I believe the pictures say it all (and also records and video footage are public domain for all to review if you wish). For those still in doubt most animal behavior specialist's around the world concur that captivity for wild endangered animals is in and of itself abusive and causes trauma to the animal, ie the rocking and bobbing motion of elephants from being chained to the floor for 12-26 hours is a sign of anxiety and stress, etc. It drives them insane or into a deep depression, not to mention the injury it causes to the body from rep tricks and long stretches of time standing in place.

And as for what it does to a child who sees it? “To see a bear ride a bicycle, it is ridicule. You're really just laughing at that bear”, says Mel Levine, a renowned pediatrician at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who has written numerous books about child behavior and the way children learn. “So the question is: What's the message are you giving to kids when you take them to the circus and they laugh at the animals? I think to laugh at the animals is to devalue them.” And laughing at animals as they do unnatural tricks can transfer to human relationships and to the playground, Levine said. Why do we want an ape to act like a human? Why not have an ape act like an ape? There is an implicit message of intolerance. I don't think it's a long distance from ridiculing animals to laughing at other people. Then you have kids singling out and laughing at the fat kid. Or it can lead to racial intolerance.”

It's a lot to take in and consider and for some it is just an ideological difference. For me I wouldn't go the circus if you paid me, I think it is just sad. I have seen wild elephants and cats in Africa and I can't see what the fun is in seeing majestic animals being forced to perform degrading tricks??

Thanks for listening, best of luck!