THE BALLOON MAN

Circus coming to Alamogordo Sunday

By John Bear / Alamogordo Daily News

lcsun-news.com

05/04/2012 

For Barbara Byrd, the circus has always been a family affair. They even name the elephants after family members. 

Byrd is one of the owners of the Carson and Barnes Circus and a former performer. The circus is making a stop in Alamogordo on Sunday. 

"We're out of southeastern Oklahoma," Byrd said. "The circus was founded in 1937. They moved down to Oklahoma to get a warmer climate for the animals." 

She said the circus started in Kansas, and hit up Missouri and Arkansas before settling in the Sooner State, just north of Paris, Texas. They travel, as Byrd puts it, "coast to coast" and "border to border." 

"We have over 100 people who travel with us, set up and give performances. It's about a two-hour show. 

Animals the circus uses include several endangered Asian elephants, Appaloosa horses and a pygmy hippopotamus named Katie. 

"She is larger than a normal-sized pig," Byrd said. "We have a swimming pool we take along with us and she is quite the pet around here. Everyone loves her." 

Byrd said the circus helps breed Asian elephants and has the second-largest gene pool in the United States behind Ringling Brothers. She said the circus works with zoos to keep the animals around for future generations to learn about and enjoy. 

"There isn't really a wild," Byrd said. "Even back in India. 

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