Ever had the feeling you are being watched?

I stopped in Trenton NJ to pay a visit to Ringling Bros. and to monitor their abusive treatment of elephants who are forced to live for days in railroad cars standing in their own waste. The only pseudo-exercise these elephants get are the short walks from the trains to the arena. Then they are chained by two legs in the tent until they are forced to perform silly, stupid tricks.

The exercise these captive elephants get on the walks are a joke compared to Asian elephants in the wild. Wild elephants would normally travel up to 30 miles every day with their families. Ringling Bros. robs elephants of everything that is natural to them.

Forcing these wonderful, gentle giants to live in a constant state of imprisonment crushes their 'soul.' If you have ever looked into the eyes of elephants in a Ringling circus you quickly see how sad and depressed they look. They don't look anything like the National Geographic photos and videos of wild elephants running in the fields of Sumatra.

Compare these two photos. Can you see the difference in their eyes, the way they hold themselves, not to mention the contrast between the lush fields vs power lines, concrete, and bullhooks - the first photo I took yesterday

Not only are elephants in circuses deprived of their families, lush fields, and the ability to choose when to eat, what to eat, when to lie down, etc., they are beaten with sharp steel-tipped weapons called bullhooks. The circus industry refers to the same weapon as an ankus or guide--Ringling changes the name in an attempt to minimize the image conjured of a sharp device ripping through elephants' skin. No matter what they call it, it's the same thing and by design has only one purpose--to cause pain and injury to elephants. Do they really think changing the name will make it acceptable?

In 2006, we captured on video Ringling Bros. inflicting a bloody bullhook wound behind the left ear of an elephant (view the video at circuses.com) in Austin, Texas.

I am going to dedicate the next six months to keeping a close eye on Ringling Bros. and I invite you to help me spread the word about Ringling Bros. abusive treatment of the animals in their 'care.' Please visit circuses.com and stay posted to this blog. I will be posting my travel plans soon so come out and join me in the streets so we can hold Ringling Bros accountable for the obvious abuse we witness every time they roll into town.