LA Persuasive Speech

LA Persuasive Speech:

Topic: Against animals performing in circuses

Slide 1:

When you first think about the word animals, what kind of image comes into your mind? *click for image* Do they look like this? In the wild, proud and majestic, but most importantly, free?

Slide 2:

Or do they look like this? * click for image* Captured and worked to perform silly tricks? Locked in a cramped, dirty cave for the majority of their lives? And only released to be beat up and whipped by trainers? This picture shows a sweet little innocent brown bear that never hurt anyone...but sometimes she had trouble balancing on the high wire. She was then beaten with long metal rods until she was screaming and bloody. She became so neurotic that she would beat her head against her small cage. She finally died.

Slide 3:

Many of us are unconsciously giving the animals more pain by going to animal based circuses, not knowing how the animals are trained, or how circus life is for them. The concept behind the training is fear so that humans will be the

‘master’…

Slide 4:

Most circuses paint a picture of happy animals because they like to do so…An example will be Ringling Bros

The lie:

Our training methods are based on continual interaction with our animals, touch and words of praise, and food rewards.

Reality:

Video footage taken between 2001 and 2006 of Ringling trainers and handlers shows that elephants were aggressively hooked, lame elephants were forced to perform and travel, and a trainer inflicted a bloody bullhook wound behind an elephant’s ear flap. Former Ringling employees that left the circus in 2006 and 2007 describe violent beatings as well as the routine abuse of elephants, horses, camels, and zebras.

Slide 5:

The Lie:

The bullhook is used as an extension of the handler’s arm to guide the

elephants.

Reality:

The bullhook, by design, is intended to cause pain and puncture the skin. Despite its appearance, an elephant’s skin is as sensitive as humans’ skin. The sharp metal hook on the end of the bullhook bruises, punctures, and tears elephants’ skin easily and often. Former Ringling animal crew employees report that the circus keeps a bag of topsoil handy to cover up bloody bullhook wounds on elephants.

Slide 6:

Pain and deprivation are blunt instruments used to condition individual wild animals to entertain people. Moreover, given the limited training and experience of circus employees, many circus employees may not be aware of the potentially harmful consequences to the animal of using force repeatedly or of the increased likelihood of a wild or exotic animal acting out or rebelling against such treatment. If an abused circus animal finally does decide to fight back against his/her abusers, it often leads to the animal's death. It is tragic and it is unfair because after weeks, months and often years of suffering through countless forms of abuse and torture, a circus animal who attempts to end the abuse is often killed as a result. In the chaos of the circus animal trying to break free from this cruelty, before he/she is killed by indifferent individuals, at least for one brief moment, the animal’s only comfort is that he/she was finally free and died

fighting back.

Slide 7:

• Do not attend shows, circuses, animal races or amusement parks that exploit animals. Most children love animals and enjoy seeing them whenever they can. Explain to your family members why you choose not to support these forms of cruelty.

• • If you wish to enjoy a circus, support non-animal circuses instead. Tell your friends and family not to go to animal-based circus. Remind them that circus animals are not volunteers.

• Slide 8:

Please help end this cruel form of animal slavery. These animals are not meant for this inhumane lifestyle of abuse, torture, humiliation, mockery and prolonged suffering. Please stop this cruel form of “entertainment” from ruining any more innocent lives…