Salt Lake 'Greatest Show' thrills thousands

The dazzle and excitement of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus drew thousands of people for its opening performance Wednesday night at the EnergySolutions Arena.

But the show also attracted about two dozen protesters who chanted, held posters and banged on empty buckets on the sidewalk surrounding the arena. The activists, mostly young adults, are loosely aligned with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

Elephants are the most popular reason circus attendees cite for buying tickets, said circus spokeswoman Melinda Hartline. The second most popular attraction is the tigers.

But it's the treatment of the elephants and tigers the protesters were concerned about. They specifically asked Wednesday that the circus take two elephants, Tonka and Luna, off the road and retire them to a sanctuary, said PETA lead circus monitor Jason Bayless.

Mistreatment of the animals, according to the activists, includes jabbing them with hooked rods and forcing them to stand for hours in chains. Such treatment makes the animals dangerous, they said.

The activists also spoke out against the use of animals as entertainment and said groups such as Cirque de Soleil were examples of successful circuses that do not use animals.

Activist Katie Patterson of Salt Lake City said she has always been against any form of animal cruelty.

The activists handed out pamphlets and booklets to circusgoers.

The protest ended shortly after the circus began. Hartline said afterward that all PETA had to offer was opinions while the circus has the facts: Workers sleep, eat, and exercise with the animals day in and day out, she said.

In response to PETA's claims of abuse, Hartline said that although abuse could occur, it is not tolerated by the circus. In addition, veterinarians are staffed 24 hours a day to keep the animals at optimum health.

Taking animals out of "The Greatest Show on Earth" would be a shame, she added. Many people only get to see animals at circuses, and for America, the circus is a family tradition older than baseball.

While Hartline spoke, two massive elephants were paraded down a nearby ramp, linked trunk to tail. A trainer walking to the side carried a spiked and hooked pole about two feet long but used only vocal commands to lead the beasts.

Hartline said animals in their cages can be viewed prior to each show by the ticket-holding public.