THE BALLOON MAN

Circus makes stop at Wilkes-Barre arena

from:  standardspeaker.com
By James Halpin (Staff Writer)
Published: April 26, 2013
WILKES-BARRE TWP. - The show must go on.

Just weeks after Carol, a 40-year-old Asian elephant, was shot in a drive-by in Tupelo, Miss., the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has brought its act to the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.

The show, which opened Thursday, will feature just two pachyderms - Patty, 40, and Dutchess, 42 - because Carol is home with her trainer in Missouri recovering from the gunshot wound, said Jessica Clowers, a veterinary technician with the circus.

"Her and Patty, one of our biggest elephants, have been together their whole lives," Clowers said. "So they're kind of like sisters. But they know how to adapt and they're actually adapting really well. In the show there's key things that Carol did, but we can still do the whole routine, but you just have two elephants."

Carol was shot in the shoulder in the early morning of April 9 outside the Bancorp South Arena, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is investigating the shooting because the Asian elephant is an endangered species, with about 35,000 left in the world.

A reward for information on the shooting, bolstered by $10,000 from the circus and $5,000 from the Fish and Wildlife Service, has exceeded $26,000.

The circus has increased security as a result of the shooting, both for the protection of the animals and the people, Clowers said.

"But you know, the show must go on, and everybody's just thankful that Carol's doing well and she's recovering," she said. "She's recovering very well actually."

The elephant should be recovered enough to rejoin the circus in about six weeks, she said.

Other than Carol, the circus still features its full complement of spectacles and animals, including Sable, a 9-month-old camel, dogs, Arabian horses and ponies.

Performances are scheduled at 7 tonight, 1 and 5 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. An hour before each performance, the circus holds a pre-show allowing ticket holders to see the animals and meet the performers, Clowers said.