Dear Diary,

Send out the clowns. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey announced that it will close down in May. The “Greatest Show on Earth” has run for nearly 200 years and will take down its Big Top tents for the last time. A home to daring young performers, Ringling Bros. has been in existence before the invention of cars and televisions sets, bringing exciting entertainment to folks across the country for over a century! It’s been around longer than Cats! Imagine your great-grandparents, spending a few cents on a ticket and some peanuts, seated to witness the wonderous acts of the circus. I remember when I was really little, my parents took me to see them. The clowns picked my father from the audience and the next time I saw him he was in one of cages next to the tigers. Pretty sure I cried. And thus began my irrational fear of clowns. Funny, I only grew more enamored of big cats. I remember thinking I had witnessed something truly incredible! Of course this was long before I became a vegetarian and impassioned by animal rights. I guess at the time it didn’t occur to me that the elephants and lions weren’t having a good time, or that there was any chance that they weren’t being treated well. I mean, after Dumbo learned he could fly, it made the circus seem like the perfect place for exotic animals to share their talents! Alas, closing Ringling is defintely a victory for the animals, but a loss for hundreds of employees. It’s always sad to see performers out of work, especially ones that rely on the beautiful spectacle of live performance. Hopefully the elephants will be treated well at their “sanctuary”, and not further exploited by the circus. And the lions and tigers (and bears, oh my!) as well. But you know what they say, “When one circus closes’ another one opens….*cough* White House *cough*”

xoxox,

Mad swan