To the Journal editor:

I am a proud, born and raised Yooper. I get to swim in the biggest lake in the world every summer, experience the spectacular views on top of Sugarloaf, and have hiking trails right in my own backyard

From listening to owl calls from my bedroom in the middle of the night, to counting salamanders in Presque Isle Park, to watching baby foxes on my college campus, growing up in the Upper Peninsula has taught me to value and protect the natural world and the animals that live within it.

This is why I am shocked that traveling wild animal acts are still allowed to perform in Marquette, most often through the Carden Circus. Wild animals like elephants and tigers suffer immensely in circuses.

The training methods often involve whipping, and jabbing and prodding with bullhooks to force compliance. In the wild, these animals roam for miles, but in circuses, they are confined to cramped, filthy cages that cause severe stress and make them suffer in their own waste. To make matters worse, many suffer from neglect and inadequate veterinary care.

Beyond animal cruelty, circuses pose serious public safety risks. There have been multiple incidents of animals escaping and causing injuries across the country, including an elephant in Montana in 2024. When these incidents occur, it’s often left to local law enforcement to handle the situation, putting both officers and the public at risk.

Wild animals can also carry diseases that can be transmitted to humans. This includes tuberculosis, a disease commonly carried by captive elephants and one for which elephants exhibited by Carden have repeatedly tested positive or reactive.

I am writing about this issue because I see a disconnect between the values I was raised with and the wild animal acts that are still permitted to come to Marquette. The truth is, circuses don’t even need wild animal acts to be successful.

Some circuses, like Ringling Bros., have already eliminated them, in part due to shifting public opinion. A circus featuring human talent — acrobats, gymnasts, and aerialists — would be just as thrilling, if not more so. Given how popular the Olympic gymnastics team was this summer, imagine seeing that level of skill live!

The city of Marquette has an opportunity to embrace modern, humane performances by passing an ordinance to prohibit wild animal acts in the city, as nearly 200 other localities in the U.S. have already done.