People often wonder, “How does Carson & Barnes Circus care for its animals?”

Here are the answers to frequently asked questions about this all-important subject.

Q: How does Carson & Barnes Circus care for its animals?

A: Because animals are an integral part of what we present to our audiences, Carson & Barnes Circus provides the highest standards of care to our animal performers 365 days a year. Our staff consists of animal experts who devote their lives to living, working with and caring for animals. They meet the animals’ physical needs with nutritious foods and regular veterinary attention and their mental needs by providing a stimulating environment. In all aspects of animal care and safety, Carson & Barnes Circus exceeds all federal animal welfare standards set by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the Animal Welfare Act. The animals are our “Stars” and are treated accordingly.

Q: What are the conditions where the animals live on the road?

A: We pride ourselves on the level of care and the healthy environment we provide for all our animal performers. Our animal facilities are outdoors and in the full view of the public. Each animal is groomed daily. The entire area is kept clean around the clock. We often provide guided tours of our facility for schools, animal experts and media.

Q: What are the traveling conditions for the animals?

A: Carson & Barnes Circus is the largest tented circus in the United States. Every traveling species has custom-made traveling semi trucks, and our traveling animals are under constant supervision. Our jumps are between 45 and 100 miles in length. Our trucks and housing facilities are routinely inspected by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and meet or exceed all federal, state and local guidelines.

Q: How much time do your animals spend performing?

A: An average day in the life of a Carson & Barnes Circus animal includes feeding, grooming, and play. For the most part, our animals spend most of the day eating, sleeping and socializing with other animals. Our elephants do not train or rehearse while on the road. Their performances last only a few minutes each day.

Q: How are the animals trained to perform their routines?

A: Our expert handlers watch closely as their animals socialize, then create routines based on natural behavior. We use voice recognition and rewards to encourage the animals to learn a set routine. This process ensures that our animals are relaxed when they are displaying their learned routines to patrons in an entertaining fashion.

Q: What happens to the animals when they are too old to perform?

A: Of the animals you see performing with Carson & Barnes Circus, some belong to us, and others join us for a specific amount of time and are owned by private individuals. When an animal reaches retirement age while living with us, they stay year round at the facility in Oklahoma where a healthy and stimulating environment provides excellent care for the remainder of their lives. Carson & Barnes Circus owners realize that animals are a lifetime commitment. Our elephants spend their “golden years” with our herd in Choctaw County, Oklahoma at the Endangered Ark Foundation, under the watchful eye of animal care experts.

Q: Is it true that animals, especially elephants, have a longer life span in captivity?

A: Indeed it is. In the wild, predators, hunters, and starvation due to a dwindling natural habitat, threaten the elephants. Our elephants at Carson & Barnes Circus are assured a lifetime of veterinary care, nutritious meals and clean, safe homes. Circus elephants generally live 62 to 70 years, which is even longer than zoo elephants. Some think this is because of the daily activity and mental stimulation of performing.

Q: At what age does a young elephant perform?

A: Calves born at Carson & Barnes Circus remain with their natural mothers or aunts until they are old enough to be properly weaned, usually around 2 years of age. For the 2012 season, a baby elephant will not tour with the circus.

Q: How does Carson & Barnes Circus feel about the regulation of performing animals?

A: We welcome regulation, because it protects the well being of all animals. There are many federal animal welfare statutes and state and local laws in place to protect animals and prosecute those who neglect or mistreat them. We adhere to the policy set forth by the NAIA on performing animals. You can read this policy here.

Q: How does Carson & Barnes Circus feel about local legislation banning the use of animal acts in some towns?

A: Sad, very sad. We believe that these bans are unnecessary and take away a treasured part of the circus experience that patrons tell us they support and love. (Fortunately, such communities are the exception, not the rule.) The circus offers an opportunity for a child to get “up close and personal” to some animals. One can read about an elephant, look at pictures in a book, or see them on TV, but until you have sensed the animals presence and majesty and come eye to eye with it, you don’t know what an elephant is!

Q: Do we have studies to support what we are saying?

A. Studies have been done by Texas A&M Animal Behavioral Specialist Dr. Ted Friend.

Another study by Dr. Martha Kiley-Worthington, one of the world’s foremost animal behaviorists, 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.

Caring for elephants is a 24/7 task. It involves attending to their needs for food, shelter, medical care, and attention to their individuality. Each has a unique personality.

