Nothing Funny About Cruelty to Alligator

* “Travels With Big Al” (Aug. 27): That’s what your headline said, and of course I expected an amusing story to go with it.

There was nothing amusing in the story about the 1,100-pound alligator appearing in a tank under a trailer that travels from carnival to carnival.

People pay 50 cents to look at him. And what do they see? A creature spending its life imprisoned in solitary confinement for no crime other than being an alligator.

What do children learn when they see this? The lesson is that cruelty to thinking, feeling creatures is OK as long as you can make a buck off it or if it amuses you.

Carnivals and circuses should leave animals out of their acts. There’s no humane way to take a creature out of its natural environment and train it to do tricks for us.

The tone of the story was way off. “Travels With Big Al” wasn’t a cute story. It’s a grim commentary on human nature.

RENA DICTOR LeBLANC

Woodland Hills

* I am appalled at the thought of keeping such a large animal caged up strictly for our amusement. The cruelty of humans is never-ending. I cannot help but wonder if maybe somewhere in the galaxy there might be one of us on display.

RICHARD VINSON

Northridge