ELEPHANTS & THE CIRCUS:
The elephants, lions, tigers, and bears (oh, my!) held hostage by circuses would never perform unless their trainers used abusive techniques to force them to do so -- and they do.

Performing bears have their paws burned and their noses broken. Big cats are whipped, beaten, and denied food to make them "behave". Elephants are stabbed with bullhooks, beaten, and abused, physically and emotionally. Their lives in circuses are torture on several levels -- elephants are social creatures who form complex family-based communities in the wild. Small circuses often have just one elephant, and that solitary creature is miserable because of it.

Larger circuses that have more elephants don't house them together or give them any time to interact, other than when they're working. Baby elephants are ripped from their mothers in the wild, and sold to circuses (and zoos), breaking up families and causing permanent, severe harm to the animals. What to do if you just love the Big Top? There are plenty of animal-free circuses that employ talented humans who choose to perform and are paid for their work. Animals, both wild and domestic, deserve to be treated with dignity -- and there is nothing dignified about an animal wearing a costume, performing stupid tricks, begging for food, or being forced to spend the majority of their time in small cages.

Visit the Elephant Sanctuary -- where elephants who were abused by circuses, zoos, and other entertainment venues go to live in freedom.

While you're visiting, make a donation to help feed and care for the elephants they have and to buy more land so they can provide a healthy habitat for these tremendous creatures.

THE RODEO:
Ah, the macho cowboy, riding at break-neck speed, diving off his horse and grappling with a terrified calf.

The brave rider, clinging to the bucking bull or bronco for dear life. Do you know why that animal is bucking? Because there's a rope tied around his belly, pinching his genitals (see image below). That would make you buck too, and scream.

But the animals can't scream at their torturers. Some more truths? The rider ain't brave, and the cowboy ain't macho. They're just foolish participants in a spectacle that abuses the animals used to provide this mindless "entertainment". The old west is over. Let it die, and pass up the rodeo when it rides on into town next year. Better yet? Write to your local legislators and ask them to pass laws banning animal entertainment from your town. The animals will thank you, and if you have kids, you'll be setting a great example for them.

Want more information on rodeo cruelty? Click the image below:

SEA WORLD:
Whales would rather be at sea, taking their chances against whaling ships. That's how miserable they are in captivity.

Watch BLACKFISH, the award-winning documentary that SeaWorld doesn't want you to see.

These creatures have their own families, their own language, an entire world at sea. What do we do with them? We capture them and make them leap in the air, "kiss" their trainers, and beg for fish. They live in tanks that are way too small for their physical, mental, and emotional health. The result? Captive whales live lives of about 1/3rd the length of whales living in the wild. Click the image below to find out more:

ZOOS:
Even zoos, many of which claim to mean well, usually do not provide appropriate habitats for wild animals.

Click here to read what's really happening behind the scenes - and often right in front of you - at circuses that use animals.

Petting zoos, small traveling zoos, and the sort of zoos that have one "exotic" animal and many domestic animals (you see them in shopping centers, carnivals, and so forth) are living on a tight budget that doesn't allow for proper food, safe housing, or any veterinary care. Life for the animals in these "zoos" is absolute hell. Don't give them your money, and don't let your kids think it's OK.

Next time you see such a zoo, keep walking/driving, and when you get home, write to your town council, mayor's office, or other local authorities and demand that they ban such things from your town. Hundreds of towns and cities across the country have done just that. Yours should be next, and you can make it happen!

If you don't feel you can make the commitment to writing to or calling your legislators to ask for bans on animal entertainment, the very least you can do is go to animal-free circuses, stop going to carnivals, rodeos, and zoos, and never buy anything from any organization that supports these forms of entertainment. By denying them your consumer dollars, you're helping to put them out of business. Another quick and easy way to help the animals? TALK. Tell everyone you know about what you've learned about how life REALLY is for animals in entertainment. Tell your family, friends, co-workers, everyone. The animals can't speak for themselves -- they need US to speak for them.

Have you visited any place that had animals held captive for your entertainment? It can happen where you least expect it -- a shopping mall, a county fair, even holiday displays can have live animals forced to stand around and "entertain" us.

If you've been appalled by such a display or entertainment event, please let us know about it. Click here to send us an email.