Clowns and Frowns : Entertainment: The circus comes to Ojai and Ventura. Activists protest what they call the inhumane treatment of animals under the big top.

A traveling circus of jugglers, trapeze artists, clowns and animals set up camp at the Ventura County Fairgrounds Monday--greeted by animal rights activists protesting the treatment of circus animals.

The Carson & Barnes 5-Ring Circus closed a two-day stop in the county with afternoon and evening performances in Ventura after performing in Ojai on Sunday, where it first encountered protests by Animal Emancipation Inc. members.

Activists continued protesting Monday what they called the inhumane treatment of circus animals. Three members gathered at the entrance to the fairgrounds, passing out leaflets.

Vickie Hodson of Ojai, director of the group, said they singled out Carson & Barnes principally because it was appearing in the area. All circuses cause animal suffering, she said.

“Elephants in the wild walk 20 miles a day,” Hodson said. “Here they don’t walk at all. The life is gone from their eyes. They are taken from their natural environment and kept chained.”

James K. Judkins, general manager of the Oklahoma-based circus, said the circus has nothing to hide and treats its animals well.

“We do our best,” he said. “The elephants, most of them have been here since they were babies.”

Jennifer Edgerton, who works as a clown, said the animals are well loved, and she could not understand the activists’ concern.

“I bet none of them has a pet at home,” she said. “That’s what basically these are.”

The Carson & Barnes circus, which annually tours 250 towns, was holding its first performance in Ventura. It came to town after a planned stop in Carpinteria was canceled because of a lack of water supplies, Judkins said.

‘We normally go into towns with populations of 8,000 to 30,000 because you are the biggest thing in town. In an area like this, so much is going on,” he said.

More than 100 people, mostly schoolchildren and families, showed up in the morning to see the circus being set up. Under the starry background of the big tent, they watched performers practice their trapeze routines.

The tent, which is 390 feet long and 160 feet wide, can seat up to 2,500 people, Judkins said. The Ojai shows attracted a total of 2,700 spectators, he said.

Nancy Loman, a teacher at Ventura College, said she brought her three children so they could see firsthand the effort that goes into running a circus.

“Children tend to see things after the fact and not know what goes into it. It is nice for them to see (the circus) unfold,” she said.

Emma Brown, 5, came with her classmates and said she could not wait to come back for the afternoon show. “I am going right after school. I wish I was there right now,” she said.

With 150 performers, the circus offers a wide array of acts, including jugglers and trapeze artists. The performers come from the United States and South and Central America, Judkins said.

Many of them said they have fallen in love with the thrill of performing.

Alejendro Padilla, head of a family trapeze and juggling act from Mexico, said he cannot imagine another life.

“It is a beautiful life. All the time you travel, see different people and eat different food. I like it,” he said.