I found and recorded the first 2 hours of the NYC vs Circus hearing.

It was worth the 2 hours out of my day to sit through the part I missed yesterday and to record it for future generations.  I was so happy to see the chair of the committee saying things like, “If you have to use tranquilizers and guns to keep the animals from escaping the circus, then maybe that should be an indicator that they don’t belong there?”

 

The timing of this couldn’t be better.  I have been pretty much gagged through our contract with Feld Enterprises, to not say what I know, while their cats were boarded with us.  Now that the last of those cats have died, I was able to have this read into the record by Mark G? of HSUS:

 

Big Cat Rescue has been the final stop for 21 tigers & leopards who previously performed in the circus.  We have observed these retired circus cats since the year 2000 and note that they always arrive fearful of people, especially those carrying anything that looks like a weapon.

 

We use long poles to pull waste to the side of the cages, and have to be very careful to never raise the poles near the cats as they flinch, wince, lay back their ears, run, roar or hide at the sight.  We don't see that reaction in cats who were not forced to perform.

 

We use operant conditioning, also known as reward based training, to urge our cats to do the things we need for medical or management issues.  We train consistently every day and never tell a cat "no" and never with hold food or punish a cat for failing to do the requested action.  As a result, the cats do it when they are in the mood, but that won't make them perform on cue.

 

We know from 16 years of daily observations of ex circus cats that they could never have been made to perform reliably in the ring if they had not been beaten, shocked, whipped, intimidated or deprived of food.

 

You know it is the case when you see the cats in the ring with ears laid back in distress.  Circuses know that people today do not want to see the abuse, so it can only happen behind closed gates and doors.

 

Please don't reward this abuse by continuing to allow circus acts to exploit wild animals within your city limits.  For the cats,

Carole Baskin, CEO of Big Cat Rescue

"Judge me by the enemies I have made."  - Franklin D. Roosevelt

 

Hi, I’m Carole Baskin and I’ve been writing my story since I was able to write, but when the media goes to share it, they only choose the parts that fit their idea of what will generate views.  If I'm going to share my story, it should be the whole story.  The titles are the dates things happened. If you have any interest in who I really am please start at the beginning of this playlist: http://savethecats.org/

 

I know there will be people who take things out of context and try to use them to validate their own misconception, but you have access to the whole story.  My hope is that others will recognize themselves in my words and have the strength to do what is right for themselves and our shared planet.  

 

You can help feed the cats at no cost to you using Amazon Smile!

Visit BigCatRescue.org/Amazon-smile

 

You can see photos, videos and more, updated daily at BigCatRescue.org

 

Check out our main channel at YouTube.com/BigCatRescue

 

Music (if any) from Epidemic Sound (http://www.epidemicsound.com) This video is for entertainment purposes only and is my opinion.  Closing graphic with permission from https://youtu.be/F_AtgWMfwrk