Pet Tips

If they ask me about the circus, it’s an easy answer. Find an alternative form of entertainment! Elephants, lions and bears, by their nature, don’t balance on one foot, jump through rings of fire or ride tricycles in single-file line. How are they trained to do such unnatural stunts? Interestingly, training sessions aren’t open to the public. What we have are accounts of brutal training tactics by former trainers, grainy footage by uncover folks and, on the other side, millions of dollars spent on creating an image of wholesome, dazzling fun for the entire family. Even if you fully believe circus animals aren’t trained with negative reinforcement and that they just love performing for Scooby snacks and standing ovations, consider how most of their lives are spent — in cramped train cars, semis or pens. Animals in a traveling circus spend most of their lives traveling. For a few animal-free alternatives to that infamous circus, consider Cirque du Soleil, The New Pickle Circus in San Francisco or Cirque San Jose.

Scott oversees PHS/SPCA’s Customer Service, Behavior and Training, Education, Outreach, Field Services, Humane Investigation, Volunteer, and Media/PR program areas and staff. His companion, Cooper, mostly oversees all things edible.