In 2010 Viola was being leased out to perform with Cole Bros when she escaped her handler in Lynchburg, VA. She fell down a steep embankment hurting herself. Can you imagine the carnage if she had a bunch of children riding her. http://www2.newsadvance.com/news/2010/jun/23/plight_of_the_pachyderms-ar-320933/

With abuse like that I can see one of these Elephants running out and trampling someone...This circus should be shut down.They are a public risk..I can see the headlines now Joliet Police shoot Elephant.....

Amen to that!

I second that. Absolutely.

It's all good until your kids on one of thoes animals that go nuts. Then you will want to sue,protest to shut it down..I case you missed it.The elephant Viola already escaped her trainer....you can see the article..she was in dress this means she was ready to have kids on her to ride.....I believe in hunting,eating the food not wasting the animal..but to put the safety of kids and families at risk is just stupid...you don't have to be an animal lover to see thei ..ya just have to have some common sense....Would you take an animal beat it,use blowtourches on it,electric cattle prods then let your kid ps play with the animals?....You do when you take them to the circus...cause the abuse happens right before the show and right before your kids ride the animal....for your own personal pleasure not the animals...there is a big difference

Dking - what you wrote here is just as "trashy" as the people you say go to the circus. I don't want to see animals hurt either, but it gets on my nerves that folks like you are so classless and rude.

Uneducated lol yeah that's what someone says when they do not like the news they are being told....The knowledge about this circus is all over the Internet..Your stupidity because ignorance is when you do not know something and do it..stupidity is knowing and doing it anyways is what is the matter with this country...Tell me if your kids were on oneonpf these that you would not sue the crap out of the circus...You know you would, then cry and whine about how mistreated these animals are that made them act the way they did.lol...the facts,proof,knowledge,education is all right here on the same page you are on and care not to click the links and watch.lol that is stupidity buddy...My 12 year old seen that video and sid he did not want to go to the circus.with no guidance from me what so ever..he came in and seen what I was watching and mentioned the circus coming to town..I said yeah these are the elephants that are comming..He said he did not want to go cause he would look at the elephant and know how it is being treated...He wanted to go and confront the people..That's comming from a 12 year old that knows it is wrong to treat them like this for our entertainment...uneducated,your a joke....I can't help it you do not like the truth..your probably voting for Romney or Obama cause Ron Paul tells the truth too right?..lol

The USDA only has 104 inspectors/veterinarians to do physical inspections for over 6000 animal licenses a year. Unless there is a direct complaint the USDA may only inspect the circus once a year.
The circus industry is to exotic animals what Jerry Sandusky is to children, an Abuser. Whether the abuse is physical, mental or sexual, it is WRONG! When parents dismiss the circuses violations and this animal cruelty and still attend the circus they are no better than Joe Paterno who did nothing for over a decade to stop the abuse of children. It is morally, socially and ethically wrong to stand by and do nothing to protect innocent children and animals from any kind of abuse.

Now your just getting out there...with your stupidity buddy..yeah don't believe it go a head...I call it gods natural selection...people will just be stupid no matter what and stupid people suffer stupid consequences that others LEARN from....I use stupid people for examples for my kids...on what not to do....You can enjoy it all you want buddy. I encourage it..live like there is no tomorrow bud..cause your ignoring what goes on just so you can enjoy your entertainment...which usually ends up having bad effects and life threatening or ending experiences...That I teach my kids from...lol...No one said not to go. People only informed you what you were going to enjoy and how the animals are treated for your entertainment...People like you are the problem with this world..You only believe what you are fed through your news channels..when someone shows you facts and proof you call it a conspiracy theory...