Summer entertainment and animal cruelty

Every summer, I always make big plans. I mean, big. In the months leading up to summer, I frequently repeat the mantra "this is going to be the best summer ever!" I tell myself over and over again, "I'm going to travel, I'm going to meet new people, I'm going to have life-changing experiences, it's going to be AWESOME!" Yeah, it's amazing how quickly that turns into, "I'm going to work at Starbucks, I'm going to drink beer in my parents' garage, I'm going to drive a car without air conditioning, it's going to be AWESOME!"

Not only do I love the hot weather that summer brings, but I love its myriad of entertainment choices. Sitting outside with a cold beer, listening to live music, and attending outdoor plays are like heaven to me. Plus, the fact that NKOTB hits the road every summer makes me elated!

Unfortunately, there are a lot of forms of summer "entertainment" in which animals suffer greatly. Specifically, I'm speaking of circuses and rodeos. The circus rips animals from their natural habitat, forces them to live most of their lives chained inside of trailers that are trucked across hundreds of miles, and then forces them to perform under the constant threat of punishment. Circus elephants are kept in chains for 95 percent of their lives and tigers are kept in chains 22 hours out of the day.

From a protest against the Circus Pages:

Circus Pages has failed to meet minimal federal standards for the care of animals used in exhibition as established in the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has cited Circus Pages for failure to have records of veterinary care, provide animals with sufficient space, and provide animals with appropriate food.

The rodeo is also filled with animal abuse. Standard rodeo events include calf roping, steer wrestling, bareback horse and bull riding, saddle bronc riding, steer roping, and barrel racing. Electric prods, spurs, and bucking straps are used to irritate and enrage animals in rodeos. The flank, or “bucking,” strap or rope is tightly cinched around the animals’ abdomens, which causes them to buck vigorously to try to rid themselves of the torment. When the flank strap is paired with spurring, it causes the animals to buck even more violently, often resulting in serious injuries. Also, cows and horses are often prodded with an electrical “hotshot” while in the chute to rile them, causing intense pain to the animals.

For more information about rodeos (specifically, one that will be taking place in Michigan), you can read the letter I wrote in Between the Lines Newspaper.

Luckily, the summer presents us with a unique opportunity to fight animal cruelty. And that's by boycotting forms of "entertainment" that use animals and encouraging others to do the same. Paying money to see animals suffer is not only callous, but pointless considering there are so many other non-cruel ways to celebrate the heat.

And, hey, if you're really looking for something to do, come drink some beer with me in the garage and go for a spin in my AC-free car.