On the Other Tightrope

The circus is a place to see animals and humans in "a caring relationship," said Steve Payne, head of communications for Feld Entertainment, which owns Ringling Bros. "The circus affords children and adults opportunities to see animals up close and personal."

Payne said the 138-year-old Ringling Bros. is known for creating generations of fond childhood memories, not the undermining of children's behavior.

Many parents interviewed at the circus last night at George Mason University's Patriot Center couldn't agree more. Toni Porcelli, who was there with her 14-year-old and 10-year-old twins, said she had no concerns about how the animals were being treated.

"I would think it is very controlled and very well maintained," said Porcelli, who lives in Stafford County.

But for years, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has picketed circuses. The group has issues with the physical treatment of circus animals and the moral issue of using animals, particularly mighty and dangerous ones, for what it calls human subjugation and entertainment.

Ringling Bros. denies mistreating elephants, and during the circus's intermission, it plays a short film extolling its elephant sanctuary and training program.

The issue of whether Vienna-based Ringling Bros. is violating animal-cruelty laws will be debated in federal court this year, after U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan ordered that an animal-cruelty lawsuit filed against the circus by several animal rights groups and a former Ringling Bros. employee under the Endangered Species Act go to trial.

But the moral debate -- whether it's good or bad for kids to see circus animals doing tricks -- is a serious parenting issue to some.

"To see a bear ride a bicycle, it is ridicule. You're really just laughing at that bear," said Mel Levine, a renowned pediatrician at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who has written numerous books about child behavior and the way children learn. "So the question is: What's the message you're giving to kids when you take them to the circus and they laugh at animals? I think to laugh at animals is to devalue them."

And laughing at animals as they do unnatural tricks can transfer to human relationships and to the playground, Levine said.

"Why do we want an ape to act like a human? Why not have an ape act like an ape?" he asked. "There is an implicit message of intolerance. I don't think it's a long distance from ridiculing animals to laughing at other people. Then you have kids singling out and laughing at the fat kid. Or it can lead to racial intolerance."

For these reasons and more, Caitlin Hills's 19-month-old son, Cole, will not go to the circus. When his babysitter or class wants to visit the zoo, mom intends to say no.