A hundred years ago, an elephant named Mary was strung up by a crane and publicly hanged to death

Alafair

Source Alafair

A hundred years ago, an elephant named Mary was strung up by a crane and publicly hanged to death in a Tennessee town after she struck back at a circus employee who hit her with a sharp tool called a bullhook.

It took two attempts to kill Mary. The first chain placed around her neck snapped, sending her crashing to the ground and breaking her hip. The second attempt was successful. Her broken body was buried nearby. No monument exists to commemorate Mary, just this shocking image, which serves as a haunting reminder of the circus industry’s long history of killing and abuse. Mary was killed in 1916. Today, 100 years later, elephants still suffer in traveling circus shows.

Beating animals and driving them mad for tawdry human entertainment have no place in civilized society. While kind people hope such shameful acts of exploitation—like hanging Mary from a crane by her neck—have been relegated to the distant past, the uglier side of humanity still seeks to profit from animal abuse. One of those profiteers is UniverSoul Circus.

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Sample message, courtesy of PETA:

Given that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has finally ended its elephant acts, bullhook and exotic-animal bans are cropping up around the country, and other circuses, such as the Melha Shrine Circus in Massachusetts, are committing to going completely animal-free, I am writing to urge you to follow suit and make the compassionate decision to eliminate all animal acts from UniverSoul Circus performances. This is the perfect opportunity for UniverSoul to salvage its reputation by nixing cruel animal acts and highlighting the phenomenal human talent that your show has to offer. Please make the right decision and remove all animal acts from your performances. Thank you for your time.

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the past has passed
but our sins live on
for those suffering
in this world we
tread upon.
if we only look back
with a casual glance,
we will relive
evil circumstance.
so what we do
is not to dwell.
but to put create
a little heaven
on this swirling
hell.
and so to honor
those tormented,
mistreated
neglected,
we will work until
ALL life
is respected!!!

Karen Lyons Kalmenson