Circus aims to counter protests with elephant seminar

"Lisa", one of the stars of Circus Vargas

By S.L. Salamone

August 2, 2000 Web posted at: 11:43 AM EDT (1543 GMT)

SIMI VALLEY, California (The Ventura County Star) -- The big top went up in Simi Valley this week, setting the stage for clowns, acrobats, animals acts and protesters.

Circus Vargas opened with two performances Tuesday at the Simi Valley Days site at the top of First Street, north of Highway 118. Performances continue daily through Sunday.

Protests from animal rights activists have become a regular part of the circus coming to town, any town. But in an effort to better educate the public about the animals used in the circus, animal trainers with Circus Vargas now offer a free elephant seminar at each circus stop.

"Animal rights people lump everyone into one big pile," said Chip Arthurs, elephant trainer with Circus Vargas. "It's my personal opinion that they're the biggest bunch of misinformed people I've ever met."

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A small circus, Vargas has only one elephant, a 31-year-old Asian pachyderm named "Lisa." The circus also boasts a mix of 16 Welsh and Shetland ponies, as well as a llama and a donkey in its acts. A petting zoo with baby sheep and goats also travels with the circus.

Lisa has been with the 32-year-old circus for about 16 years, and all of that time she has been under the care of Arthurs, a professional elephant trainer.

"I've been with the circus for most of my life," he said. "I met my wife, Diane, here. I've got my wife and my kids and I've got Lisa."

Lisa's day begins early with a wake-up call about 5 a.m. A cool bath is followed by a medical check, exercises and a brisk walk around the circus grounds. That's followed by another quick shower and then breakfast.

She performs twice a night for six minutes each show. She is never chained, tied or otherwise restrained and food and water are always within reach.

"I get Lisa up," Arthurs said. "I take Lisa through her exercises. I make sure Lisa is in top condition. She and I are together 24-7. Lisa doesn't do anything she doesn't want to."

The seminar was started about a year ago and is designed to alleviate fears the public might have about the welfare of the circus animals. Along with the care and feeding, the seminar goes into health and history of elephants. Printed information is also available for those who wish to get involved with helping protect animals.

The response to the seminars has been mixed.

"Different towns have different crowds," Arthurs said last week when the circus was in the San Fernando Valley. "It's pretty quiet in San Fernando. The population is generally poor. People want their kids to see the animals. In more affluent areas, we tend to see more protesters."

Arthurs' complaint is that people jump on a bandwagon before checking things out for themselves.

"Protesters make a lot of noise and raise a lot of money," he said. "And I've never heard of any of it going to actually help the animals.

"You can't force an animal to do anything it doesn't want to do," he said. "We don't have animals do anything they couldn't do in the wild. We have a bond with these animals. I've known Lisa longer than I've known my wife. It's like a marriage, the relationship won't last if one of the partners is being abused."

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