Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey - Over the Top

I will be taking my two kids to the circus, my son who is autistic loves the animals. They are not abused! I have seen animals that looked medicated at the National Zoo In Washington, not at the circus!

I hate the clows though. They are the scary things at the Circus

Has anyone heard anything about the elephant walk this year. The where and when's?

I've been backstage at the circus the last two years it's been in town and I have never seen any cruelty. You guys are full of cr#p.

Seriously, some of you people need to find something else to occupy your time. And if you want to champion your cause, try going to the source, not posting on an internet message board.

Just a thought...

That's the number all of you need to call. It's the circus, not a dog fighting ring. It is a family event, my family is going, and I am definitely not participating in animal cruelty. Please get a life.

Hey Observer!!! Here's your chance to do some investigative reporting! Why do we want to promote animal cruilty in our city?

Please know the facts about this horrid "entertainment" before you take your child. There are plenty of cruelty-free events that your child will enjoy more and animals will not suffer for it. Ringling Brothers has been charged numerous times with animal cruelty - yeah, that's great family fun. A great informative link: http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/issues_facing_wildlife/circuses/circus_myths.html.

Ringling Employees Tell of Bloody Beatings, Routine Abuse - http://circuses.com/ringling_employees_tell.asp

* Elephants are so terrified of the trainers that they begin urinating, defecating, and trumpeting in fear at the sound of their voices.
* Elephants are aggressively hooked on a daily basis, and handlers rub dirt into bloody bullhook wounds to conceal them from the public.
* Elephants suffering from arthritis are kept on the road.
* Elephants are only unchained when the public is around.
* Some employees were outraged at Sacha Houcke’s recklessness when he brought Luna and another elephant perilously close to a PETA staffer and assaulted him in Oklahoma City. Luna is extremely dangerous and unpredictable. She has attacked handlers and frequently shows aggression toward people, and employees are regularly warned not to go near her.
* The circus knows in advance when U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors are coming for what are supposed to be unannounced inspections.
* Horses are grabbed by the throat and shoved, jabbed with pitchforks, and given “lip twists,” a sadistic way to inflict pain on one of the most sensitive areas of a horse’s body.
* Most of Ringling’s horses are head-shy from being punched in the face so many times. If you try to pet them, they jerk their heads away because they fear being hit.
* A handler allegedly tethered a horse named Sonny and whipped the horse with the metal snap of the lead for 10 minutes. The horse was later found to have a broken tooth.
* A miniature horse got loose and was repeatedly punched on the back and sides when he was recaptured.
* Sacha Houcke allegedly slugged a shrieking miniature horse named Gunther in the face twice with such force that it would have knocked down a full-grown person. The sound of his fist, which could be heard 20 feet away, knocked the horse senseless.
* A horse named Mizean had cuts across his sides and back from being viciously whipped.
Ringling falsifies personnel performance reports for employees who quit in disgust or are fired after complaining about the systematic abuse of animals so that the phony records can be used to discredit anyone who goes public with what he or she witnessed.

Employees are warned not to show affection toward animals. And Ringling management tells employees who complain about the beatings, “If you don’t like it, pack your bags,” and even threatens them with legal action if they report abuse to advocacy groups.

Instead of firing employees who mistreat animals, circus management simply cautions handlers not to discipline animals in view of the public.

If you go to this event your participating in animal cruilty. These animals are beaten into submission. DO NOT GO TO THIS EVENT!