sorry I just had to share this cause it's a good outcome to a sad story

It's a wonderful end to a nasty story Abo! 

Abo I've been following the story of poor Anne - I was in tears when I read of the abuse she suffered at the circus.

Thanks for posting - what a good life she is going to have now

Love the magnificent social beasts.

Brilliant  Thanks for posting 

showed hubby today & explained the story (cause his head is fixed inside computers most of the time) & he was nearly crying. He has said we will be taking a trip to Longleat to visit Anne hopefully this year sometime

I rember Longleat had elephants up to a few years ago,they then sent them all to a park with better facilities in France.It was on that TV show "Animal Park".

It's fantastic to see her enjoying her life, I hope someone helps her with her arthritis and I wish her a happy and long life that all animals deserve xxxxx

Glad she escaped those nasty bastards.

I don't know much about this as an issue, though. Are all circus owners/animal trainers a bit suss at the way they treat the animals or is this a random case?

Karma as I don't read newspapers I didn't read the original story, there were tv news items about it also but I decided not to watch them as I was grieving a much loved pet and just couldn't take any story of animal suffering at that time, hubby told me the outline of it but I told him not to tell me any more.

I watched the One Show on BBC last week and the owners of the Circus were on it, husband and wife owners were visibly extremely upset at what had happened and talked of the hate mail and threats they and their families had received since the news broke. From what they said apparently they hired someome that they had no clue would treat any animal in such a way...there was a word they used for that person but I can't remember it right now. Not knowing the full story but seeing how the owners of the Circus were on the One Show I had the impression they'd made one helluva mistake in hiring one particular person yet they were having to seriously suffer the consequences of his actions.

Yes, you are correct YR - it was a Romanian worker they had recently employed who had been abusing her - I wont go into details as it's far too distressing.

Just so happy that she is out of the situation - she's is 57 years old.

Karma - I'd like to think that it's a one off case- I'm of the opinion that circuses should not be using animals at all. 

Karma - they are all like that without exception. I know this because of the 20+ years I spent being active in animal rights. Any AR website will give you the gen if you have a strong stomach.

The thing that really makes me blow a gasket is the fake innocence of the barstewards when they are caught. It's always a 'one off' and in no way the usual state of affairs. Well all I can say is that the AR movement must be the luckiest one in the world because every single time they have managed to get someone deep undercover somewhere, be it in a circus, vivisection lab, slaughterhouse etc etc they document the most appalling cruelty - even worse than the legally endorsed cruelty that those scum are allowed to dispense

Veggie I commend you for being involved in animal rights I really do.

I'm one of these people that care deeply about all animals but I'm just not strong enough to look at or read about cases of animal cruelty - it just upsets me so much.

I can only imagine the horrifying things you must have seen.

Jeez I had no idea it was that well known to be a problem I can't stand animal cruelty, I find it extremely difficult to hear about it and certainly haven't got the guts to watch video examples of it, it completely does me in. So Veggie, I too commend you for the work you've done towards the cause.

How can anyone treat them badly? I just cannot understand that mindset. Again, I'm glad she's now free but a shame that she ever had to endure that crap in the first place.

I haven't been active for a few years now Miss S - I did get to the stage where I avoided watching stuff and reading about it as it haunted me. Trouble is, if you are on the streets leafletting, running information stalls and protesting then you have to know what you're talking about and that means having to absorb a lot of really awful accounts.

Everyone I ever knew who was involved in AR had a particular aspect of it that they found worse than the rest. I have to say that Circuses are right up there for me. There is absolutely not one argument in favour of them as can be the case with the meat industry or vivsection etc. And demonstrating outside a circus was always one of the most dangerous things that you could do in AR, the circus staff were violent thugs to the protestors as well as the animals

They're just sadists Karma. My mate Vikki got shot in the back when she was protesting outside a circus in the mid nineties. Thankfully the charmless oik (lion tamer I beleive) only had an air rifle but even so. Of course he never faced any charges

Good word - haunted.

When I see anything distressing involving crueltly to animals it haunts me - I have images in my head from things I've seen that will never leave me.

Karma - I cannot understand the mindset either.

Thankfully there are people like Veggie who work or have worked to bring this to the attention of the masses.

Bloody disgrace

I actually thought that no circuses were allowed to keep animals anymore - that's why I was shocked when I heard of Annie's plight - although they did say they didn't "make any money out of her anymore"

This is the circus that shot Vikki. The article is 10 years old and not about her but you can read about the sort of people they are. There are no shocking pictures and no really distressing explicit descriptions of cruelty in the text but it does show them for what they are

Oh of course there is the obligatory statement that their behaviour is a one off or words to that effect

http://www.independent.co.uk/n...s-circus-634322.html

What the f...?????!

Just read your link Veggie

Unbelievable

I'm the same. I would love to work in that area and would happily do it voluntarily but emotionally I just couldn't handle it. I donate to charities and do the daily click campaign whereby the sponsors pay for x amount of food, and I feel guilty that I can't do more (and cowardly), but I haven't got that kind of strength where animals are concerned. 

Even the RSPCA ads on the tele I have to turn over cos I'm in tears! I know they're staged but they are a realistic view of what those guys find on a regular basis. I know I also wouldn't be able to hold down my anger if I encountered any of the owners, either.

Me in a nutshell.

Can't watch the ads - I'm a member of the SSPCA and they send you material through every month - can't look at it.

Like you I donate every month to several animal charities and I'm always on the lookout for sick and injured animlas in the street and in fields etc.

I once thought I saw an injured sheep lying in a ditch - went to investigate and found out it was a bit of white tarpaulin

I'd love to be able to volunteer at a rescue centre Karma but I just couldn't handle it.

Oh God you're so like me! I thought I saw a squirrel lying on it's back and I got all upset and got my mum over but it was an old teddy that the dog had destroyed

I always think that something is better than nothing, though. So even donating a small amount to charity each month, promoting the WWF (world wildlife fund - not the wrestling ), no matter what amount it's still doing something to help.

I've got a rescue GSD, luckily he was treated really well by his previous owners, they just couldn't keep him anymore due to financial problems and it wouldn't have been fair to have kept him. I class him as my second son Couldn't imagine life without him, he really is one of my best friends on the planet. Have you got any pets?

Well I always think it's best to check anyway even we do make an ass of ourselves

Now  this is where we differ... when I was young we always had pets - hamsters, mice, budgies - and every time one of them died I was hysterical.

I cannot have any pets now Karma - the thought of losing them is just too much to bear for me. My husband would love a dog as he always had one when he was young - and I would love a couple of budgies again - but I just can't do it - the heartbreak would be too much 

I know that seems strange

Whenever I read threads on here about people losing their pets it breaks my heart. 

www.care2.com for anyone who sincerely cares about issues around the world whether animal or human related.

Thanks YR

Won't be able to read some of it  but like the donation clicks.

Me too! We also have a couple of gerbils (they're my sons 'bodyguards' - his words cos whenever I tell him to sort his room and and tidy it he swears blind they get the hump and start knocking on the glass telling me to pipe down )

It's not strange at all that you don't want to take any more on, more than understandable

I'm gonna bookmark and have a look over the weekend, thanks for that x

I'm a member there because of my interests  Whatever feels right for you Miss S is just fine xxxx

i couldnt read the story cos it was too sad

but i read the follow up-and the big girl looks like she's really smiling and having a good time-id like to open a greyhound rescue kennels-elephants would be a bit too big for my garden