I'm sure you've all heard by now, The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has beaten its last tiger. The circus announced its farewell tour last week after 146 years of cruelty and abuse towards innocent animals for the sake of a making us laugh. I can say with the utmost confidence, they will not be missed.

We've all seen the pictures, the elephants standing on tiny pedestals, or standing on two legs with decorative ladies on their backs. They have jewels and blankets draped over them, big red circles on their foreheads saying "The Greatest Show On Earth!" Did you ever ask yourself how exactly they trained these beautiful, wildanimals to behave in such a way? They use bullhooks (sharp, metal devices that resemble fireplace pokers) and electric rods to beat, shock, and gauge the elephants.

They are quite literally beaten into submission.

Animals are chained up and crammed into crowded boxcars for incredibly long amounts of time. Virtually 96% of a circus animal’s life is spent in chains or cages. Such confinement has harmful psychological effects on them. These effects are often indicated by unnatural behavior such as repeated swaying and pacing.A lion named Clyde literally baked to death in the metal car while the circus crossed the Mojave desert. Baby elephants are wrestled to the ground and chained up for 23 hours on concrete floors to break their spirits. 29 elephants have died under the circus' care since 1992. Four of them being babies, including one who drowned in a lake after attempting to escape from a bullhook-wielding trainer.

The circus was charged with a $270,000 fine (the largest ever charged to a circus!) for violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act