Signs around Janesville this week advertise "the biggest and best circus ever at the Rock County Fairgrounds."

But where many people see fun family entertainment, Les Blumreich sees cruelty. To her, the best circus ever wouldn't include elephants, tigers and monkeys.

"Circuses are one of the absolute most abusive things you can do with animals," she said.

For the past few years, Blumreich has helped organize a protest of the circus in Janesville with the Wisconsin Animal Education Network.
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"These elephants and the animals who are in these acts, these shows, they're treated like people," said Greg Thompson, circus promotions director. "Mr. Carden refers to the elephants as his kids."

But Blumreich said no parent would get away with treating his child the way the circus treats animals.

"They're getting elephants to dance around like people, and they wear silly costumes and then they have tigers jumping through hoops of fire," she said. "How many of your children do you have jumping through fire? You're not going to keep them in cages."

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full story:
http://www.gazetteextra.com/circus053007.asp