Circus
of Pain
Walker
Brothers Circus comes to Saugerties embroiled in controversy
by Erica Freudenberger
It
can truly be said: Men are the devils of the earth, and the animals are
the tormented souls.
-Arthur
Schopenhauer
Running away to join the circus is the stuff that myths are made of. Lured
by the promise of a life of excitement walking the tightrope, flying in
the air with the greatest of ease or piling out of a clown car, many a
young person may, at one time or another, consider leaving their home
for a more nomadic way of life. Residents of Saugerties won't have to
run very far, because the Walker Brothers Circus is coming to Cantine
Field next Monday and Tuesday night, when entertainment will take place
"... under a beautiful candy striped red and yellow Big Top, with
happy animals, clowns, pretty girls, aerialists, jugglers, illusionists
and much more," according to their press release.
"It's the only form of entertainment that has never been censored,"
said Dale Longmire, spokesclown for Walker Brothers Circus and retired
Ringling Brothers clown, proudly.
Perhaps. But this circus has recently been fined by the USDA for mistreatment
of animals. And according to Matt Rossell - the current Northwest Outreach
Coordinator for In Defense of Animals, and former undercover animal investigator
for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) who spent a month
working for Walker Brothers Circus - drug addiction, alcoholism and communicable
diseases riddle the organization.
Indeed, the circus coming to town may not quite be the sort of family
fun attendees have bargained for.
On March 29, 2004 Walker Brothers Circus, along with the Hawthorn Corporation,
from which it leased its elephants, settled with the United States Department
of Agriculture (USDA) on multiple counts of violating the Animal Welfare
Act (AWA). "They have been charged with causing physical harm and
discomfort, failing to provide veterinary care to an emaciated elephant,
to an elephant suffering from severe chemical burns, and a bacterial infection,
and several elephants had potentially deadly foot problems," said
Debbie Leahy, director of captive animals and entertainment issues at
PETA. "They were also charged with unsafe public contact, and operating
without a USDA public exhibitor's license - a license to exhibit animals
under the Animal Welfare Act. It excludes horses, ponies and cold-blooded
animals. Horses and ponies are among the most mistreated animals in circuses,
but they are not protected by the federal Animal Welfare Act."
"Obviously, Animal Care found items of noncompliance with Walker
Brothers Circus," explained Darby Holladay, a spokesperson at USDA
headquarters. "That went to the administrative law court of the USDA.
The USDA is responsible for bringing the charges and finding the facts,
and Walker Brothers has the right to defend themselves. They could either
admit guilt, fight all the charges, or settle."
John N. Caudill Jr. (also known as "John Walker," owner of Walker
Brothers Circus), John N. Caudill III (also known as "John John"
and "Johnny Walker III"), and the Walker Brothers Circus, Inc.
chose to settle. "Those were very serious violations of the Animal
Welfare Act," said Holladay, "and Walker Brothers will have
to pay a fine. One of the reasons they chose settlement is so they wouldn't
have been found guilty."
Walker Brothers were assessed a civil penalty of $25,000, $20,000 of which
is to be paid in three installments: the first two of $5,000 must be received
on or before June 30, 2004 and September 30, 2004 and the final $10,000
installment by December 15, 2004. The remaining $5,000 was paid at the
time of the settlement.
This is not the first time Walker Brothers Circus has been cited with
violations. On March 21, 1997, their AWA license was suspended for a similar
litany of violations. Although the license has not, to date, been renewed,
the settlement requires that should their public exhibitor's license be
reinstated, it would be immediately suspended for another five years.
"Obviously, I'm not aware of that," said Greg Chorvas, superintendent
of Saugerties parks, buildings and recreation. "Last year [when Walker
Brothers Circus came to town], someone from the state came, from state
agriculture or one of the safety divisions from Rennselaer or Columbia
County, to inspect. He had given me a heads-up that he was going to do
this."
The investigator sent by the state to Saugerties last year found several
items that needed correcting. "I know one issue was the barriers
on the elevated bleachers," said Chorvas, who explained that bleachers
over five feet high have to have protective fencing around them. "The
other was where the elephants came in, in relation to where spectators
were. There was also an issue of fresh water, even though we had supplied
a line of fresh water [for the animals]. That's where I remember the animal
issue. Those were all minor things that were easily correctible. He [the
inspector] was only here for three or four hours. Those were the three
or four areas that stick out in my mind."
