Yahoo – AFP,
January 11, 2016
Miami (AFP) - Ringling Brothers, America's best-known circus, announced Monday it will relocate all of its elephants to a conservation center in Florida by May, advancing the retirement date for the giant pachyderms by more than a year.
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| Elephants walk in the arena during a Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus performance in Washington (AFP Photo/Andrew Caballero-Reynolds) |
Miami (AFP) - Ringling Brothers, America's best-known circus, announced Monday it will relocate all of its elephants to a conservation center in Florida by May, advancing the retirement date for the giant pachyderms by more than a year.
"Feld
Entertainment announced today that all of the Asian elephants from their
traveling circus units will be moved to their permanent home at the Ringling
Brothers Center for Elephant Conservation in Florida in May 2016," the
parent company for the circus said in a statement.
"There
they will join the rest of the Ringling Brothers' herd of Asian elephants, for
a total of 42 at the conservation center."
The
145-year old "Greatest Show on Earth" -- bowing to criticism from
animal rights groups -- announced in March that it would phase out use of their
emblematic elephants, long a centerpiece of their annual traveling show.
Feld
Entertainment originally had said the elephants would be gradually withdrawn
from the big top and completely gone only by 2018, but it now has accelerated
that retirement date.
However,
some animal rights advocates, including People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals (PETA) said sending the animals to the Ringling's conservation center
is a far from satisfactory outcome.
"It's
not all sunshine and roses for the 'retired' elephants," PETA said in a
statement.
"At
Ringling's grandiosely named Center for Elephant Conservation elephants will no
doubt still be chained on a daily basis, be forced to breed, be deprived of
opportunities to interact and socialize normally, and continue to live in fear
of being hit with bullhooks," the statement said.
It urged
Ringling to send the elephants to a bona fide animal sanctuary with conditions
similar to those they would find in their natural habitat.
"Pulling
elephants from the road is a step in the right direction, but... the elephants
should be taken to legitimate sanctuaries, and all the animal acts should come
to an end."
Ringling
Brothers in 2011 had to pay a $270,000 fine after receiving citations over how
it treated its animals, among other infractions over the years.
An
increasing number of US towns and cities have adopted anti-elephant ordinances
forbidding circus acts with elephants to enter the municipal limits.
The circus
said it would continue to feature other animals in its acts, including tigers,
lions, horses, dogs and camels.
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Question: Dear Kryon: I live in Spain. I am sorry if I will ask you a question you might have already answered, but the translations of your books are very slow and I might not have gathered all information you have already given. I am quite concerned about abandoned animals. It seems that many people buy animals for their children and as soon as they grow, they set them out somewhere. Recently I had the occasion to see a small kitten in the middle of the street. I did not immediately react, since I could have stopped and taken it, without getting out of the car. So, I went on and at the first occasion I could turn, I went back to see if I could take the kitten, but it was to late, somebody had already killed it. This happened some month ago, but I still feel very sorry for that kitten. I just would like to know, what kind of entity are these animals and how does this fit in our world. Are these entities which choose this kind of life, like we do choose our kind of Human life? I see so many abandoned animals and every time I see one, my heart aches... I would like to know more about them.
Answer: Dear one, indeed the answer has been given, but let us give it again so you all understand. Animals are here on earth for three (3) reasons.
(1) The balance of biological life. . . the circle of energy that is needed for you to exist in what you call "nature."
(2) To be harvested. Yes, it's true. Many exist for your sustenance, and this is appropriate. It is a harmony between Human and animal, and always has. Remember the buffalo that willingly came into the indigenous tribes to be sacrificed when called? These are stories that you should examine again. The inappropriateness of today's culture is how these precious creatures are treated. Did you know that if there was an honoring ceremony at their death, they would nourish you better? Did you know that there is ceremony that could benefit all of humanity in this way. Perhaps it's time you saw it.
(3) To be loved and to love. For many cultures, animals serve as surrogate children, loved and taken care of. It gives Humans a chance to show compassion when they need it, and to have unconditional love when they need it. This is extremely important to many, and provides balance and centering for many.
Do animals know all this? At a basic level, they do. Not in the way you "know," but in a cellular awareness they understand that they are here in service to planet earth. If you honor them in all three instances, then balance will be the result. Your feelings about their treatment is important. Temper your reactions with the spiritual logic of their appropriateness and their service to humanity. Honor them in all three cases.
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