There is an enmorous amount of animal cruelty evidence displayed throughout the web, in form of photos, videos, and eye witness testimony, which shows the inhumane mistreatment of animals by circuses. The lives of circus animals are wasted on the road and ultimatley die of pain and sickness caused by the overwhelming amount of stress inflicted by beatings, exhausting performances, 20 hour lockdowns in cages and being chained to a wall. Elephants do not naturally stand on stools or do the other tricks they perform in circuses. Trainers use a bull-hook, which is a handle used to hit, and even beat, the elephant while they are chained and helpless. Even baby elephants suffer during training for circus tricks. In the wild, baby elephants would be protected by mothers, aunts, grandmothers and sisters. Herds of female elephants co-operate to raise and protect the young elephants. That is why fear and pain are used to force them to over-come their natural instincts and perform the unnatural behaviours or ‘tricks’.   Animals in circuses spend much of their lives traveling in trains or trucks - as many as 20 hours at a time confined in small spaces, standing for long hours in their own waste. Circus elephants are often chained by one or two legs when not performing.   Animals in circuses are also forced to live lives filled with stress, fear, physical discomfort and pain. Confined and mistreated animals are dangerous and unpredictable. Circus animals, especially elephants, have apparently been driven mad by the extreme misery of their lives.   I urge everyone to please sign my petition, so that Laredo, Texas may join the 37 countries and 47 U.S cities, who have banned the use of animals for entertainment purposes.