Shocked and Amazed Net Freak Alert

Saturday, September 14, 2002

The American Dime Museum Says:
“Meet the Museum” - We’re Open to the World

A One-Time Evening Open to the Interested General Public
Absolutely Free of Charge

When: Wed., Sept. 18, 2002, from 7:30pm until 10:30pm
Where: At the museum (1808 Maryland Ave.)
Attire: Come as you are or dress as you will!
Fare: Absolutely, positively free (donations always graciously accepted and desperately necessary)!
Meet: Stupendous sideshow & variety superstars and your friends and neighbors!

The event opens the museum to friends - old and future - absolutely free of charge as a thanks for all the support of the last and present centuries!

“Our public is all that matters.”

Phone 410-230-0263 for additional details or visit us online at www.dimemuseum.com

posted by Scott "Unpainted" Huffines at 11:02 PM | Permanent Link

Investigation of circus commences after charges made at Scope show
By LOU MISSELHORN, The Virginian-Pilot
© September 4, 2002

NORFOLK -- A federal agency has launched an investigation of Sterling & Reid Circus after local police charged a handler with animal cruelty last month when an elephant was found beaten until its hide bled. The circus, which was performing at Scope at the time, has been the subject of abuse complaints for more than a decade, and at one point its operating license was revoked, said a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA investigation is the third in four years of the Sarasota, Fla.-based outfit, officials said. David A. Creech, 31, of Glendale, Ariz., will be arraigned today in Norfolk General District Court on three counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty stemming from the Aug. 23 incident. James Zajicek, 40, of Sarasota, the circus's chief animal handler, also was arrested and will be arraigned today on a misdemeanor charge of obstructing justice.

Someone attending the circus reported the beating to an animal control officer. An investigation by the officer and an outside veterinarian determined that the elephant suffered multiple lacerations. Police said a tool used to control the elephant's movements was used. Circus officials did not return a telephone call seeking comment. A spokesman for the USDA, which regulates the care of circus animals, would not elaborate on the federal probe, but agency records and published accounts show an extensive list of complaints against Sterling & Reid dating to the late 1980s.
In the late 1980s, the circus's former license holder Richard Garden was fined $12,000 and was suspended from operating the circus for 15 years for violating the Animal Welfare Act, USDA spokesman Jim Rodgers said. His son, Niles Garden, now holds the license, Rodgers said.

Humane society officials in California seized four undernourished horses from the circus in San Bernardino County in 1998. A handler pleaded guilty to abuse.

Since 1999, the circus has paid $8,250 in fines after two USDA investigations found evidence that the circus violated the federal Animal Welfare Act. Neither matter went to court. In one of the investigations, officials found that the public was not kept far enough away from the animals, the circus failed to keep adequate veterinary records and the animals' quarters were cramped and unkempt.

The circus has been cited for noncompliance with the federal law more than 70 times after spot inspections in the past four years. Violations include undersized cages, improper medical care and inadequate feeding methods for the animals. Circus officials were ordered to fix the violations or face further disciplinary action. Rodgers said inspectors give circuses time to repair problems and reserve investigations for severe or repetitive violations. ``As long as they've corrected things, we're not going to take any action,'' he said. Lisa Lange, a spokeswoman with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said the inspectors should take a harder stance on circuses that violate the law. ``There's no excuse for a circus to be written up for anything whatsoever,'' Lange said. ``Being written up should carry a fine right away.'' Sterling & Reid hasn't returned to San Bernardino since officials seized the malnourished horses, said Brian Cronin, executive director of the Humane Society of San Bernardino Valley. The horses' handler, a subcontractor working for Sterling & Reid, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of permitting animals to go without care and was put on probation for three years, Cronin said. John Rhamstine, Norfolk's director of civic facilities, said the city hasn't decided whether the circus will be allowed to return to Scope. He said he and city officials didn't know about previous complaints against Sterling & Reid. Normally, city officials contact other cities where the circus has been, then examine the circus when it arrives. ``Nobody brought it to our attention,'' Rhamstine said. ``But I'm sure it will be part of wider discussions.''

Reach Lou Misselhorn at lmisselh@pilotonline.com or 446-2287.

posted by Scott "Unpainted" Huffines at 1:17 AM | Permanent Link