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Entzauberte Manege. Der grausame Alltag der Tiere in Zirkus und Tierschau.
Inhalt:
Einführung 7
Vorwort 14
Die blutrote Tierschau 22
Gefährdete Arten - in Hülle und Fülle 65
Unterlassene Gerechtigkeit 156
Die internationalen Delphinhändler 178
Die weltweit operierende Industrie 215
Der letzte Vorhang 360
Vorworte der
englischen Originalausgabe 377
Literatur 382
Danksagungen 386
Register 388
Fotonachweis 394
Einführung 7
Vorwort 14
Die blutrote Tierschau 22
Gefährdete Arten - in Hülle und Fülle 65
Unterlassene Gerechtigkeit 156
Die internationalen Delphinhändler 178
Die weltweit operierende Industrie 215
Der letzte Vorhang 360
Vorworte der
englischen Originalausgabe 377
Literatur 382
Danksagungen 386
Register 388
Fotonachweis 394
- GenresNonfiction
393 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
1 person is currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
William Johnson
5 books6 followersLibrarian Note: There are more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. This entry is for William ^7 Johnson.
William Miles Johnson (1954-2016; aka William Azuski) spent his formative years in the UK, studying ancient history and literature before dropping out of college to pursue a path on the open road. He travelled widely through the Mediterranean until a chance encounter threw him headlong into an unexpected calling — ecology and conservation.
Johnson went on to head an international conservation project to establish marine protected areas in the militarily tense Eastern Aegean, where the hostile powers of Greece and Turkey confront each other across a narrow stretch of sea, and where shadowy areas of the state apparatus appeared to have forgotten that the Colonels had fallen five years earlier.
Those experiences formed the basis for his first book, THE MONK SEAL CONSPIRACY, published by Heretic Books, London.
Hailed by critics as “A ground-breaking work of great importance” Johnson’s second book, THE ROSE-TINTED MENAGERIE — a history of animals in entertainment, from the circus amphitheatres of ancient Rome to the oceanaria of the 20th century — was published by Heretic Books in 1990, and was chosen as an Observer Book of the Year.
With introductions by Desmond Morris, Richard Adams, Virginia McKenna and Sadruddin Aga Khan, the book also features in-depth investigations into the international trade in dolphins, and animals used for military purposes.
With the title still in demand, Iridescent Publishing republished the illustrated English edition of THE ROSE-TINTED MENAGERIE in 2012 in ebook form: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008GE01X8
An outspoken critic of the failings of international conservation NGOs, a subject featuring prominently in his articles, as well as The Monk Seal Conspiracy, Johnson’s “End of the World” satire / black comedy MAKING A KILLING was published in 1996, its story centred around a life-and-death Earth Summit, held in the troubled Caribbean paradise of San Pimente.
To mark the 2012 Earth Summit II in Rio, MAKING A KILLING was republished in 2012 by Iridescent Publishing in ebook form: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0088CGHRM
Johnson subsequently turned his attention to more academic titles, with two Leiden-published titles focusing on Europe’s most endangered marine mammal, the Mediterranean monk seal, and its role in the history, culture and ecological decline of the Mediterranean Sea. MONK SEALS IN ANTIQUITY and MONK SEALS IN POST-CLASSICAL HISTORY were published by Backhuys Publishers in 1999 and 2004 respectively.
Of British and Yugoslav parentage, Johnson also writes under the name William Azuski.
Drawing on his years in Greece, 2013 sees the publication of TRAVELS IN ELYSIUM, a metaphysical mystery set on the Aegean island of Santorini (Thera).
“This extraordinary novel, part murder mystery, part metaphysical thriller, kept me guessing until the very last page. The intellectual duel between the troubled hero and his ruthless mentor is mesmerising. William Azuski’s treatment of the Atlantis legend is completely original and I have rarely read a novel with such a strong sense of place. The bizarre landscapes of Santorini and the daily lives of its people, both ancient and modern, are vividly evoked. Anyone who enjoys the work of Umberto Eco, Orhan Pamuk or Carlos Ruiz Zafón should try this book.” — Geraldine Harris, author, Egyptologist, and a member of the Faculty of Oriental Studies at the University of Oxford.
Further information available at http://www.iridescent-publishing.com
William Miles Johnson (1954-2016; aka William Azuski) spent his formative years in the UK, studying ancient history and literature before dropping out of college to pursue a path on the open road. He travelled widely through the Mediterranean until a chance encounter threw him headlong into an unexpected calling — ecology and conservation.
Johnson went on to head an international conservation project to establish marine protected areas in the militarily tense Eastern Aegean, where the hostile powers of Greece and Turkey confront each other across a narrow stretch of sea, and where shadowy areas of the state apparatus appeared to have forgotten that the Colonels had fallen five years earlier.
