Ah, the circus is in town.
A timeless tradition. What's not to love? Clowns, tightrope walkers, trapeze artists, human cannonballs.
And, oh yeah - the animals.
Training for rigorous performances, dealing with crowds of screaming people and being constantly transported cannot be good for the animals. The Cole Bros. Circus has received quite a bit of criticism for how it treats its animals, mainly the elephants.
The circus has been charged with animal cruelty before, according to Circuses.com, a Web site that compiles information about animal treatment at circuses. And it's no surprise that members of Animal Activists of Alachua protested the circus.
When not performing, the circus' three elephants were kept chained up in a parking lot.
Circuses receive a lot of flak for how they treat their animals, and with good reason. Animals were not meant to be kept in cages and trained to do stupid tricks just for the amusement of even stupider humans.
Troupes such as Cirque du Soleil have had huge successes with animal-free circuses. It's time for more circuses to move in that direction.
