Where did Ruby live before she was taken to the circus, and what happened to her family?

Before being taken to the circus, Ruby lived in the wild with her family. Her family, however, is now dead.... they were killed by humans.

“Before the circus, I used to live with my mom and my aunts and my sisters and my cousins,” Ruby says. She drops the hay, picks it up, twirls it. “They’re dead.”
I don’t know what to say. I am not really enjoying this conversation, but I can see that Ruby isn’t done talking. To be polite, I say, “I’m sorry to hear that, Ruby.”
“Humans killed them,” she says.