THE BALLOON MAN

Ringling Bros. circus returns to Cow Palace

after six-year absence

By Neil Gonzales
ngonzales@bayareanewsgroup.com
from: mercurynews.com
07/29/2011
The big top is coming back to the Cow Palace after a six-year hiatus, bringing with it galloping stallions, dancing elephants and human daredevil acts.

But animal-rights activists plan to greet its return with protests.

The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus will perform at the Cow Palace Sept. 1-5 as part of a swing through the Bay Area. The circus will also perform at San Jose's HP Pavilion Aug. 17-21 and Oakland's Oracle Arena Sept. 8-11.

The last time Ringling Bros. stopped by the Cow Palace was in 2005.

Cow Palace CEO Joseph Barkett said he is pleased to have back an event that had been a staple at the state-owned entertainment venue. "It has been a tradition out here in years past," he said.

He partly attributed the circus's absence to a decline in attendance. But over the past two years, he said, the Cow Palace has been working with Ringling Bros. to resume the shows. Ringling Bros. has expressed interest in continuing to perform at the Cow Palace on an annual basis, he added.

The Cow Palace hosted a small circus in the parking lot in 2009. But the Ringling Bros. event is a much bigger production to be shown in the main arena, Barkett said.

The Ringling Bros. show, dubbed "Fully Charged," will include a world-class animal trainer riding horses into a full gallop and choreographing 4-ton Asian elephants in a dance routine, a man being propelled through the air like a human crossbow and a family executing
high-wire stunts.

The circus doesn't amuse People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, however. PETA spokeswoman Carney Anne Chester said the organization will hold rallies against the circus at all three Bay Area performances.

"PETA is urging people who are against animal cruelty to boycott the circus," Chester said. "Animals used in the circus suffer routine physical and psychological abuse. This cruelty has no place in family entertainment."

PETA condemns how circus animals are made to work. "The only way to get these amazing animals to perform these ridiculous tricks is through constant threat of physical punishment," she said. "They are also subject to grueling travel."

Ringling Bros. officials dispute PETA's assertions.

"The physical and behavioral needs of our animals are a top priority that can be seen in every city we visit," Janice Aria, director of animal stewardship for Ringling Bros., said in an email.

"Ringling Bros. also meets or exceeds all federal, state and local animal standards," Aria said. "In fact, the U.S. Department of Agriculture conducts regular unannounced inspections of all federally licensed zoos and circuses to ensure compliance with government regulations and policies, and Ringling Bros. has never been found in violation of the federal Animal Welfare Act."