Those experiences formed the basis for his first book, THE MONK SEAL CONSPIRACY, published by Heretic Books, London.
Hailed by critics as “A ground-breaking work of great importance” Johnson’s second book, THE ROSE-TINTED MENAGERIE — a history of animals in entertainment, from the circus amphitheatres of ancient Rome to the oceanaria of the 20th century — was published by Heretic Books in 1990, and was chosen as an Observer Book of the Year.
With introductions by Desmond Morris, Richard Adams, Virginia McKenna and Sadruddin Aga Khan, the book also features in-depth investigations into the international trade in dolphins, and animals used for military purposes.
With the title still in demand, Iridescent Publishing republished the illustrated English edition of THE ROSE-TINTED MENAGERIE in 2012 in ebook form: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008GE01X8
An outspoken critic of the failings of international conservation NGOs, a subject featuring prominently in his articles, as well as The Monk Seal Conspiracy, Johnson’s “End of the World” satire / black comedy MAKING A KILLING was published in 1996, its story centred around a life-and-death Earth Summit, held in the troubled Caribbean paradise of San Pimente.
To mark the 2012 Earth Summit II in Rio, MAKING A KILLING was republished in 2012 by Iridescent Publishing in ebook form: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0088CGHRM
Johnson subsequently turned his attention to more academic titles, with two Leiden-published titles focusing on Europe’s most endangered marine mammal, the Mediterranean monk seal, and its role in the history, culture and ecological decline of the Mediterranean Sea. MONK SEALS IN ANTIQUITY and MONK SEALS IN POST-CLASSICAL HISTORY were published by Backhuys Publishers in 1999 and 2004 respectively.
Of British and Yugoslav parentage, Johnson also writes under the name William Azuski.
Drawing on his years in Greece, 2013 sees the publication of TRAVELS IN ELYSIUM, a metaphysical mystery set on the Aegean island of Santorini (Thera).
“This extraordinary novel, part murder mystery, part metaphysical thriller, kept me guessing until the very last page. The intellectual duel between the troubled hero and his ruthless mentor is mesmerising. William Azuski’s treatment of the Atlantis legend is completely original and I have rarely read a novel with such a strong sense of place. The bizarre landscapes of Santorini and the daily lives of its people, both ancient and modern, are vividly evoked. Anyone who enjoys the work of Umberto Eco, Orhan Pamuk or Carlos Ruiz Zafón should try this book.” — Geraldine Harris, author, Egyptologist, and a member of the Faculty of Oriental Studies at the University of Oxford.
Further information available at http://www.iridescent-publishing.com
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 22, 2011
THE ROSE-TINTED MENAGERIE is a surprisingly comprehensive history of the use of animals in entertainment. The modern circus traces its genealogy to the sordid and brutal shows of the Roman empire, the author writes. We all know about the gladiator battles and the mass slaughter of animals that occurred on Roman soil, which both entertained the public and showcased the might of the Romans over the rest of the natural world.
“Some of the beasts...rather than being butchered immediately, would be trained to perform tricks, and it is interesting to note that most of these were specifically designed to ridicule and degrade the animal.”
the text notes, setting a clear precedent for the circus entertainment empires to follow. We also learn the origin of the traditional circus parade: before the show began, the Romans marched around the circus amphitheatre, displaying unusual animals and human performers.
By the 1800s, religious Puritans almost destroyed the circus. They saw the sideshows, with their conjurers, magicians, and such as being an extension of devilry and witchcraft. In order to save themselves, circus promoters began to present the industry as “educational.” The author writes, “ambitious entrepreneurs...were convinced that by introducing exotic animals, the whole caboodle could be passed off as ‘educational.’” They often threw in recreated Biblical scenes, too, for good measure. To this day, even the most pathetic traveling animal shows and petting pens make staunch claims of their educational value.
And then, of course, there are the dolphins, those beloved clowns of the sea who have been captured and slaughtered innumerably ever since humans decided they were entertaining.
The movie and TV series “Flipper,”--which was, ironically, about a wild dolphin who befriended a young boy—sparked a craze for captive, performing dolphins and other cetaceans. Stated a former dolphin catcher who worked in South Africa during the boom years:
“After the Marine Mammal Act came into force in 1972 it became more difficult – you couldn’t buy dolphins anymore, you know, like sausages. Before ’72 you could go to the States and buy any dolphins you wanted to.”
We will probably never know how many dolphins died during capture, transport or shortly after being taken into captivity in these years.
The Oscar-winning movie The Cove brought the facts about dolphin slaughter in Japan to an international audience. The fishermen herd whole pods of dolphins into a secluded cove, choose a few cosmetically appealing animals for sale to marine aquariums, and stab to death the rest, turning the sea bright red. It’s a big business, and the international dolphin dealers prop it up with the big bucks they’re willing to pay for a “show quality” animal. Today, most marine parks don’t want to have anything to do with these “blood dolphins.” But not so long ago, dolphinariums once bragged about buying dolphins out of drive fisheries.
