NEWS
Students protest Zor Shrine Circus
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by Matthew Dolbey
Monday, February 16, 2004
Animal rights activists protested the Zor Shrine Circus taking place at the Alliant Energy Center Saturday and Sunday, saying the producers of the show failed to take proper care of the animals.
The Madison Coalition for Animal Rights demonstrated outside of the Alliant Energy Center, handing out literature listing past alleged offenses of the Shrine Circus family.
Alex Means, a UW student and MCAR member, said he talked to patrons before the circus and explained the group’s reasoning for boycotting the event.
“There are minimal standards that the Shrine circus has not met,” Means said, saying he believes things like clean water and proper food are common things animals deserve.
Liza Hirsch, a fellow MCAR member, said in a press release that not only the animals are treated poorly at these events.
“People who attend circuses put on by the Shrine exhibitors are not only putting their own lives in jeopardy, but those of other Madison community members, animal trainers and the animals themselves,” Hirsch said in the release.
In June 2002, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals reports two elephants escaped from a circus in Menominee and wandered the streets of the Wisconsin town before trucks blocked one of the elephants in at the UW-Stout campus.
The statewide animal rights organization Alliance for Animals and UW group Campus Vegan Society joined MCAR to voice their concerns at the circus. Means reported “about 15” volunteers showed up each day to pass out the literature.
Means said circuses do not usually get accused of animal welfare violations, because the Shrine Circus, for example, contracts its animal work from outside vendors.
Though the allegations against the circus were controversial, no major confrontations occurred. Means felt the demonstration went “great”, adding the group was able to talk some patrons out of attending.
“Our basic goal is to inform,” Means said. “We’re not going to bother anyone, but just get our literature out.”
Means added it “was nice to see that people cared” about the group’s message.
Mark Cook, a UW animal sciences professor, said laws, like those in the Animal Welfare Act, currently regulate the animal exhibition industry in hopes to protect the best interests of animals.
“There are checks and balances with regards to circuses,” Cook said, adding the laws governing circuses are changing all the time in order to keep up with research showing what is best for animal welfare. “They’re pretty strict laws.”
Though Cook did not believe animals are necessarily treated badly now, he said historically circuses have had problems with animal health and safety.
“But, there are problems in any type of situation where animals and men interact,” Cook said. He added any type of problems that do occur now “have to be inspected.”
Cook offered for those interested to attend his class of human and animal symbiosis, where critics of a wide range explain their views on a given topic.
