Even as a child, I have always been a huge activist for animal rights and treating animals with respect and the proper care. I was 4 years old when my family told me we were going to the circus. I was excited at first, but then remembered I am terrified of clowns. When we arrived, the terror instantly shifted to something much more disturbing. I could hear the elephants crying out - in what could only have been pain. There were countless animals forced to perform, they had to wear costumes and paint and endure the loud roaring sounds from the crowd. Needless to say, I did not experience “the greatest show on earth." As we left, I saw protesters shaking signs everywhere and yelling, even though I was too young to read or understand most of the signs, I instantly felt guilty for leaving the animals behind, knowing they would be forced to do the same thing until they died or became too old or sick to perform.

Once the Ringling Brothers Circus announced their last and final show after 146 years, there were mixed responses on social media. PETA tweeted about the victory for animal rights activists, stating that after 36 years of protest, the Ringling Brothers will shut down in May. Similarly, Sea World has been engaged in controversy over the treatment of captive marine animals for some time now. Things only started heating up after the release of the 2013 documentary Black Fish that exposes the inhumane conditions the animals are forced to live in.

The animals used to perform in the Ringling Brother’s Circus include elephants, tigers, lions, camels, llamas and goats. Even though the circus agreed to remove elephants from the show in response to protest, ticket sales still plummeted. 2017 has already been filled with protests and has everyone being thoughtful about what is right and wrong in our society. Keeping wild animals in captivity and forcing them to perform has been an issue for decades, so the closure is seen by some as a small victory for animal rights.

After reading the book and seeing the movie Water for Elephants, I understood that life for a circus elephant is not a life at all. Though the story is fictional, it is a reality for many animals that have endured real life pain performing with the circus. Trainers use bull hooks, rods and ropes to “train” the elephants without any supervision. Once they are taken away from their mothers at a young age, they are beaten into submission and forced to stand for hours on end when being transported. Spending most of their lives in chains, they can never truly live a happy life.

The closing of Ringling may be the start of something new. Hopefully more organizations with captive animals will become further educated on the abuse and damage they are causing, and invest the time and money those animals deserve in order for them to be happy and healthy. Outside of the wild or an open space sanctuary, animals have no place. They were not born to entertain us; they were born to be free.

This is just one example proving how protest can truly create change. It also proves that where you spend your money can also have a huge impact. Ringling blames low-ticket sales for being a main reason of closure. If we are all conscious and consume wisely, we can change the world!