WORDSCIRCUS, RODEO, ZOO, FIGHT…
Performance
- The Myth Of The CowboyHorse and man moved in smooth cadence. He patrolled the land with gunslinger grit, defending woman, child and cow from predators and gnarly no-goods. This valiant cowboy of America's Wild West… Cut. This guy never existed. Hollywood invented…
- Why I'll Never Be A Zoo MomSoccer mom. Backstage mom. No problem. But the day my son pleads “Mommy, can I go on the zoo field trip?” my answer will be no. I want my son to see animals. Just not at a zoo, where wild creatures devolve to abstract still lifes. But how do you tell a child…
- The Vick Files: Years LaterDogs were seized from Michael Vick's enterprise, Bad Newz Kennels, where the NFL quarterback helped electrocute, drown and hang those who underperformed. Pre-bust, fight dogs were killed. A landmark court ruling sent Vick Dogs to no-kill rehab. Can Vick's case set a new precedent for seized fight dogs…
- Tension Under The Big TopPeople rarely link the word slavery with animals in circuses. Most recall their kid's-eye glimpse of elephants on platforms and airborne tigers inside fiery hoops. Everyone is entitled to this innocent entertainment, right? Animals are part of the circus tradition. Take a closer look…
![Bound Babies: Circus trainers teach tricks by torture, KC]()
- Fatal FightsGypsy is found along Gaston County's main highway in North Carolina. Her right front leg is shredded. Flesh falls from her face, exposing teeth and gums. But the battered pit bull can no longer bite anyone. Her lips and nose have dissolved into pus. This dog with no face is a familiar sight to her rescuers. She is dogfighter's garbage. Her moneymaking days are over…
- Wired To Be Wild: Primates Are Not PetsTravis once worked in show biz, commercials mostly. But when Travis outgrew his cuteness, he moved in with Sandra Herold as her 200-pound “pet” chimp. One day, a visitor rubbed Travis the wrong way. As Charla Nash exited her car, the 15-year old chimp tore open her face…
- Tourist Beware: Bullfights & Blood FiestasBullfight posters adorned the town of Marbella, Spain. As testament to the country's medley of old and new, headlines promised a life-and-death saga starring female matador Christina Sanchez. Greg McMurry and Rhonda Gunner nabbed ringside seats to the fight in Puerto Banus…
![A bull slowly bleeds to death in bullfight, Kinship Circle]()
- Michael Vick In The Land Of Second ChancesMichael Vick lives large after negotiating an one-year deal with a second-year option. Oozing regret, he promises to “be part of the solution and not the problem.” I have never heard Vick talk much about the dogs. Is he haunted by a dog's terror just before electrocution…
- Welcome Back Michael Vick?Legally, Vick paid his debt to society for “conspiracy to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting enterprise.” But Vick is guilty of more than bad choices, as apologists contend. Hand him a mike. Sign him to the team. Still, you can't fix sociopath…
