We at The Nest recently had the opportunity to interview Abby McCormick-Foley, founder of the Animal Rights Club, about the upcoming Ringling Brothers Circus protest. Here’s what she had to say:

The Nest: When did you develop such a strong love toward animals?

Abby: I’ve always loved animals. But when I was in the ninth grade, I saw a dog being abused at the Gay Pride Parade and it really made me upset. I wanted to be able to advocate, get out there, and give these animals a voice.

The Nest: We understand that you eventually adopted a vegan lifestyle. Did the dog situation have anything to do with this?

Abby: No. When I first got involved in the circus protests, I added all of the demonstrators on Facebook, and it’s hard to still eat meat after seeing all of the things they post.

The Nest: Speaking about the protests, let’s talk about your club and the protests that occur in front of the Times Union Center. Who organizes them?

Abby: I don’t organize the protests. The protests are organized by Donna Reynolds, who is affiliated with PETA.

The Nest: How many people do the protests usually see?

Abby: There were fifty people at opening night last year.

The Nest: Tell us about what goes on at the protests.

Abby: We hand out leaflets and pamphlets, distributing information about what goes on behind the scenes of the circus. A lot of people don’t know or think about the cruelty. We hold up posters of pictures of the elephant training. Lots of people yell at us as they pass by.

The Nest: How do you react and what do you do when people yell at you?

Abby: If they yell at us, we usually just say, “It’s okay, it’s okay.” Sometimes people try to have a dialogue with us and we do engage in that. Others come up to us and make remarks like, “Do you have a dog?” or, “Do you wash your face? Well, that’s killing animals.”

The Nest: To be fair, they do have a point. What do you think about owning animals and having them as pets? Do you find that restricting?

Abby: We already have domesticated animals, which is terrible, but it can’t be undone. We can, however, put an end to the cruelty within the circus. We can stop taking elephants and other animals from the wild and stop breeding them. Wild animals belong in the wild.

The Nest: Let’s go back to the protests. How long are these events?

Abby: We protest during the hour before each show.

The Nest: So these are during the actual circus days? Does the Times Union Center allow this?

Abby: Yes, and it’s not up to the Times Union Center. The Times Union Center doesn’t own the sidewalk.

The Nest: Has anyone ever tried to interfere?

Abby: Donna Reynolds has a really good relationship with the police department, so they’re very lenient about the whole issue. They know we’re not here to hurt people, we’re here to spread our message.

The Nest: Have you seen any sort of improvement brought about by these protests?

Abby: Last year, we had a lot of people who said, “Thank you for the information, I’m not going to go next year.” We had a couple of people come out from the circus and say that they couldn’t stay any more because they were so disgusted.

The Nest: Let’s imagine I didn’t know anything about this and I approached you during the protest. What exactly would you try to do or say to convince me the circus is wrong?

Abby: I would offer you the information provided by PETA. I would tell you that even if the animals weren’t under any abusive training, they’re still not in their natural environment. They’re in the basement of the Times Union Center, which is the case for all their demonstrations. And in addition to that, the workers use aggresive methods to train the animals.

The Nest: Do you think the audiences in the circuses will die out?

Abby: Yes, I strongly believe that they will. There is a clear solution for Ringling Brothers to stop using animals in their performances. The Performing Animals Welfare Society (PAWS) has reached out to Ringling Brothers and offered to take and retire all of the Ringling animals to the sanctuaries in California.

The Nest: Do you have one message to tell anyone who is still on the fence about all this?

Abby: With everything that you do concerning the animals, you need to be aware of the consequences and of what’s taking place beyond your viewpoint. You need to do research then decide if it’s something you can be a part of and if it’s something you can morally support. You have to remember that they are living creatures and that they have feelings as well. To quote Jeremy Bentham,”The question is not, Can they reason? nor, Can they talk? but, Can they suffer?”

The Nest: Thank you for your time. We look forward to the protests and admire your passion for animal equality.

The protests run Thursday, May 2nd, at 5:30pm; Friday, May 3rd, at 11:30am and 6:00pm; Saturday, May 4th, at 10:00am, 2:00pm, and 6:00pm; and Sunday, May 5th, at 12:00pm and 4:00pm. Join Abby and let these animals’ voices be heard!