This morning the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus held what they called an "Elephant Dance Party," a new spin on their Elephant Walk that's been held ahead of their shows here in the past. As expected, PETA showed up to protest the circus, and in particular their treatment of the elephants. In 2009, the animal rights organization captured inhumane treatment and abuse of the Ringling elephants by the circus's trainers in some disturbing video footage.
The press conference today included some hyping up from the Feld sisters (whose company owns Ringling Bros.), Bruce Ratner, and Brooklyn's loudest carnival barker: Marty Markowitz. The sunny and sequined spectacle taking place on the street near Brooklyn Bridge Park was a stark contrast to a block and a half away, where the PETA protesters were held in a shade-covered pen. Even though they were distanced from the action, however, their loud boos could be heard clearly throughout the press conference.
We spoke with some of the protesters about their objection to and treatment from Ringling, and the organization's Manager of Campaigns, Ashley Byrne, told us, "I know that they've threatened our employees before. Ringling has a long violent history of abusing animals and of course that is reflected in the way that they've interacted with some of our employees, too." You can see some of the protest footage below... along with the elephants being cruelly forced to listen to Psy's "Gangnam Style" yet again.
The circus is at Barclays through April 1st.
