When you think of the Michigan State Fair ( full name Michigan State Fair and Agricultural Exposition), you probably think of the rides, the food, concerts and exhibits of Michigan agriculture. While those items are at the 2008 Michigan State Fair (MSF), they also have a circus with no animal acts.

We here at Vegan Detroit Online commend both the MSF and Anastasini Circus for providing a circus without animal acts. We have to ask why both subject three elephants to 90 degree heat, cramped quarters, and total boredom to provide rides at $5.00 a person. Click to see the MSF 2008 Daily Events Flyer taken from their web site http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mistatefair/MSF_2008_Daily_Events__243620_7.pdf. A local group of concerned citizens had been monitoring the situation and noticed that for the first six days of the fair there were no elephants to be seen on the fairgrounds, suddenly on Thursday, a truck from Hanneford showed up with elephants. We were told by one of the circus employees the elephants were trucked from Sarasota, Florida to the MSF, a distance of roughly 1235 miles, in a truck with probably no or very limited time outside of the truck. At an average speed of 55 mph, this means the elephants wee in the truck for over 22 hours (assuming no stops by the truck, so in actuality it was probably well over the 22 hours). The minimal cost of transporting the animals one way from Sarasota to here, assuming the cost of $1.50/mile which is probably under estimating with the current cost of diesel fuel, would be about $2,500.00. As the elephants will probably return to Florida after the fair, the total cost of transport would be over $5,000.00. This means the over a five day period, the elephants will have to provide rides to 1,000 people for them to break even.

Now we get to the point of why this is a waste of our tax dollars. The MSF pays Anastasini Circus $32,500.00 dollars to perform for the 11 days of the MSF. The circus has to figure the cost of transporting the elephants into their cost. In our opinion, we can save roughly $5,000.00 by avoiding the suffering of poor elephants.

Notice in 90 degree heat the elephants only have a trash can with a hose running into it for water, they should have a better source of water in our minds at least a pool to dip the trunks into to cool off and get water.

Notice how bored the elephants are, they are tearing up the asphalt they are standing forced to stand on.

Here is a picture of the space the elephants had to roam, eat rest, etc.

Notice the circus employee with a bull hook to convince the poor elephant that she should keep carrying the people on her back.

In addition to the elephants, for some unknown reason they had a kangaroo that for $5 you could have your picture taken with. Notice how willing the Kangaroo is to [pose, there were three people struggling to get it to stand up.

Here is another picture of the kangaroo struggling with one of the employees, notice how the hands are covered so it cannot grab the person.

One final picture of the kangaroo in its spacious surroundings while waiting to be forced to have it picture taken.