took brochures, and thanked the activists for their presence. A special thanks to Nancy, Justin, Stacy and others… for the excellent public outreach.
Friends of Animals also suggested that Connecticut residents support entertainment and art that relies on human talent, such as the Cirque du Soleil’s “Delirium” performance, which will appear in Bridgeport on July 5 and 6.
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1 Comments
On May 23, 2007, a strong horse and animal lover wrote:
You welcome our expressions of opinion unless it is against your opinion. If we agree with you then you print our expression?? If we disagree with you you delete it?? Now that is really fair! I am in great favor of horse drawn carriages! And I have written in favor of it. I don’t tolorate abuse to animlas and when I see abuse I report it, but I don’t go overboard with everything a person does with animals as you seem to be doing.
They are a beautiful ride (the carriage & horse), the horses are always well mannered and well behaved around people and traffic, and it is a chance for a lot of people just to be around a horse.
I am an avid animal lover, but you people just carry it way too far!! I think you are a bunch of very bored people! I have always used my horses for entertainment, such as trail rides, horse shows, giving kids rides - I don’t consider that any type of animal abuse. I have seen many of the places where those so-called mistreated carriage horses are kept, they are very nice. I don’t know where the heck you have been. Those business’s are watched, carriage horses are not permitted to go out at a certain temperatures they must be fed, vet checked regularly etc… I know how you people work - you find one outback poor horse and zip - you create a story. Sorry, but if a police office in new york observed a person whipping a downed horse, the owner would have been immediately arrested and if there was a careing crowd he would have been lynched!! I am just really sick of hearing all of your madeup, fabricated stories about how animals are so abused. Yes, there are people who do abuse their animals. How come you don’t go to them? Why is it that some neighbor has to report someone negleting their farm animals or dog or cat and no one ever hears about any of you stepping in.
On circus animals - since when did a circus ever have just people entertainers in them? They have always had animals.
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