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Big Top, Big Trouble Essay

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The late August heat, the early September breeze, and the warm setting sun make for a night of amusement and fun-filled memories. Walking under the Big-Top, you catch a quick glance at a large gray beast, a feisty orange feline, and a miniature yellow car accompanied with a giant human outfitted with a red nose and a polka-dotted body. The circus is a fantastic way to be entertained by a large array of the world’s most magnificent animals. The circus is a pleasant time for most but for others it’s a nightmare. It is simple for mankind: if you do not like the circus, do not attend. The choice for animals is not so easy; they are the main attraction and therefore, forced to attend. Animals are the stars of the show, the entertainment of …show more content…

Though Ringling says they provide all necessary care, which is not enough. What if you were told you that you would be taken from your parents at ten years old to live independently? Well, this is the reality of Asian elephants; they are taken from their mothers at two years old. In the wild, Asian elephants do not leave their mother until they are fifteen years of age, and even then they do not leave the herd, for they are with their family for their whole lives (Read, Bruce). All in all, Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey appear to be on top of the circus game. Looking back on life you are pleased and believe you had everything that was needed to survive in this crazy world. Animals understand what it is like to be without basics and yet; they cannot speak up and ask for a warm bath, a fresh bed, or a spacious environment. Anyone knows that when traveling, there is never an abundance of space; imagine you are a half ton elephant shoved into a box no bigger than a UPS truck. According to a former Ringling employee the elephants are packed into boxcars and there is not even enough room to turn around, let alone lay down. It has been recorded that the elephants are only unchained when the public is around; that means they are chained in the boxcars, in their stalls, and in their cages. The life of a circus animal is not very long either, especially when horses are dying

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