Dear Editor,

Another sad day in the life of America! I read with interest the article "Elephants perform for the final time at Ringling Bros" (Times News,May 2). I've never been to a real circus, but at the age of 4 or 5, while living in Bethlehem, my father took me to the train station to watch the circus people unload the elephants from the rail cars. The care and concern for those giant animals was unbelievable.Yet today the illustrious "Humane Society" chooses to strike again, just as they did on Labor Day 1998 at Hegins, Pennsylvania. I wonder if the protesters read the April issue of Time magazine which highlights how (without help of the Humane Society) the tiger population has increased to 3,890. Humpback whale numbers are rising. The Indian rhino is up to 3,000, and China's panda is up 17 percent over the past 12 years! Are they going to take credit for that by saying they stopped the rich wild game hunts all over the world?My question to the protesters is simple, "Would you stand outside an abortion clinic and try to gather statistics from the doctors who exit after a day of hard work?"Mr. Protester, when you arrive at the Pearly Gates and are met by millions of babies crying, what kind of statistic will you write?Come on America, wake up!Richard M. GrossLehighton