Chorvas believes the inspectors will head off any problems this year,
pointing out that last year, "he was not going to leave until they
came into compliance. I know when the carnival was first here for the
Fourth of July, there were some issues that the inspector brought forth,
and they were not allowed to operate or open to the public until the issues
were addressed."
Should an unfortunate situation occur, Chorvas remains confident. "To
the best of my knowledge, they are licensed, and they have a $5 million
liability coverage. Rather than the town or myself having an issue if
they're not compliant, we can go after them for their liability insurance."
"They don't have a license right now," asserted Leahy. "They
gave up their license in 1997 because the USDA was coming down on them
for failing to provide proper veterinary treatment to elephants with tuberculosis."
Unfortunately for attendees, this strain can be transmitted to humans.
"This comes as a surprise to me," reiterated Chorvas, when apprised
of the USDA settlement and allegations of animal mistreatment. "The
violations last year were minor in nature. It seemed completely academic
at the time."
For now, Chorvas awaits the arrival of the circus. "I think they're
either in Poughkeepsie or Newburgh this weekend. They'll do a whole circuit
tour in New York state. I just can't imagine that they'd be operating
without the proper licensing. They'll be in the morning of or the night
before their first show."
LICENSE TO ILL
So how does a circus without an AWA license manage to continue to have
animal acts? "The way they get around it is they contract with other
exhibitors who have their own exhibitor's license," said Leahy.
The Walker Brothers Circus, according to Longmire, now leases their exotic
animals from John Pugh, owner of Clyde Beatty Cole Circus. Longmire claims
that Walker Brothers Circus has "not used Hawthorn animals since
2001."
"The ponies are owned by the show, the dogs are owned by Jennifer
[John Walker's daughter], the elephants and camels are leased," said
Longmire. "They're very well taken care of, and they are very well
housed. If the ground isn't in perfect condition, they aren't allowed
out to step on it. They are as important to us as the children are. They
have all their papers and certificates. They are all happy, healthy animals."
Not so, asserted Leahy. "Clyde Beatty Cole Brothers Circus is just
as bad as Hawthorn, and they have a history of abuse. The two elephants
are Tina and Jewel. The elephant trainer is Adam Hill. Clyde Beatty has
had a number of serious charges; in 2000 they paid $10,000 to settle federal
USDA charges of abusing elephants with bullhooks [long, wooden sticks
with sharp metal hooks]. Then last year, they were fined again, $2,750
for beating an elephant. That was caught on videotape."
But that's not all. In May, 1995, a pair of Clyde Beatty Cole Brothers
elephants went on a rampage in Hanover, Pennsylvania, generating $20,000
in property damage by denting cars and smashing a plate-glass window at
a Sears Auto Center. A few months later, another Clyde Beatty Cole Brothers
pachyderm duo went on a tear in Queens, crushing parked cars and triggering
a panic that left six people in the hospital. Earlier, in 1993 and 1985,
disgruntled Clyde Beatty Cole Brothers elephants crushed two individuals
to death.
When asked about the settlement with the USDA, Longmire denied that the
Walker Brothers Circus was involved, and said that only the Hawthorn Corporation,
a notorious company with a history of animal mistreatment incidents, settled.
However, the fact is that John N. Caudill Jr. and John N. Caudill III
of Walker Brothers Circus signed the settlement.
Longmire then said that all of the instances in the settlement referred
to incidents that had taken place in 1997. When it was pointed out to
him that the settlement details several instances in 2002 of mistreatment
of the elephant Delhi, who was rescued from Walker Brothers Circus in
2003 by the USDA and relocated to the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald,
Tennessee, Longmire responded, "Why are you asking me this? I'm trying
to give you a nice story about the circus."
