On the February 25, 2005 10pm news, KCAL in Los Angeles aired a wonderful piece they call "Big Top Beating?"

You can watch the piece on line by going to the www.KCAL.com site. There is currently (Tuesday afternoon) a link to the video on the front page.

Or you will find it at: www.kcal.com/global/video/popup/pop_index.asp?ClipID=57748&LiveURI=&ShowCC=0&TargetAdsTag=Programming&CurrentPosition=0 

Since the above address is probably too long to appear in your email as a working link, you may need to cut and paste the whole address into your browser.

KCAL takes feedback at: news@kcal9.com

Please thank the station!

For those who cannot easily watch the webbroadcast I will summarize the piece:

Reporter David Goldstein tells us that an animal rights investigator has prompted a federal probe of the Carson and Barnes circus, and has  provided footage we are about to see.

We see elephants being trained to do tricks such as parade in a circle holding tails. One trainer is telling the other:

"When he starts squirming too fucking much, both fucking hands - under the chin, Boom!" The "Boom" is yelled as he demonstrates swinging the bullhook like a baseball bat.

We hear, "Don't touch him, hurt him! Hurt him, don't touch him. Make him scream!"

The undercover investigator, with true name and voice disguised, tells us: "People don't want to understand what you need to do to get these elephants to stand on their heads to stand on their hind legs. They are not natural behaviors."

Goldstein says, "What trainers do according to Jack's affidavit is inflict pain, sometimes with an electric prod, other times with a bullhook."

We see more footage and hear the trainer: "When he fucks around too much, sink that hook into him, give it everything you got. When you hear him screaming then you know you got his  attention. "

Goldstein, the reporter, holds and shows us a close up of a bullhook. He chops into a cardboard box, demonstrating how it would cut into an elephant's skin .

Goldstein tells us that sometimes the elephants get revenge. We see the  escape of an elephant in Honolulu, Tyke,  who killed her trainer before  she was gunned down - shot 87 times by police.

The founder of Last Chance for Animals (www.lcanimal.org ), Chris  DeRose, was interviewed: "Animals don't  stand on their heads out in the wild. They don't jump  through hoops -you have bears jumping through hoops, you have all these  animals doing these silly tricks. It does not happen in the wild. The  only way you can make them to do these tricks is by hurting them. It is   pure fear. "

We learn that Carson and Barnes have released a statement saying they  don't believe that any of what we just saw really happens, whereas the  undercover investigator tells us that this type of training is a matter  of routine.

When we switch back to the anchor, Pat, she describes the story as "an  eye opener."

No doubt this story opened the eyes of countless Los Angeles mothers  who might think twice about taking their children to the circus next time  it is in town. Once again I urge you to thank KCAL for their  extraordinary coverage and I remind you that KCAL takes feedback at: news@kcal9.com