Young and old alike gathered Thursday morning to watch the elephants get washed, as the Cole Bros. Circus set up at the Polo Grounds on Moores Lane in Greenport.
Workers were busy raising the tent and then, two elephants, both female, were led out to enjoy a hose-down by members of the Greenport Fire Department, who brought a firetruck and crew.
The Cole Bros. Circus, held at the Polo Grounds on Moores Lane, is an annual fundraising event for the Greenport Fire Department — and shows are slated for Thursday and Friday at 5 and 8 p.m.
Watching the elephants as they enjoyed their bath, Greenport Fire Department ex-chief and event chairman Ken White said the animals were “majestic. And the tigers are beautiful. These are not abused animals.”
Despite a planned protest by a “a few”, White said the majority enjoys the yearly event.
“I feel it’s very evident that people and children love the circus,” said White. “Sales are a little ahead of last year. We anticipate 4000 to 5000 people to attend the two-day event, so I feel, ‘Why should a minority dictate to the majority?’ Many families would not get to see these majestic animals up close if it wasn’t for the circus. Which, by the way, has a lot of very awesome acts and performers in the two-hour show.”
Meanwhile, members of Long Island Orchestrating for Nature are planning a protest of the Cole Bros, Circus in Greenport, and on Facebook, have dedicated the rally “in support” of Marilyn Flynn, who was arrested last Thursday after removing two circus signs.
“The rally we are holding is an educational one about the animal abuse in Cole Bros. Circus, and we are asking that people come out and support Marilyn by continuing her mission to educate the public, not necessarily a protest of her arrest. While she is planning to be in attendance for one location of our demonstrations, spanning the month of July and from Nassau County to Suffolk), our mission is to educate the public on the plight of circus animals at these rallies,” Julie Cappiello, vice president of LION, said.
The educational rally will take pace at 4 and 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday outside the Greenport Polo Grounds on Moores Lane, on a public sidewalk, she added.
In recent years, animal advocates, including Flynn, have turned out to protest the circus in Greenport.
A request for comment to Cole Bros. Circus was not immediately returned.
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