Saturday December 29, 2012, 8:50 am
Wow, I'm bummed that the ASPCA paid Mr. Rider. This is a huge amount of money that could have gone towards an ethical fight to stop Ringling abuses. Do they expect that we will donate 9.3 million dollars to make up for their corruption?? What a disgrace.

Saturday December 29, 2012, 8:59 am
An important reminder that pity is not, as Apuleius pointed out, lawful. An even more important reminder that saying something three times does not make it true. Paying Rider was disgraceful. Clearly a re-evaluation of Ringling's is necessary.

Saturday December 29, 2012, 9:20 am
That money would have come in handy to help a lot of animals in dire need across the United States. Now that money will be taken away from those animals to settle this.

Saturday December 29, 2012, 12:42 pm
Something is very wrong here, and I blame to ASPCA for a complete botching of this suit.

Sunday December 30, 2012, 11:52 am
noted, thanks !

Sunday December 30, 2012, 10:35 pm
noted.

Sunday December 30, 2012, 11:58 pm
So, the ASPCA will pay out $9.3 million to a private company they accused of abuse, on top of the almost $200,000 paid for a plaintiff and legal fees? Do they expect to recoup this money from donations by us???

What went so wrong here? was it the ASPCA's judgment or the legal advice they got?

Monday December 31, 2012, 12:10 am
Do we continue to give good money after bad?

Monday December 31, 2012, 5:51 am

Noted....

Monday December 31, 2012, 8:01 am
Thanks

Monday December 31, 2012, 8:46 am
Hey, how did this happen?

Monday December 31, 2012, 8:54 am
WOW how dissapointing is this news.A blow to all animals in dire need.

Monday December 31, 2012, 10:29 am
They settled! But what a BIG disappointment to know that these animal groups were paying the witness also former employee of the circus.

Monday December 31, 2012, 12:43 pm
Guess what ASPCA & PETA are NOT who they pretend to be.. Just like the, CABOODLE Ranch . PETA & ASPCA sent in sick cats and destroyed everything their. AND EVERYONE BELIEVED THEM.

Monday December 31, 2012, 1:27 pm
i agree with Vera Taylor..how about those pictures with them mistreating baby animals?were they fake?i don't think so,,animals shouldn't be used for tricks..ANYWHERE!i won't go to ANY circus that has animals!

Monday December 31, 2012, 1:41 pm
Even a former R&Bros employee filed the original complaint against the circus, so, why is this the reverse of what would be compassionate and logical? Courts are such a risky place to try to find justice.

Monday December 31, 2012, 1:49 pm
Feld Entertainment is not blameless here. Although it looks as if the ASPCA lost its bearings in this case, that does not mean that Feld Entertainment is innocent of any animal abuse. See here: http://awionline.org/awi-quarterly/2012-winter/record-fine-assessed-against-ringling-bros

Monday December 31, 2012, 2:01 pm
Noted.

Monday December 31, 2012, 2:44 pm
There is something wrong when a charity has to pay these lowlifes

Monday December 31, 2012, 2:49 pm
No circus should have animals in it as it is not a natural life for any animal so see the light and take note all circus' which still use animals!!!

Monday December 31, 2012, 3:43 pm
I will continue to support the ASPCA but I feel that they were sadly used by this former employee of the circus.
This is just sad, especially when that money could have gone to the animals. I wish Ringling would settle on a lower sum if they truly care about animals.

Monday December 31, 2012, 6:50 pm
Absolutly appauling on so many levels, the main being what is a company that claims to care about animals doing taking that kind of money from the ASPCA! So many lives could have been saved but now it is going towards keeping animals abused in appauling conditions.

Monday December 31, 2012, 6:52 pm
My prior comment did not get posted hmmm? Could it be because I rightly called the ASPCA a scam? Will try again! Less than .10 cents of every dollar they get in donations actually goes to the animals in need. The CEO of the ASPCA make $500,000,00 per year plus little perks like a full time chauffeur and limo, god only knows what other perks he gets. Do not donate to this group, there are so many other truly meritricous rescue groups out there. Check out "red rover" and PETA may have once been a good cause, but they are also more flim flam and no substance! 95% kill rate at their shelters! As to the ringling brothers circus I do hope they use the 9.3 million fine and do true good for all animals out there!