Food:

Each elephant eats between 2 and 4 square bales of hay and 16 pounds of sweet feed each day. The elephant department by itself uses over 80 bales of hay and 800 pounds of feed per day. In addition, elephants love fruits and vegetables, and often are given these as treats.

In Hugo, OK and in Jefferson, TX we have our feed and hay delivered to us, but while on tour we must purchase it from local suppliers. Our local sponsors help in locating where we can purchase hay and feed. We always plan ahead and carry sufficient amount of bales of hay at all times to insure that we will not run out while on tour.

We make arrangements in advance to have water available for both our animals and humans traveling with the circus. We have a water truck that is filled up several times a day from a local water source. Our elephants are watered on a regulated schedule and are watered at least 4 or 5 times a day. If the weather is hot or above a comfortable temperature, the elephants are watered more often.

Grooming:
Elephants require daily grooming, not only for the performance but also for their well being.

Bathing and Skin Care:

On a daily basis our elephants are washed with a special soap that contains oil. The oil in the soap helps to moisturize their skin. At least twice and sometimes three times a day our elephants are brushed off in preparation for being in the show. We use long handled brooms to brush of the elephants’ skin. Note: the name ‘Pachyderm’ refers to the thick skin of the elephant (pachys: thick; derma: skin). The thickness of the skin varies from very thin on the inside of the ears and around the mouth to about 2.5cm. on the elephant’s back and head.

During our performance we have a parade of performers and animals. This parade is called “Spec,” which is short for spectacular, and in this parade some of our elephants wear ornate blankets and are ridden by costumed performers.

Elephants love to play in water, and as often as possible they are allowed to play in a nearby stream, pond, or lake. Most of the elephants truly enjoy these opportunities, but we still have a few who would rather not venture into the water. Like some humans some are a little water shy. Elephants are said to have sweat glands between their toes but they keep cool by bathing and flapping their ears.

The skin around the elephants’ eyes is very sensitive and we put a vaseline around their eyes to help protect them. We do this at least every two days or as often as it is needed.

Hair Care:

Sparse hair and bristles are found unevenly spread all over an elephant’s body. Most concentrations are around the eyes, ear openings, chin and the end of the tail. The amount of hair reduces with age and darkens in color. It is very coarse and tough. Often the hair is removed with clippers; this helps to prevent parasites from growing on their skin.

Foot Care:

One of the more interesting grooming operations we perform on the elephants is the pedicure. Each toe of the foot has a nail attached to the skin and not directly to the toe bones. We use a small power file to clean and file the nail. This is done every 2 to 3 weeks or as often as it is needed. Elephants walk on their toes, although they appear to be flat-footed. The ‘heel’ of the foot is really a pad of fatty and elastic connective tissues.

Tusk Care:

Tusks are actually replacement teeth that grow at the rate of 17cm per year and are composed mostly of dentine. Not all elephants grow tusks. The Asian male grows long tusks but the Asian female only grows tusks that are about 3″ long. Also not all Asian females grow tusks. Both African males and females grow long tusks however. The tusks are cleaned regularly and are sometimes filed down in order to protect the other elephants.

Health Care:

Our elephants are given a regular annual check up by our vet and if necessary are seen more often. In addition, special tests are run periodically to ensure the elephants are not infected with TB (which is obtained by coming in contact with humans that are TB positive). Note: It has not been proven that any human can be infected with TB due to coming in contact with elephants. The most effective test is a trunk wash. A saline solution is squirted into the trunk and then the elephant squirts it back into a bag. The bag is then sent to a lab where bacteria are grown. The bacteria are then tested for TB and show the results accurately to be positive or negative. Note: Not one of our elephants has been tested positive. We also take blood samples weekly, which are used to help with the reproduction program. The blood tests show when the elephant is most likely to conceive and helps to monitor elephants that are already pregnant. An elephant is pregnant for 22 months.

Education and Training:

Our elephants are only trained through positive reinforcement. We call this the ‘Dookie’ system. It is important that both the animals and trainers have a mutual trust. There is one care keeper for every three elephants. That care keeper cleans the elephants, feeds them, waters them, and is responsible for those same three elephants every day.

A relationship is formed between the animals and the caretakers, which is very important in the training process. You have to have trust between the two or panic will arise. If an animal is in a panic stage it is most likely that the animal will not be trainable. It is important to be calm, patient, and only use positive reinforcement.

