Wild animal circus drawing criticism

ST. LOUIS -- Wild animal shows, like one that will be touring Missouri later this summer, are at the heart of a battle with animal activists who want the shows abolished, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Sunday.

Critics of wild animal shows say the acts are abusive. But others say the more humane trainers in the field should be allowed to continue with their livelihood, for their own sake and for the sake of the partly domesticated animals. Wild animal acts are legal in Missouri, although the law banning cockfighting also bans bear wrestling.

Organizers of the Town and Country Fair in Washington, in Franklin County, have contracted with John Welde, a Florida-based breeder and trainer of European and Kodiak brown bears, to perform with his animals three times a day at the fair, Aug. 3 to 7.

George Meyer, the fair chairman who selected the bear act, said before he signed the eight-bear act, he called 10 fairs and festivals and got "glowing reports" about how well the Welde show is run and the animals are treated, the newspaper said.

Critics of the fair committee's decision say it doesn't matter how well Welde cares for his bears; the trainer is part of an industry that has been shown to use abusive training methods, to house animals in filthy and confining structures, and to dispose of aged, half-tame animals by selling them to trophy hunting preserves.

"I don't know how we can get them to see the larger picture," said Kay Kester-Oliver of St. Clair, who e-mailed Meyer to express her dismay.

Welde, 48, said his animals are domesticated from birth and would be in a predicament if their circus act was banned. They have no chance of surviving in the wild and there's little space for them in zoo.

The St. Louis Zoo is at the center of dealing with that problem. The Zoo operates a national database on contraception techniques and results to help other institutions control pairings and overbreeding, said spokeswoman Janet Powell.

At the Town and Country fair, Welde says, the bears will be separated from the public by a fence. They have a waterfall and a wading pool, and their performance area will be covered by a tarp. When they are finished performing, the bears return to an air-conditioned trailer, he says.

An agent from the Humane Society of Missouri will attend the performances, a spokesman for the Humane Society said.

But critics say all of the supervision cannot erase the stress and boredom the animals must endure.

"We have a world class zoo in St. Louis," said Jean Wall of Washington. "If families are interested in bears, they should take the children there and not to one of these traveling medicine shows."