INTRUDER ALERT
The Walker Brothers Circus represents five generations of circus people,
according to Longmire. "The present show is about 15 years old. It
is family operated, by Mrs. Walker and her son, John Walker, and his wife,
Catia," said Longmire, delineating the long, proud circus heritage
of the Walker Brothers performers. "Her [Catia's] mother was one
of the famous Zacchinis. She was one of the first women to be shot out
of the cannon. Catia's daughter ... Sashi works the Liberty Ponies.
"Mr. Walker's two children from a previous marriage are on the show,"
continued Longmire. "Jennifer works on the aerial cloud swing, and
also has a wonderful dog act with dogs that have been given homes from
different animal shelters from around the country, who now have a wonderful
life in the circus. [Mr. Walker's] son is named Jason. Jason presents
the 'Big and Little' act, which is a large Clydesdale horse and a miniature
horse, as well as being an accomplished juggler."
And then there are other families, not necessarily related by blood, but
certainly by passion. "We also have Koko the Clown from Argentina,"
said Longmire. "His daughter, Elina, is eleven years old and was
in the competition in France for circus performer of the year. She is
an amazing contortionist."
Longmire said nothing about another onetime member of the Walker Brothers
"family." Matt Rossell came aboard while working as an animal
abuse investigator for PETA in 1996. "It was the tail end of the
summer, and the Walker Brothers Circus was headed back to Sarasota,"
he remembered. (Sarasota, Florida is where the Walker Brothers Circus
has its base of operations.) Rossell was following the circus from town
to town in order to collect information on two elephants that allegedly
had a strain of tuberculosis that could be transmitted to humans.
"I met up with them in Tennessee, and I ended up meeting 'Mrs. Walker,'
and during a short conversation of asking about the elephants, she hired
me to help set up the tent, and I kept working for them for a month,"
said Rossell.
"I was a tent worker," he said. "We were low class in the
circus hierarchy. The guy I worked with setting up tents said he had killed
somebody and was lying low. There are a lot of people with addiction problems,
a lot of alcoholism and drug abuse. I saw crack being used."
Animals are not the only ones affected by the adverse conditions of circus
life. "They do a different show in a different town seven nights
a week," explained Rossell. "It's a brutal schedule. We'd get
up at 5:30 a.m., set up the tent, work until it was up around 10:30 a.m.,
and then we'd have a couple of hours off. When the show started, the tent
workers did props. The show, after breaking it down, would end around
midnight. I was being paid $150 week. We got two meals a day, and a bunk
in a dingy trailer with people stacked on top of each other. They considered
that 'room and board.' I think for someone who is an addict, you barely
make enough to keep yourself in whatever drug you're addicted to. They
couldn't even afford a bus ticket out. There's no escape from the circus."
For Rossell, sequins, face paint and performing animals belied the real
world of the circus. "I saw a ton of stuff. I saw the elephants get
beat, I saw 'John John' [John N. Caudill III], the son who was running
the show and the elephant trainer. He was a brutal guy who had a real
bad temper. People basically avoided him."
At the time Rossell was with the Walker Brothers, they leased two elephants,
Lota and Liz, from the Hawthorn Corporation. Both Lota and Liz were still
traveling with the circus in June of 2001, as documented in the USDA settlement
brief, along with two other elephants, Delhi and Tess. "John John
would beat the elephants to the point that it was echoing in the fairgrounds.
You could actually hear the whacks throughout the fairground, and Liz
was crying out in pain. John John would use Liz to pull up the tent stakes
at the end of the show."
By June 2001, Lota was "excessively thin, with a protruding spine
and hip bones," reads the USDA settlement. All four elephants had
overgrown toenails and footpads, which can lead to degenerative bone disease
in elephants. At one point in 2002, Delhi was treated for a foot infection
by her handlers, who allegedly used an excessive amount of undiluted formaldehyde,
resulting in chemical burns. Those burns went untreated until Delhi was
seized by USDA authorities last November and relocated to the Elephant
Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee.
Rossell had originally gotten involved to monitor the health of Lota and
Liz, who, like other elephants leased from the Hawthorn Corporation, were
believed to have tuberculosis. At one point, Hawthorn Corporation recalled
their elephants, but: "the Walker family was refusing to send back
Lota and Liz, even though they showed signs of tuberculosis," said
Rossell. "TB is contagious to humans. At intermission, the children
are given elephant rides on sickly elephants. Children were having close
contact with the animals. To have an elephant sick with TB is grossly
negligent."
