CONSERVATION

Our commitment to Endangered Species:
In addition to providing a healthy, safe and secure environment where humans and animals live and work together in partnership, Carson & Barnes Circus is deeply involved in the conservation of exotic species. As we enter a new millennium and our awareness of the interdependence between the human and animal species grows, our teamwork with performing animals becomes even more instructive. Carson & Barnes Circus will continue our commitment to save our endangered friends and also do our part to educate young children for their commitment.

Endangered Species:
There are representatives of a number of threatened or endangered species in our animal menagerie. All of the Carson & Barnes Circus animals were either acquired prior to the 1975 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) or the Endangered Species Act, which prohibits the taking of animals from the wild, or were born here in the United States.

Independent studies have shown that the public display of animals heightens public awareness of the animals and of our responsibility for their well being and protection. This is especially true for children, who not only become more aware of the animals and their special needs and abilities, but also experience firsthand the importance of caring for and respecting all animals. Please read studies done by Dr. Ted Friend, Texas A&M, At http://www.elsevier.nl/inca/publications/store/5/0/3/3/0/1/index.htt Choose 1999, volume 64, no. 3 (pages 213-225) 1999, volume 62 no. 1 (pages 73-88) and visit http://animalscience.tamu.edu/ansc/behavior/researchprog.html

Another study by Dr. Martha Kiley-Worthington, one of the world's foremost animal behavior experts, commissioned by the Royal Society for the Protection of Animals, revealed that circus animals are healthier and live longer that either animals in the wild or in zoos. She believes that current efforts by animal extremists to ban circuses with animals does not serve the animals best interests. http://www.polbox.com/k/kiley

Endangered Ark Foundation:
Carson & Barnes Circus is directly helping the endangered Asian elephant through the Endangered Ark Foundation. http://www.endangeredarkfoundation.com

Located in Choctaw County, Oklahoma, this facility is dedicated to the conservation, breeding and scientific study of the Asian elephant. It allows us to share knowledge gained there with veterinary and scientific communities worldwide. It was founded in 1993 by the Miller family as a way of giving something back to our animal friends.