Cool or Cruel?
As Crowds Cheer, Animal Activists Jeer Circus
Not everyone sees the circus as entertainment.
Bridget Irons of Chestnut Hill protests outside the Cole Bros. Circus in Devon.Credit Bob Byrne
By Bob Byrne
By Bob Byrne
August 25, 2011
As more than a thousand people streamed out of the Cole Brothers Circus performance just before 7 p.m. Wednesday they were greeted by a handfull of protestors who say that the circus is cruel to animals.
Bridget Irons, a self-described animal activist for the past "25 years or so" held a hand made-sign encouraging circus-goers "Let This B Your Last Circus." Irons came from Chestnut Hill in Philadelphia to protest at the side exit gate of the Devon Horse Show Grounds along Dorset Road in Devon.
Other protestors stood at the main circus entrance at Berkeley and South Valley Forge Roads with signs that read "Stop Animal Cruelty" and others showing photographs of circus animals in what the protestors call inhumane conditions.
Irons and one other protestor at the side exit handed out double sided flyers alledging "The Cole Bros. Circus continually demonstrates gross indifference to the welfare of its animals and to the grave danger it poses to the public by displaying dangerous wild animals under inadequate control and conditions." The flyer goes on to read "Among the elephants used by the circus this year is Viola, who escaped from an inexperienced handler and ran through a crowd last year in Virginia. She was loose for about 30 minutes and was caught only after she fell and was injured. Although Viola is used to give rides, fortunately there were no children on her back when she bolted."
Bridget Irons, a self-described animal activist for the past "25 years or so" held a hand made-sign encouraging circus-goers "Let This B Your Last Circus." Irons came from Chestnut Hill in Philadelphia to protest at the side exit gate of the Devon Horse Show Grounds along Dorset Road in Devon.
Other protestors stood at the main circus entrance at Berkeley and South Valley Forge Roads with signs that read "Stop Animal Cruelty" and others showing photographs of circus animals in what the protestors call inhumane conditions.
Irons and one other protestor at the side exit handed out double sided flyers alledging "The Cole Bros. Circus continually demonstrates gross indifference to the welfare of its animals and to the grave danger it poses to the public by displaying dangerous wild animals under inadequate control and conditions." The flyer goes on to read "Among the elephants used by the circus this year is Viola, who escaped from an inexperienced handler and ran through a crowd last year in Virginia. She was loose for about 30 minutes and was caught only after she fell and was injured. Although Viola is used to give rides, fortunately there were no children on her back when she bolted."
Circus fans cheer as protestors outside decry animal acts in the Cole Bros. Circus at the Decon Horse Show grounds.Credit Bob Byrne
The Lynchburg, VA News & Advance Newspaper covered the incident at the time. You can read that report by clicking here. An animal rights website, In Defense of Animals (IDA), also offered an account of the same incident which you can read here.
Animal rights protests are nothing new to american circus perfomances. Protestors are a staple at Ringling Brothers performances and The Cole Brothers Circus wherever they perform. Circuses know they are under close scrutiny. Cole Brothers Ringmaster Chris Connors made a veiled reference to the accusations he knew circus-goers would encounter as they left the Devon Horse Grounds. As the Ringmaster thanked the crowd for coming he ran down a list of the wonderous acts they had just seen, including performances "by our happy, healthy animals."
Circus owner John Pugh, who pleaded quilty in February to selling two elephants in violation of the federal endangered species act, (see the U.S. Department of Justice statement on the case here) told Patch he brought animal acts back to his circus several years ago because the public wanted them. Tuesday afternoon, both before the show started and during the intermission, parents and young children queued up in long lines up to take a ride on Viola.
Families lined up for rides on Viola the elephant at the Cole Bros. Circus.
Credit Bob Byrne
The protestors' flyer asks circus patrons, among other things, to write to the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #28 in Lower Merion "and ask them to stop using Cole Bros. Circus as a fundraiser."
FOP Lodge 28 President Gavin Goschinski told Patch he respects the protestors right to voice their concerns and opinions. Goschinski said he would not endorse any enterprise that he believed engaged in animal cruelty as a way to raise funds for the organization. He said the FOP has been sponsoring the circus for 40 years and he has been personally involved with circus fundraiser for the past 14 years.
Goschinski said the circus is a major source of funds for the FOP's Health & Welfare Association which helps support the needs of retired Lower Merion and Narberth police officers.
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