Other animals faired equally badly. Bears spent their lives in tiny cages,
only to emerge for brief periods of time to dance in tutus or ride jerry-rigged
motorcycles. Dogs were kept caged in roach-infested trailers, released
only for performances. "The guy who was the ringmaster also had a
dog act," remembered Rossell. "This guy hated children. He would
go out and do his little spiel, and come back where I was working on props,
and start cursing the children up one side and down the other just because
the kids were excited and were leaning in from their seats.
"You would think that people in circuses would have some sort of
liking for kids, but that's not the way at all," said Rossell. "I
just saw a whole bunch of burnt out, drug addicted, seedy people. Behind
the scenes it's just a whole different picture."
Once the locals are lured to the striped big top with free tickets for
kids, the salesmanship begins. Rossell explained: "Everything is
an up-sell." Whether it be peanuts, popcorn, cotton candy, programs,
elephant or pony rides, once they get the suckers through the gate, it's
time to empty their pockets, said the former circus infiltrator.
"Walker Brothers has a horrible history," said Leahy. "They
were stopped by the state of Florida a couple of years ago [1996] to stop
them from bringing TB infected elephants into the state. One of the elephants
that was the subject of these charges was in such horrible shape after
touring with the Walker Brothers for several years that the USDA determined
that she was in imminent danger, confiscated her and sent her to an animal
sanctuary. Her name is Delhi. She was confiscated last November. She was
in bad shape. She has irreversible degenerative bone disease, so the sanctuary
is just trying to keep her comfortable as possible, and keep her condition
from worsening."
For Rossell, it was a small and frightening victory. "I was at a
breakfast when they were trying to figure out who the PETA spy was, which
was a little unnerving," he admitted.
Concerned for his safety, Rossell was unable to visually document any
of what he saw. "I was really worried about bringing a camera out,"
he said. "I had been inside fur farms, factory farms and slaughterhouses,
but nothing seemed as dangerous as being with the circus. I truly was
their enemy, and if they found out, I would have ended up in a ditch with
my throat cut and no one would have known."
IF YOU STILL WANT TO GO
What should parents of kids who are excited about getting a pony or elephant
ride think about? "These animals are treated extraordinarily cruelly
behind the scenes," reminds Leahy. "There are two basic problems:
these animals don't perform because they want to, they perform because
they're afraid not to. The other problem is confinement, which is inherent
with life on the road. Those poor camels live most of their lives in the
back of a trailer. And there are dangers. We have photos and videotape
that show small children petting an elephant that has a human strain of
tuberculosis with no circus personnel supervising the contact. And with
Clyde Beatty's elephants, in five separate incidences, their elephants
have killed two members of public, injured dozens of others and caused
significant property damage. It's cruel and a danger to the public."
"I think it's important for them to know it's not entertaining,"
said Rossell. "The people at the circus don't even like children
and they're abusive to the animals. By buying a ticket and supporting
them, you're supporting one of the cruelest shows on earth, at least what
I've witnessed."
Or maybe not. "It's a wonderful day to enjoy with the family and
spend a day with the circus," said Longmire, the Walker Brothers
spokesman.
The Cantine Veterans Memorial Complex on Washington Avenue extension in
Saugerties will host the Walker Brothers Circus for at least four separate
shows on Monday and Tuesday evenings, May 17 and 18. On each evening there
are two scheduled shows at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. daily. The circus will
be located in parking lot "A" off of Small World Avenue in the
complex. Those attending the show are requested to use the Small World
Drive entrance off of Washington Avenue extension, adjacent to the Kiwanis
Ice Arena. Parking will be accommodated in the arena and soccer parking
lots. Children 14 years of age and under are free; however, they must
have a ticket and be accompanied by a paying adult, limit two children
per adult. Shows are subject to seating availability on a first come,
first served basis for each show. Tickets are available at the gate, which
opens one hour prior to show time. Advance ticket information may be obtained
by calling (800) 528-6577, or by visiting www.walkerbrotherscircus.com.
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