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Never-before-seen photos reveal how Ringling Bros. circus trainers cruelly force baby elephants to learn tricks, and it's not through a reward system, as they claim.

You may have wondered how Ringling Bros. gets 8,000-pound elephants to perform tricks like sitting up and even standing on their heads, but now you know. Ringling breaks the spirit of elephants when they're vulnerable babies who should still be with their mothers. Unsuspecting parents planning a family trip to the circus don't know about the violent training sessions with ropes, bullhooks, and electric shock prods that elephants endure, so we need you to tell them.

In the photo below a baby elephant is trained to lie down. This barbaric and violent training process goes on in secret, out of the public's view, completely unmonitored by any federal, state or local law enforcement agency.

I do so question how people get these photos and, you know, don't do anything about it. Which only tells me that whoever took the photo did it to make a buck exploiting animal cruelty to bleeding hearts.

Also, I'm going to need more than a photo that hypothetically came from the Ringling Bros. to prove that happened. That proves nothing.

Its discusting,
I'm not sure if it was the Ringling Bros, But it was a circus.
Basicly, one of there elephants got out, and theres a video on PETA of it like nearly standing on the people that abused it, but then someone shot it and murdered it.
Vile.
I wish It did stand on them.

Ringling Brothers needs to be shut down either way. Using animals that should be wild for profit is disgusting.

I agree so much! ^^^

I disagree. A circus is a way to help people see the beauty in animals up close.
Better than being stuck in a zoo at least. Believe it or not a lot of circus animals are indeed bred in captivity (though not all) so sending them out in the wild would in fact be more cruel than anything.

As long as the animals are treated fairly, I have no problems with circuses, zoos, or the like. Most often these animals have been bred in captivity, perhaps for generatons, and they won't survive as well in the wild. It's like if you let your cat or dog go loose. They might find food and shelter enough to survive, but their quality of life would likely be much less than if they'd stayed with you. Likewise, these animals may lack the instincts necessary to survive the way their ancestors did generations ago before being brought to the circus.

Circus animals haven't been domesticated to the extent that dogs and cats have, but they're not truly wild animals anymore. If they can't live in the wild due to being in captivity, the best we can do is to keep them in captivity and just do what we can to keep them happy there.

Zoo's are vile as well, And no, animals shouldnt be trained to do tricks for our benifit, To see the beauty of animals, doesnt involve tourchiring them, and destryoing their souls.

Not all circuses torture animals. Is it cruel to teach your dog to sit or roll over, or to fetch? Sure, it's cute, but damn how horrible for the animal, right? It's the same concept.

I agree that mistreating animals isn't cool, but just plain being in a zoo isn't the end of the world. As I said, those animals often cannot survive in the wild. Which is better, to leave them for dead or to give them plenty of food and water, a habitat similar to their natural one, and a chance at a happy life?

Don't think that because there's one picture on the internet of an elephant that looks sad, that all circuses and zoos are cruel to their animals. The OP didn't even include a source, and without that the story in question here may be entirely false. Yes, some animals are mistreated. No, not all are.