Circus targetd by PETA, SETA for mistreatment of elephants
The hustle in front of Colonial Life Arena this weekend will not only be made of excited circusgoers. Handmade signs and banners will grace the steps into the arena, held by members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and Students for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the USC chapter of the organization, in an ongoing protest.
Thursday, protestors held signs reading “Elephants Never Forget” in opposition to the Ringling Bros. treatment of their animals. The sign holders were not chanting or yelling, or speaking to passersby; they stood in a line, some dressed up as chained animals or with chains about their necks. The picketers were noticeably silent. Coupled with pictures of chained animals and startling facts, the protesters readily explained the benefits of animal-free circuses.
“Circuses would be better without animals,” said Tristan Lawson, a third-year marine science student. “The way they train them is against their nature. There is sometimes even stabbing involved.”
A wild elephant can live to be more than 70 years old, but in the circus, the average lifespan is only 14 years, Lawson explained. The animals are “trained with fear,” another protestor said.
The groups plan to protest every day of the circus. Picketers have been supplied with free materials for posters, flyers and banners from PETA and now are lending a hand to reach out to the public about the cruelty of animal circuses.
Members of Columbia Veg, a local meetup group for vegans and vegetarians, is also part of the action. Participants bring their support of animal welfare and their numbers to the circus protest. Rosemary Thompson, an organizer for Columbia Veg, increased support through the group and a Facebook event created just for the occasion.
Amanda Arcamone, a third-year psychology student and president of Students for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, organized the event through the ListServ and a Facebook event. She posted flyers and showed informational videos explaining the plight of the circus animals at SETA meetings.
Collectively, the protesters are expecting between 50 and 100 companions, many of whom were rallied together Thursday by 13-year-old Sophia Storiazzi. Storiazzi, a member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia, gave speeches at her church against animal cruelty and the Ringling circus and gathered a hefty following from her audience. This is the second year she has protested in front of the circus, and she is hopeful the picket line will grow this year. Despite her age, Storiazzi is not the youngest protester involved; elementary-age boys handed out flyers and waved banners, showing that not all kids love the circus. Tom Turnipseed, a 75-year-old Unitarian member, remembers watching the circus when he was 12, and said, “You didn’t think about [animal rights issues when] watching the circus.”
A Ringling employee named Tom declined to comment while handing out programs to circusgoers, saying he could lose his job. But did remark, “They believe what they believe; you know how I feel.”
And a few moments later he was rounding up an audience, his booming voice contradicting the posters out front.