Cruelty in the CircusCircuses depict animals as talented and well-behaved, but behind closed doors, animals are placed in pain and misery to perform humiliating acts. Animals suffer without the public knowing. The laws protect these animals but are not strong enough to put an end to their general sadness. Circus trainers beat the animals to make them perform certain tricks. PETA says trainers use tight collars, whips, beatings and torture on circus animals on a daily basis. Elephants are hit daily with hooks on the skin around the eyes, under the chin, inside the mouth, behind the knees and ears. Bears' noses are broken and their paws are burned to teach them to walk on their hind legs. To make chimpanzees manageable, trainers knock out their teeth with a hammer. An LCA investigator recorded numerous beatings, using baseball bats, pitchforks and electric prods at the Carson & Barnes Circus. “Animal rights, basically, is the most extreme philosophy I can imagine. It is about non-violence. It's a question of compassion. It’s about not harming, not causing suffering, and not killing when we don’t have to. That's it. It's really very simple. – Stephanie ErnstConstant confinement causes unnatural behavior and death in animals. Confinement makes it easier to spread diseases among animals and humans, such as tuberculosis. Temperature fluctuations are unnatural for animals' natural environments. In 1997, an eight-year-old elephant died because it was caged at 120 degrees. Unnatural behaviors such as rocking, swaying, head bobbing, and other repetitive actions are signs of psychological distress in elephants. Common behavior like bumping... middle of paper ......'tPaws.orgPAWS http://www.paws.org/circus-cruelty.html March 20, 2014• Former Ringling Bros. employee. speaks Out Against AbusePeta.orgPETA http://www.peta.org/features/former-ringling-bros-employee-speaks-abuse/ April 2, 2014• Los Angeles City Council bans the use of fish hooks on Elephant I circuses who go to LALcanimal .org October 23, 2013Last chance for animals http://www.lcanimal.org/index.php/campaigns/elephants/circuses March 20, 2014• Natural life of circus animalsOpnm.orghttp:/ /www.opnm.org/campaigns /circus/natural-lives.phpApril 7, 2014• Quick summary of animals in circuses and the laws that govern themAnimallaw.info 2010 http://www.animallaw.info/topics/tabbed%20topic %20page/spuscircus.html April 1, 2014• Ten facts about animals in the circusBornfreeusa.orgBorn Free USA http://www.bornfreeusa.org/facts.php?more=1&p/=4March 31 20, 2014