Behind the glitz and glamour of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus lies a world of suffering. Ringling’s animal-care history is riddled with USDA violations and penalties. Videotape and testimony from former Ringling trainers and circus employees reveal that force and abusive training methods are common behind-the-scenes.

At least 26 Ringling elephants have died since 1992! Kenny and Benjamin, in the photo at right, were among four baby elephants who have died. 4-year-old Benjamin drowned in a pond as he tried to move away from a trainer poking him with a bullhook. 3-year-old Kenny was forced to perform even though he was sick; he died shortly after a performance in Jacksonville. In August 2004, Ringling killed an 8-month-old elephant named Riccardo after he fractured both hind legs when he fell off a circus pedestal.

For the past several years, ARFF’s circus campaign has included a presence at each of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey shows throughout Florida. Committed groups of animal advocates spent long hours making sure the behind-the-scenes story of the animals was heard.

2009-10
In Miami, ARFF unwelcomed Ringling Bros. using costumes, undercover video, signs and literature that put a spotlight on the cruelty under the big top. Opening night was a big success with over 80 activists lining the streets of downtown Miami!

During the four days that Ringling Bros. was in Orlando thousands of pieces of literature were handed out, circus goers asked questions about the images on the signs activists held, and some pledged never to attend another animal circus. During the month of January, ARFF's educational display about circuses greeted visitors to the downtown Orlando library. Dozens of activists also joined ARFF protests in Tampa, Sarasota, West Palm Beach and other cities during Ringling Bros.' tour of Florida.

2008-09
Again this year, animal advocates met the circus in West Palm Beach, Tampa, Miami, Orlando and in Jacksonville. ARFF's demonstrations in Jacksonville were covered by two local television news stations.

During our protests outside Orlando's Amway Arena, we were encouraged when an arena employee told us that due to low ticket sales half of the arena concessions had been closed. Following the circus we received an e-mail from a woman who was handed a leaflet at an Orlando show: "The information given to me has absolutely changed my perspective on the circus," she wrote. "My husband and I spoke about it while we attended the circus with our girls and we both agreed that that would be the last time we would ever buy tickets to a circus that uses animals for entertainment."

In Miami we distributed thousands of pieces of literature-- roughly 8,000 copies of our Ringling-specific handout and another 6,000 of our circus handout written for children. Following the final show, we followed the elephants as they were marched back to the circus train and crowded into boxcars where they stood, chained by the legs, all night and during the long trip up to Jacksonville the following morning. At the train we met a local resident who had stopped to watch; he spoke clearly of the suffering of elephants in the circus.

As his family stood in the cold, drizzling rain outside AmericanAirlines Arena, waiting to see the new Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus show Friday night, 14-year-old George Fuentes stood transfixed by a protester's DVD.

It showed circus elephants being whipped by trainers. The video was part of an exhibit by the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida.

''It's horrible what they did. I don't feel like watching the circus anymore,'' said George, who lives in Miami.
   — Miami Herald, January 5, 2008

At performances across the state, ARFF volunteers said that they were surprised at the low attendance. We also learned that Ringling Bros. is de-emphasizing animal acts. We hope this trend continues, and that Ringling will soon decide to entertain audiences without exploiting animals. Click here to view a video summary of ARFF's efforts in 2008.

2006-07: Canceled Shows
This year, ARFF focused on showing circus-goers shocking undercover video documenting the abuse and confinement of animals in circuses. In Miami, ARFF’s video monitors attracted crowds to our busy table located just outside the American Airlines Arena where Ringling Bros. was performing. In Orlando and Daytona Beach, ARFF volunteers wore mobile televisions showing video and handing out flyers. Similar efforts by outstanding volunteers took place in Jacksonville, Tampa, Sarasota and Lakeland.

Our presence before and after every show allowed us to have meaningful one-on-one conversations with circus-goers who were horrified to learn that their dollars had been supporting animal cruelty. It wasn’t hard to convince Floridians to think twice before supporting Ringling Bros., or any animal circus. ARFF’s efforts were rewarded as Ringling Bros. was forced to cancel two shows, one in Miami and another in Lakeland, due to poor ticket sales!

2005-06: ARFF Investigation, Local Media Expose Circus Cruelty
ARFF has released behind-the-scenes video of elephants in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, taken as the circus arrived in Miami in December 2005. Please choose a format below to watch the video.

The 3-minute video is large (12MB) and may take several minutes to download. Turn on your computer's speakers.

Windows Media (preferred format) Quicktime

The footage provides a rare glimpse into the tiny and filthy railroad cars that elephants are confined to for long journeys across the country. Elephants can be seen chained and forced to stand in their own urine and feces. Such severe confinement takes an enormous physical and psychological toll on elephants.

CBS Channel 4 special report
In late 2005, south Florida's WFOR-TV aired a powerful story about Ringling's abuse of elephants. Click here to watch the Special Report.

Television advertising campaign
In 2005, ARFF met the circus with demonstrations and a television advertisement exposing the miserable lives of animals in circuses. Our TV ad, featuring renowned civil rights activist Dick Gregory, urged people to boycott circuses that use animals and ran on Animal Planet, MTV and other popular cable channels in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties, as well as in the Orlando and Jacksonville areas.

ARFF trains humane investigators on conducting circus inspections
In the past, circuses often took advantage of the fact that animal control officers and state wildlife agents were unfamiliar with exotic species such as elephants or with what constitutes cruelty. In 2006, ARFF staff conducted a training class for Miami-Dade Animal Service investigators on how to monitor circuses for potential violations of Florida's animal cruelty statute and the federal Animal Welfare Act. Investigators were instructed on monitoring unloading and performances, checking for signs of illness and injury, looking for evidence of abuse and neglect, and reviewing basic husbandry. After completing the training, the investigators were shocked at the routine abuse inflicted on animals in the circus and were eager to utlize the information they had learned to better protect them from inhumane treatment.