Transportation and Housing:

The circus moves in the “cool of the day” (either early mornings or late evenings) to provide the most comfort for transporting animals. Each elephant is loaded into a semi-trailer truck with the others in her herd or group.

We use five trucks to transport 16 elephants. The trucks are equipped with ventilation and are cleaned out each and every day. Our average move is 60 miles a day, but for the most part we travel less than 60 miles. When the elephants arrive on the circus grounds they are unloaded from the trucks and are put in corrals.

The same electrical fencing that is used for cattle and horses surrounds the corrals. Our elephants are rarely chained. We provide an awning, not only for the elephants, but also for all of the animals, which helps protect them from the hot sun as well as the rain.

Here are a few facts about breeding of the Asian elephant.

Type: Mammal

Diet: Herbivore

Average life span in the wild: Up to 60 years

Size: Height at the shoulder, 6.6 to 9.8 ft

Weight: 2.25 to 5.5 tons

Group name: Herd

Protection status: Endangered

Size relative to a 6-ft man:

Females:
There are few available females capable of reproduction. Only about 35 female Asian elephants have given birth in the last 20 years in North America. Of the 29 female elephants in the Carson & Barnes Circus herd, only Isa has been successfully bred (Obert, a son) at the Endangered Ark in Oklahoma.

Males:
They are troublesome as adults, and when in ‘musth’ can be unruly and hard to handle. The Ark facility has specially reinforced pens for the two bull elephants, Tommy and Colonel. Tommy recently experienced his first ‘musth’ and is fertile, we are hopeful he will be a father to a new generation of Asian elephants. Obert still lives with his mother Isa in the baby barn at the Ark.

Gestation Period:
At 22 months it is the longest of any land mammal. Calves often weigh 250 – 300 pounds when born. There was considerable difference between the birth weights of Jennie and Obert, consistent with the normal variations between males and females. Jennie weighed in at 275lbs while Obert’s weight at birth was 340lbs. The babies are weighed on a special scale housed in the baby barn.

Breeding Process:
The opening of the female reproductive tract is located on the belly (not under the tail like a cow or horse) and male penises extend completely under the opening in the cow and then curve back into the reproductive tract to complete the breeding process. The elephant pen is designed so that there are not any 90 degree angles so that the male may not pin the female in the corner, after breeding the female is then returned to her pen. Attempts to artificially inseminate cows has been largely unsuccessful due to the interesting fact that unlike African elephant semen, Asian elephant semen is not fertile when frozen, making the process extremely difficult.

Size:
These characteristic creatures are often 6,000 to 8,000 pounds and access to monitor the fetus during development is difficult. There have been no successful caesarean sections performed and manipulation of the fetus in the birth canal is almost impossible.

Rarity:
Female elephants that have never calved don’t understand what is happening. First time moms need extra help and time to adjust to the baby after birth. This situation is complicated by the low numbers of births among Asian elephant populations in North America who have little experience with the birthing process.

Fertility:
Males are tested to see if they are capable of reproduction. Not all male elephants are potential fathers. Many females are incapable of becoming pregnant after their late 20′s if they have not been pregnant previously. It is not uncommon in elephant herds for a mother to hand over a youngster after weaning to an aunt or close female to look after, giving the mother some freedom after a long pregnancy and many months of nurturing her baby.

Timing:
A female elephant comes into cycle every three months for approximately 3 days and then is receptive for only 72 hours; blood has to be drawn every week to know exactly when the elephant comes into cycle. Knowing exactly when to put females with the males is not an exact science.

Genetic Pool:
The International CITIES Treaty, adopted by Congress in 1976, in an effort to maintain and protect endangered populations in ancestral habitats, prohibits the removal of Asian elephants and other endangered species from the wild and their importation into the United States. The stresses on habitat and space, poaching and unregulated hunting have severely limited the ability of native populations to maintain enough genetic diversity to survive. In the year 2000, there were 285 elephants in North America. Of these, only 35 are breeding females and many of these animals will no longer be able to breed due to advancing age. It is one of the unintended consequences of the CITIES Treaty that elephant populations in the West are limited in their ability to become self-sustaining.

Human Assistance:
Our learning curve is steep and we are becoming better at assisting in the process. The knowledge gained in elephant reproduction in the last 15 years is greater than in the previous 150 years. We are continuously working to improve elephant welfare. To this end, DR & Isla Miller started the Endangered Ark Foundation in 1993 to help preserve the endangered Asian elephant species.