The following letter was sent to the Mayor on November 6, and published in the Eureka Springs Independent on November 12.

http://www.eurekaspringsindependent.com/single_story_popup.asp?StoryID=7936

Letter to Mayor and City Council

ESI Staff

11/12/2014

November 6, 2014

Morris R. Pate, Mayor City of Eureka Springs Eureka Springs, AR 72632

Re:  Proposed Ban on Circuses

Dear Mayor Pate and City Council,

I am a professor of Animal Science at Texas A&M University, at College Station, Texas. I received my B.S. degree at Cornell and my M.S. and Ph.D. degrees at Virginia Tech.  I am also a Registered Professional Animal Scientist and a Diplomate of the American College of Applied Behavior Sciences. The Diplomate certification is the highest certification possible in the Applied Behavior Sciences.

I have been conducting behavior and stress-related research on a wide range of species for over 30 years. Much of my research has been on animal welfare-related issues and was stimulated by requests from moderate animal welfare groups. In 1981 I received the Felix-Wankel International Award (Germany) for research promoting animal welfare. In 1986 the Animal Protection Institute (California) honored me as their Humanitarian of the Year.

My experience with circus elephants began in 1995 when the general manager of Carson & Barnes Circus invited me to travel with the circus to learn about circus elephants and to report back to management what I thought about how they were handling their elephants. Carson & Barnes is the largest circus in North America that performs in a traditional tent. At first, I was skeptical about circuses, having only heard the much-publicized animal rights side of the issue. From 1995 through 1998, I periodically traveled with the Carson & Barnes Circus, observing their practices and conducting research on their elephants. Most of the research from those studies has been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

In 1999, the USDA APHIS Animal Care program provided me with funding to conduct several studies that have thus far involved ten circuses or exhibitors, including Carson & Barnes. The Animal Care program of APHIS is the unit responsible for inspecting circuses in the U.S. The administrators of Animal Care are genuinely interested in obtaining unbiased data on the welfare of circus elephants and large cats

My graduate students and I have spent the equivalent of more than 20 weeks observing every aspect of animal care in circuses when they are on the road and performing.  We are also familiar with the home or winter quarters of many circuses and private exhibitors of elephants. When we travel with circuses, our RV trailer is usually parked immediately adjacent to each circus’s animal compound and my students and I can see everything that is occurring.

We have published ten studies to date on circus elephants and cats, and I will be happy to send you that list.

My research has clearly indicated that circuses are not inherently detrimental to the welfare of elephants. Circus animals readily load onto and off of trucks or trains. Being transported to new locations is consistent with an elephant’s nomadic lifestyle. We did not see elephants or big cats exposed to temperatures and weather that was outside their range of tolerance. Training, performances, and the presence of the public are important stimuli and sources of variation for the elephants and big cats that we studied. In addition elephants often went for walks, baths, raised or took down tents, pulled vehicles out of the mud, and gave rides

I also found that repeated head-bobbing, swaying or pacing was highly variable and did not occur in many animals. Repetitive behavior greatly increased in frequency in anticipation of performances, receiving water and being fed. This implies that elephants and tigers perceived performances as something positive; if they were fearful of performances they would show an avoidance response.

I also had the opportunity to conduct some informal trials in which groups of elephants remained where they were usually kept rather than being taken into the tent for performances. Based on the results of those trials, there is no doubt that many circus elephants find performances to be rewarding. The elephants that were kept “home” became very agitated and even performed elements of their acts on their own.

When we look at the traditional measures of overall welfare, especially longevity and reproduction, circuses are more successful than zoos. I am more concerned about the chronic boredom experienced by many zoo and sanctuary animals who are restricted to the same enclosure all of their lives than I am about the welfare of animals traveling with a well-managed circus or exhibitor that has responsible and caring people handling their animals.

Banning the exhibition of circus animals can only be counterproductive to the welfare of those species and deprive citizens of Eureka Springs of the opportunity to learn about those species. Circuses are not inherently cruel or stressful to elephants and circuses or exhibitors that do a good job should be rewarded and used to set the standard for the industry.

Please accept this letter and let it be made a matter of public record to be included in any hearing, studies and/or reports pertaining to this issue. If I can be of further assistance to you on this issue, please let me know.

Sincerely yours,

Ted H. Friend, Ph.D., PAS, Dpl. ACAABS

Professor of Animal Science Department of Animal Science Texas A&M University College Station, TX  77843 (979) 845-5265