Monday December 31, 2012, 8:20 pm
I agree with you 100%Vera.

Monday December 31, 2012, 8:32 pm
I am sickened that an animal charity such as the ASPCA has to pay this business any money. No matter what Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey claims ANIMALS DO NOT EXIST FOR OUR AMUSEMENT. This is wrong, wrong wrong. It's a step backward into the dark ages.

Monday December 31, 2012, 9:24 pm
Brigitta, the ASPCA is a business NOT THE ALTRUISTIC ANIMAL LOVERS AND PROTECTORS THEY VAUNT THEMSELVES TO BE! Again, the CEO makes a $100,000.00 more per year than the president of the United States of America. And oh does he have a lively social life/fund raising scam going, the ASPCA paid a shill to use as a witness. I do agree that animals artenot for our amusement, but neither should they be used by the ASPCA as a way of making money off of them.

Tuesday January 1, 2013, 2:04 am
Vera Taylor, you're making a lot of sense, and saying it much better than I can right now ... you've got my grama's name lol! Happy New Year Vera ...

Tuesday January 1, 2013, 2:07 am
A circus life is no place for any animal people ... just take a close look for yourselves at how they live...

Tuesday January 1, 2013, 5:02 am
Aren't thee videos of the abuse the elephants went through? This situation is really criminal.

Tuesday January 1, 2013, 6:17 am
Good News and Thnx Dianne :-)

Tuesday January 1, 2013, 1:07 pm
I used to belong to PETA and contribute to ASPCA. Stopped that a long time ago. I agree with Aurea.

Tuesday January 1, 2013, 1:26 pm
It seems there is something rather nebulous going on... Prior arrangements, maybe? Hope not!

Tuesday January 1, 2013, 1:39 pm
Noted. Maybe there were good intentions in the beginning. But somewhere, somehow the ASPCA, PETA, the HSUS et al.went completelyoff the rails. Sad, so sad.

Tuesday January 1, 2013, 2:29 pm
Totally disappointed by this, I have not supported either ASPCA or PETA for a long time now, Thanks Dianne.

Tuesday January 1, 2013, 2:30 pm
There should not even be a Ringlin Bros circus with animals Animals should not be in circuses anywhere Just to keep them for human entertainment and tricks is abuse in itself plus being confined They should be in the wild or nature reserves Until the law can see that this is cruelty in itslf no one anywhere will win any claims

Tuesday January 1, 2013, 4:53 pm
I WILL PERSONALLY BAD TALK RIINGLING BROS CIRCUS.!! POOR BABIES COULD NOT STAND THE HEAT, THEN GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN.!!!! ALL CIRCUSES SHOULD BE BANNED PERIOD.!!!! THEY HAVE PROOF ON VIDEO, MUST OF HAD A CORRUPT JUDGE.!!!! ALL OF THESE ANIMAL CHARITIES AND RESCUERS, MUST BE RIGHT ABOUT ABUSE OF CIRCUS ANIMALS.!!!!! THE USE OF BULLHOOKS, WHIPS, AND TRAINERS AND HANDLERS KICKING AND MISTREATING ELEPHANTS IS REAL.!!!!

Tuesday January 1, 2013, 5:07 pm
May Rider rot in hell. Along side with the circus "family".
As for the ASPCA...stop paying your CEO with my donation money! I want to see actual photos of this idiot out rescuing animals in the next disaster! I believe there are good people in the organization..but to make that much $ something is very, very wrong!!!!
We need to petition to have ASPCA come out with financial statement of WHY this person has "worked so hard" to deserve it!!!! Shame!!!!!!!

Tuesday January 1, 2013, 8:53 pm
The only thing this lawsuit settlement has accomplished is now Ringling brothers will work harder at hiding the abuse of the animals they force to preform STUPID tricks in front of unsuspecting people.If an animal doesn't do it in nature than they are being forced to do it.Elephants don't stand on two legs and tiger do not jump through fire unless they are scared of being beaten again!

Tuesday January 1, 2013, 9:00 pm
Wait a minute - a judge couldn't rule on an animal cruelty case unless it could be proven that a HUMAN was injured?

