The Emporia Gazette

May 27, 2012

• Headlines
• Sports
• Forums
• Weather
• Classifieds

• Help
• Log in
• Home

• E-mail story
• Post a comment
• iPod friendly version

THE CIRCUS came to Emporia on Wednesday, entertained children and adults and raised money for good purposes. Today, the circus has moved on. This would be a good time to resume the discussion of how the county should allow animals to be treated within its borders.

Last week, the county commission briefly considered a letter from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. PETA asked the county, as it has asked other counties and cities around the country where the Carson & Barnes Circus is scheduled to perform, to ban the use of bullhooks, electric prods and other devices used to train and control circus elephants.

The county turned down the request, on the very proper grounds that there was not enough time for the commission to study the issue, pass an ordinance and have the ordinance take effect before this week’s circus performance. Most certainly, the commissioners also had no intention of doing anything that might wreck a fund-raising project by an Emporia service club.

But it is not likely that PETA expected the county to leap to the defense of circus elephants — not right now, in any case. The letter is part of the organization’s continuing campaign against what it says is the systematic mistreatment of performing elephants by circus trainers. Carson & Barnes and Ringling Bros. are both targets for the campaign. The purpose of the letters is to make officials and the public aware of PETA’s allegations.

PETA is the most vocal of the animal-rights organizations. Over the years, it has gotten a reputation for stridency. At times, PETA’s behavior has given the impression that it is a group of lab-rat-hugging vegan radicals who care more for the comfort of animals than for the survival of people.

In spite of that perception, the organization has managed to win a number of battles to promote the humane treatment of animals.

The real problem with PETA and its activities is that, when the organization begins a campaign, the issue of whether people like or dislike PETA can overshadow the issue of how animals are being treated.

PETA has sent its letter to the county commission and the commission has responded. The circus has been to town and gone away, removing it as an immediate matter of contention.

What better time could there be for the county to decide to find out more about the treatment of performing animals and consider whether county ordinances are due for some fine-tuning?