Animals used in traveling shows and menageries are often subjected to severe abuse in order to force them to provide “entertainment”, especially at county and state fairs.
Rigorous training methods involving electric shocks, beatings, and food deprivation are used to force animals to perform acts that are unnatural and meaningless to them. Some trainers starve animals or surgically remove their teeth and claws.
Traveling zoos and petting zoos are bad news for animals and humans. They subject animals to the stress of transport, alien environments, irregular feeding and watering, mishandling, and crowds of strangers. Countless people have been sickened—and some have died—after contracting diseases from animals in petting zoos. Animals used in traveling zoos suffer both behind the scenes and when they are on display.
For example, The Zoo, a traveling animal exhibit, has been repeatedly cited by the USDA for inadequate animal care practices, including failure to provide proper diets, veterinary care, or environmental enrichment.
This needs to be stopped! Animals should have proper rights to a healthy habitat and a decent meal.
A little story for you all,
I went into an animal rights expo, and to my surprise they had a petting zoo. To my disgust I walked by and looked down at all of these poor animals more scared then they have been in their entire lives. Children so young grabbing them, and hurting them. I don't ever think my heart had broken so hard in my life. There was a miniature pony with his head buried under hay shaking. I couldn’t stay in the building without getting sick to my stomach. The amount of restraint it took me to walk away was unbearable. Everyone please find that part in your heart to understand what these animal petting zoos do. These people should be punished and sued for absolute ANIMAL CRUILTY!