I'm pretty tired - did I misread something here?

Wednesday January 2, 2013, 6:07 am
Its always about the Damn MONEY, so the animal's live's don't matter at all!???
Shameful and discussing!!!

Wednesday January 2, 2013, 7:17 am
THIS IS WAY TO STUPID...THOSE CIRCUS PEOPLE DOOOOO ABUSE ANIMALS ...THIS WORLD IS SOOOOO ASS BACKWARDS...I WILL NEVER GIVE ANY MONEY TO A CIRCUS THOSE HUMANS ARE A WASTE OF SKIN..ASPCA SHOULD HAVE TRYED HARDER TO PROVE THEIR CASE FOR IT IS TRUE.. SOOOO TRUE !!!!

Wednesday January 2, 2013, 12:16 pm
noted

Wednesday January 2, 2013, 4:56 pm
Many people here have not understood this issue.

The ASPCA, HSUS, the Fund for Animals, the Animal Welfare Institute and the Animal Protection Institute United (all animal rights organizations, NOT animal welfare) want to put circuses out of business, but they couldn’t find any REAL and IRREFUTABLE evidence of abuse to charge them.

They did find, however, a disgruntled ex-employee who, for a handsome some of money, ($190,000) would testify that he witnessed cruelty. Smell the rats now?

So the big animal rights organizations filed a suit against Feld Entertainment, charging them with animal cruelty - a charge they KNEW was fabricated and false. All their claims were found to be false through surveillance camera footage, numerous witnesses, veterinary reports, and incriminating documents obtained from the animal rights groups. They lied: they lost; they pay. They pay with YOUR donations.

The charge was not whether it is ethical or not to use animals in a circus: it was to prove accusations of animal abuse, and it failed because it had no proof. If it was an honest mistake, the AR groups would have only had to pay court costs, but it was malicious lies and perjury, so now they have to pay a huge settlement.

I personally do not like to see ‘exotic’ animals in a circus. I know for a fact they are not beaten or abused (those days are over) and they are well cared for and loved, but I think circus tricks are beneath their dignity. However, I don’t have any legal or moral right to put the circus out of business because it offends MY personal sensitivities. I just boycott them, and support circuses who employ dogs, cats and horses - all of whom get a thrill out of performing and can enjoy far more freedom and companionship.

Wednesday January 2, 2013, 10:00 pm
I agree with Lynda, and it seems many members here did not understand what happened. Rider is an attorney for the ASPCA, not Ringling Bros. If I read this correctly, Ringling Bros. settled for a payment FROM the ASPCA so as Lynda said, this was a settlement made because of lies and made up allegations of abuse which hurt the circus monitarily and in other ways as well.

To those who are whining about the miscarriage of justice, if things had gone in favor of the ASPCA, I'm sure your comments would all be that justice had finally been done, blah, blah.

Wednesday January 2, 2013, 10:19 pm
Thanks Diane! Just to clarify though - Rider is an ex-employee of Ringling Bros/Feld Entertainment, NOT an attorney. He was a "paid plaintiff", prepared to lie to the court in exchange for money. He'll be paying all that money back, and a lot more. That's what I call justice!

Wednesday January 2, 2013, 10:30 pm
TY-Lynda I did not know that.

Wednesday January 2, 2013, 10:38 pm
Thanks for clarifying that, Lynda. It wasn't worded very well, but did come across clearly that this "Rider" was going to have to pay and it sounded like he was the attorney FOR the ASPCA.

Yes, when someone is paid to lie, they should not only be made to pay back money but fined and also found to be in "contempt" of court, which is a jailable offense. To me, it's like when PETA hires somebody to go "undercover" in a farm or slaughterhouse to fake abuse in order to prove accusations of animal cruelty. There's enough REAL abuse, so hiring somebody else to do it for a camera is not only just plain not right, but it removes credibility from the real cases. How many times can one "cry wolf" and still be listened to? It saddens me when this happens and then the real thing is exposed and I, for one, am suspicious and think, "oh, sure, here we go again!".

Monday January 7, 2013, 1:14 pm
This is strange and wrong! Did not see this coming!