“Three years ago, Terry bought Sooty out of Japan, and at that time the Japanese fishermen were slaughtering the dolphins and if Sooty had not been rescued and brought into captivity, she would have been eaten as dolphin meat,”
the text quotes. Is it really so benevolent when you’re paying thousands of dollars to the folks who most likely stabbed Sooty’s friends, parents, mate, and calf to death right in front of her?
Yet, some dolphinariums maintain they’re doing the dolphins a favor by capturing them from the ocean. One trainer told the author –
“When I get a wild dolphin the eyes are blank, dull, far away, but when you start to work with them, you can see how their eyes open up, how they watch you, become bright and clever.”
Paging Marjorie Spiegel...
Through this book I learned for the first time, about vivisection experiments conducted on dolphins, often in military labs but occasionally in dolphinariums themselves. Research has long been a convenient dumping ground for animal entertainers. The author notes that in 1984, Ringling Bros. shipped four chimps to White Sands Research Center after the death of their trainer. Invasive studies were once done on captive dolphins, sinking electrodes into their brains to study sonar. NATO funded some of the experiments, which occurred in sites across the globe—including in the US. Are experiments like this still being done? Probably, but I doubt we will ever find out, since the thought of such a beloved species being vivisected would no doubt produce an outcry the researchers would rather not deal with.
“Some of the beasts...rather than being butchered immediately, would be trained to perform tricks, and it is interesting to note that most of these were specifically designed to ridicule and degrade the animal.”
the text notes, setting a clear precedent for the circus entertainment empires to follow. We also learn the origin of the traditional circus parade: before the show began, the Romans marched around the circus amphitheatre, displaying unusual animals and human performers.
By the 1800s, religious Puritans almost destroyed the circus. They saw the sideshows, with their conjurers, magicians, and such as being an extension of devilry and witchcraft. In order to save themselves, circus promoters began to present the industry as “educational.” The author writes, “ambitious entrepreneurs...were convinced that by introducing exotic animals, the whole caboodle could be passed off as ‘educational.’” They often threw in recreated Biblical scenes, too, for good measure. To this day, even the most pathetic traveling animal shows and petting pens make staunch claims of their educational value.
And then, of course, there are the dolphins, those beloved clowns of the sea who have been captured and slaughtered innumerably ever since humans decided they were entertaining.
The movie and TV series “Flipper,”--which was, ironically, about a wild dolphin who befriended a young boy—sparked a craze for captive, performing dolphins and other cetaceans. Stated a former dolphin catcher who worked in South Africa during the boom years:
“After the Marine Mammal Act came into force in 1972 it became more difficult – you couldn’t buy dolphins anymore, you know, like sausages. Before ’72 you could go to the States and buy any dolphins you wanted to.”
We will probably never know how many dolphins died during capture, transport or shortly after being taken into captivity in these years.
The Oscar-winning movie The Cove brought the facts about dolphin slaughter in Japan to an international audience. The fishermen herd whole pods of dolphins into a secluded cove, choose a few cosmetically appealing animals for sale to marine aquariums, and stab to death the rest, turning the sea bright red. It’s a big business, and the international dolphin dealers prop it up with the big bucks they’re willing to pay for a “show quality” animal. Today, most marine parks don’t want to have anything to do with these “blood dolphins.” But not so long ago, dolphinariums once bragged about buying dolphins out of drive fisheries.
“Three years ago, Terry bought Sooty out of Japan, and at that time the Japanese fishermen were slaughtering the dolphins and if Sooty had not been rescued and brought into captivity, she would have been eaten as dolphin meat,”
the text quotes. Is it really so benevolent when you’re paying thousands of dollars to the folks who most likely stabbed Sooty’s friends, parents, mate, and calf to death right in front of her?
Yet, some dolphinariums maintain they’re doing the dolphins a favor by capturing them from the ocean. One trainer told the author –
“When I get a wild dolphin the eyes are blank, dull, far away, but when you start to work with them, you can see how their eyes open up, how they watch you, become bright and clever.”
Paging Marjorie Spiegel...
Through this book I learned for the first time, about vivisection experiments conducted on dolphins, often in military labs but occasionally in dolphinariums themselves. Research has long been a convenient dumping ground for animal entertainers. The author notes that in 1984, Ringling Bros. shipped four chimps to White Sands Research Center after the death of their trainer. Invasive studies were once done on captive dolphins, sinking electrodes into their brains to study sonar. NATO funded some of the experiments, which occurred in sites across the globe—including in the US. Are experiments like this still being done? Probably, but I doubt we will ever find out, since the thought of such a beloved species being vivisected would no doubt produce an outcry the researchers would rather not deal with.
Displaying 1 of 1 review