Sorry know this fell off the main page but for the most have been away for a few days and just can't let it go as it was.

You saw one bad incident, which you reported them for right? cuz that's obvious abuse. I don't know about Toronto but there are laws against that here, and so all or almost all circuses abuse their animals. Or is it because someone told you so, you heard it on some other website.

That's the same as saying most pitbull owners fight their dogs and do drugs just because everyone says so. Performing and traveling and being in a circus is not abuse. Abuse is abuse electric shock is abuse but then that would also have to include all dog owners who use shock collars and cattle owners who use cattle prods, IMO, you can't say it's abuse for one and not another if it's on the same level and not amped up voltage like cattle prodding a chihuahua.

And as I said before I don't see that chains are any worse than any other sort of leash or tether both would be wrong left on ALL the time but they are freed for parts of the day for exercise and the performance, bath time ect. I don't see it as abuse to use a chain as a leash/tether especial for a big animal. They do have care standards and laws (in the US) they have to follow just like anyone else who exhibits their animals to the public. and abuse isn't allowed, they can't withhold food for training, beat them ect. Sometimes laws need strengthand, like or state laws doesn't make it illegal for someone to come on your land and kill your animal! You could probably prosecute them for tresspassing and property damage(pet being preperty) but not animal abuse unless the death was drawn out so abuse for not making it quick. Then you need to try and change that and they are localy. You can write letters to support such proposed legislation then.

Are some abused probably does still happen just like show horse people sometimes sore their horses but that doesn't mean all show horse people are abusing their horses in that way. The only thing to do is to punish those that abuse their animals not stop circuses or horse shows to try and prevent abuse. Abusive people will continue to do so as long as owning animals is allowed. Laws can not and do not prevent crimes they are only meant to punish the offenders and at best act as a deterrent.

"leave them in the wild" hmm okay but what wild? There are definate good places like san diego wild animal park, they have acres to roam. They did get a rare import of elephants some years back because the preserve was either send them away or kill them because they didn't have enough room. Was it better they die?

I really don't think it;s better dead/extinct than in a cage. If those dolphins had been i captivity even if it were just doing sea worl shows then there would still be soe around and some hope of reintraduction IF down the road their envornment was recoveded and if not then at least they would not be totaly gone.

I worked with traveling animals on exhibit they aren't stressed by what they are used too. We had deer and wallabies. Wallabies being especialy known for stress and jumpiness. Ours weren't even bottle raised we let mom raise them going about her normal daily life of travel ect. The joeys grew up tame as any bottle baby. Loud music big crows and yes flashing lights from cameras if nothing else never bothered them.

Had a lady come in one day look at one of the wallabies standing there and start sreaming abuse! It was terrified! The other was just laying there but this was was scared stiff. I checked said it was fine she ranted then eventualy left saying she'd turn us in. That wallaby just lay down and took a nap once she shut up and left. HA. a stressed scared wallaby does not just stand there. Running around doesn't automatically mean stress either, like bunnies and kitties they sometimes just need a mad dash, hop around to stretch their muscles. Really the only way to know for sure on things like that is to know the animals. The point though being they are fine with what they are used to and raised with. They don't care if people look at them all day, they are not self conscious like people would be. The exotics did better than the domestics with the whole thing. The Deer missed it when on the ranch. Go into their space and the whole herd comes running for attention.

As for dangerous sure but so are big dogs, horses, cows ect. More people are killed by horses each year than big cats. More people are killed by herbivores than carnivores. Every animal posses a risk. People working with them know this and except it. It they mess up and something happens there are laws in place to deal with it. It almost never happens that an exotic escapes and kills some one if there is an incident it is usually to a keeper and secondly to a someone who chose to be there even if it was by buying a ticket.

In short SSL (species specific legislation) is just as bad as BSL. Your welcome to your openion and it certainly wont change if you think it's moraly wrong but the problem is your openion is becoming laws all over. Laws should not be moral based. Everyone has different morals. Some cultures think it;s moraly wrong for a woman to be seen in public, hence the burka. Some think it;s moraly wrong to have pets and it's been out lawed to sell dogs in some countries because it's moraly wrong and to American. So who's morals should be law? Laws should be based on harm not morals. If someone harms an animal it's abuse and a crime it's not harmful to travel with animals or have people see them other than family.

If you really want to help. Support enforcement of abuse laws. Voluntarily pay more to envorcement agencies so they might be able to hire more people. Help push through more funding(taxes). Push through tougher laws on abuse if need be. But passing laws to say no one should have them or even just those people(circuses) can't because some are abused is exactly the same as saying pit bulls should be banned because some fight, abuse, or neglect them, and both are just as wrong.