Group protests animal treatment

By Heather Mangold
City Editor

Students In Defense of Animals, an animal rights group from Purdue, held up signs saying "Circus, another word for animal abuse" during Wednesday night’s circus at the Tippecanoe County Fairgrounds.

Travis Beaver, vice president of Students In Defense of Animals, said the animals in the circus are not volunteers.

"They have been deprived of their freedom for a few cheap tricks," said Beaver. "It’s time to reject animal circuses."

Beaver said that circus animals are compelled to perform stressful acts — such as riding bicycles — through forceful means. He said that circus trainers use whips, muzzles, chains and bull hooks to force animals to perform.

"There’s no exception anytime there’s an animal in the circus — it’s cruelty," said Beaver.

Jorge Pages, manager of Pages Circus, said that while he believes in the right to express opinion, people should know that he treats his animals fairly.

"I waste more on my animals than most people make in a whole year," said Pages. "I spend $50,000 every year on my animals."

Pages said that his animals are fed well and receive adequate exercise and attention.

Pages opposed the idea that animals can only be coerced into performing tricks through forceful means.

"How are you going to make an elephant do anything it doesn’t want to do?" said Pages.

Pages said that he uses a reward system to train his animals, meaning he gives them food after each successfully completed task. Lindsay Weber, a freshman in the School of Agriculture and protester, said, "You wouldn’t put a person in a cage and ask them to dance. Why should it be any different with animals?"

Weber said that her compassion for animals was no different than a passion for anything else and that animals should be treated with the same decency as humans.

"I guess I just don’t see that big of a difference," said Weber.

Beaver said that the group’s protest was an attempt to educate people about what goes on behind the scenes in all circuses. He said that there is no way that a circus can adequately care for its animals.

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City editor:
Heather Mangold

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