The circus typically draws hundreds of families to see elephants, tigers, clowns and acrobats. But the circus also draws a lot of people who protest it.
That's what happened over the weekend when The Cole Brothers Circus set up a big top tent in the parking lot of Shopping Town Mall in Dewitt. While families went inside the tent for the show, a few dozen people stood outside protesting.
Saptarshi Lahari, with the Syracuse Animal Rights Organization, stood in protest this weekend. Lahari says animals are treated poorly and don't belong in the circus.
"At the very least they could stop having animals in their shows. I think that would be a step in the right direction," he said.
The Cole Brothers Circus is on the road from March to November each year. Randy Hales is the marketing director for the circus. Hales maintains the animals are safe and well cared for -- that safeguards and inspections maintain proper conditions for both animals and people.
Cheryl Langworthy attended one of the shows this weekend. Langworthy is worried about what would happen to the animals if they were reintroduced into the wild.
"I know how people feel about the elephants, but if they've been hurt or domesticated, they're better off here than they are in the wild," she said.
After weekend shows in Dewitt, the circus moves on to Auburn for shows today and tomorrow.
Kristen Powers and Mike Carter contributed to this report.
