AR-News: Fw: Eyewitness Account of Circus Animals

[molly]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "molly" <mgh at citlink.net>
To: "Moly" <mgh at citlink.net>
Sent: Tuesday, July 06, 2004 9:21 PM
Subject: Eyewitness Account of Circus Animals


>
>
>
> > January 26, 2004
> >
> > To Whom It May Concern:
> >
> > My name is Courtenay Tosti (formerly Courtenay Warren). I worked at
> > Carson & Barnes Circus C&B) during 1993 when I was 21 years old. The
> > following is an account of what I witnessed while working at the circus.
> >
> > Many of the people working at C&B were on the run from something they
> > had done. I was warned to be careful when I joined as 2 workers had
> > supposedly killed their wives, and were known to brutalize women. My
> > boss, John "JB" Brooks, cursed at me constantly and frequently.
> > The Millers, who own the circus, had various skins and skulls of
> > deceased performing animals, including a tiger skin and a hippo skull,
> > decorating their homes and offices.
> >
> > Owners told me that I would be sorry if I ever told what I saw. Based on
> > what I had heard and the tone used by my superiors, I felt as if they
> > were threatening me with physical harm. When I stood crying as they
> > dumped the body of Nelson, a Siberian tiger, into a trash bin Gary Byrd
> > approached me and said that if I knew what was good for me I would keep
> > quiet.
> >
> > All of the animals were stressed out much of the time, and some of them
> > got very aggressive. Margaret, the elephant, chased a man up a pole,
> > tried on numerous occasions to karate-kick me as she would go past, and
> > was always in trouble.
> >
> > A member of the prop crew got too close to the tiger cage one night and
> > a tiger grabbed the boys head with his paw and inflicted deep wounds. I
> > saw the injured boy right after the attack, he was sitting on a chair,
> > with his head between his knees, blood was pouring out of a couple of
> > large holes in his head.
> >
> > The owners and handlers knew how dangerous the animals were. However,
> > that did not stop them from putting the animals near the spectators.
> > Even certain elephants who were known to have killed people and were
> > considered "insane" were not kept away from the public. It was very easy
> > for the public to approach the elephants on the picket line from the
> > rear, which startles them, and as I was in the security department I was
> > frequently forced to make entire families leave the elephants area,
> > where they would bring their children right up to the chained elephants
> > to pet them, oblivious to how deadly this could be. If no one was
> > watching closely people would often duck the useless barriers in front
> > of the Cat Cages and approach the big cats, sometimes holding their
> > children up for a better look.
> >
> > I never saw a vet attend to any animals when they were on the road.
> >
> > While having a difficult birth, a four-horned sheep was put into a hot
> > trailer and left alone. She could be heard screaming but no one attended
> > her, she died.
> >
> > A wallaby had open, festering wounds and was not provided with vet care.
> >
> > A Siberian tiger, Nelson, was ill, supposedly from pneumonia, and laid
> > down in the chute as it was no longer able to stand. Several handlers
> > stabbed at him with bullhooks to get him to move. He was not given vet
> > care, and died soon thereafter. His body was picked up by a front-end
> > loader and dumped in a trash bin. I was told that his skin would be
kept.
> >
> > A pygmy hippo, Katy, was not given water to lay in, and her back was
> > cracked and bloody. I inquired about this and was told that a pygmy was
> > not a 'water hippo', and that water only irritated her back. The hippo
> > from the year before died at a young age.
> >
> > Animals were often left out in the hot sun, the rain, and in extreme
> > temperatures, sometimes below freezing. I saw Goliath, a white
> > rhinoceros, huddled against the back of his cage trying to stay warm. I
> > saw the zebra, standing head down, shivering in the snow.
> >
> > The elephants were not allowed to cover themselves with mud or water
> > because it would mess up the performers uniforms. Their skin was very
> > dry and cracked, and would often bleed. If  they attempted to throw
> > water on their backs they were beaten.
> >
> > The elephants were only fed hay and sweet feed, which caused them to
> > suffer digestive problems, including diarrhea.
> >
> > All of the elephant handlers went into the barn at winter quarters to
> > blow torch the hair off the elephants, which could tear a performers
> > uniform. They would close the doors but you could hear the elephants
> > screaming, and smell the burning hair and skin. I later saw black marks
> > on the elephants bodies. When I asked about it I was told it was from
> > the blow-torching, but that it 'didn't hurt'.
> >
> > It was well known that new handlers were taught to be mean and
> > aggressive to the animals. When they were not mean enough, they were
> > reprimanded, taken off animal duty, or fired. I witnessed one handler,
> > Oakie Carrs son-in-law, harshly criticizing a new elephant handler for
> > not being more aggressive with Bunny, the elephant in his charge.
> >
> > The handlers took great pride in concocting newer and more violent
> > torture devices. They would put nails and hooks into baseball bats. They
> > would put larger hooks, the type used by firemen to tear open walls,
> > into the creation of their bullhooks. Their devices put ordinary
> > bullhooks to shame.
> > I observed one practice training session in the barn at the winter
> > quarters. The trainer struck the elephants over and over, and called
> > them filthy names. They were struck on their eyes and genital areas.
> >
> > Elephants were constantly beaten every day. The handlers yanked and
> > stabbed at them with the hook, and hit them with baseball bats. This was
> > done because the elephants did not respond quickly enough to a command,
> > because the elephants were doing something that annoyed the handlers,
> > like playing with the picket line, and often for no apparent reason.
> >
> > An elephant named Mona, reputedly crippled during her training, had
> > severe back problems but continued to travel with the circus until she
> > fell out of the trailer twice and was mortally injured.
> > Alta, one of the elephants Reggie Lindsey was in charge of, turned and
> > ran out of the tent during the show, knocking cars out of her way. She
> > was brought back and beaten severely by Lindsey. Lindsey often beat her,
> > and she ran like this more than once.
> >
> > Becky the elephant was forced to perform when she had a painful foot
> > infection. She walked very slowly with a limp, and was struck and yelled
> > at to get her to move more quickly.
> >
> > Despite suffering from arthritis, Minnie was forced to do the routine
> > called the long mount where all the elephants stand propped on each
> > others backs in a row. Each time she did it she would wince, shake her
> > head and scream in pain.
> >
> > Margaret was an elephant who was often in trouble. In order to teach her
> > a lesson, 6 or 7 elephant handlers surrounded her and began beating her
> > ruthlessly as she was chained front and back legs. Some of them stabbed
> > at her legs to keep her off balance while one beat her over the head
> > with a baseball bat until she was bloody. She fell forward and started
> > crying, shaking, urinating and defecating. It went on for several
minutes.
> >
> > Kay, a matriarchal elephant well into her fifties was very sick with
> > kidney problems. She was forced to perform even though she was very ill.
> > She died while the circus was performing in Taylorville, Ill. She was
> > standing and since she was chained to the picket line, her body just
> > tilted forward. All of the other elephants became hysterical and were
> > screaming and trying to touch her and offer assistance, but they
> > couldn't move because they, too, were chained.
> >
> > I have heard the animals agonizing cries for help go unanswered. I have
> > heard the circus people lie to the public about how the animals are
> > treated. I share this information in hopes that the public will
> > understand the degree of immense pain and suffering, beatings and
> > neglect, and illnesses and deaths that circus animals experience on a
> > regular basis and refuse to support it.
> >
> > Sincerely,
> > Courtenay Tosti
> > (817)312-9797
>
>