Circus Elephant Abuse?

08/10/2009

Sara, the young elephant, and another elephant at a Ringling Bros. parade in Washington D.C.. Notice the eyes of the older elephant. PETA recently released a secretly recorded video showing Ringling Bros. handlers striking elephants on their ears, face, legs, and bodies. Copyright (c) 2009 Amy M. Mayers

There I was doing my workout at the gym, when I saw Jane Velez-Mitchell on CNN talking about elephants in the Ringling Bros. Circus– also called the Greatest Show on Earth - on one of the TVs. It’s not often elephants make TV news, so it caught my eye.

A PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) activist worked undercover at Ringling Bros. Circus as a stagehand for six months, and secretly recorded trainers and workers whipping their 11 Asian elephants and tigers. PETA sometimes gets a bad rap for being ‘extremist’ but they have a very large following and they’ve accomplished much for animal welfare. I was initially skeptical that such a major company would engage in maltreatment of animals, but as I read and researched, I became intrigued – and saddened. This isn’t the first major setback for Ringling Bros., as they’re the defendant in a 2003 lawsuit which just turned over to the judge. The ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), Animal Welfare Institute, and others sued them for animal abuse and neglect, interestingly not under the Animal Welfare Act but in violation of the Endangered Species Act.

The video – which is not a part of the lawsuit - shows backstage handlers hitting elephants with steel tipped bull hooks, which are routinely used in training. It's routine in circuses for baby elephants to be separated from their mom before normal weaning age, and hit with these same hooks. Some video was shot right before the elephants perform live, with the handlers hitting them with a bull hook on the face, ears, legs, and bodies. It’s not a gentle prodding to get them to move, the way a gentle kick in the ribs encourages a horse to move, but for no apparent reason the handler hits the elephant as it stands there. Is this just to tell the elephant who is boss? I don’t know. From my untrained eye, it certainly seems there’s no love between the handler and the elephant.

“Research from multiple scientific disciplines has converged upon the same conclusion: the experience and conditions of elephants in captivity are comparable to those of humans in similar circumstances,” explains Gay Bradshaw, founder and director of the Kerulos Center for Animal Psychology and Trauma Recovery and author of the upcoming book Elephants on the Edge: What Animals Teach Us about Humanity. In other words, as extremely intelligent and social animals, the mental stress elephants experience is akin to what humans would experience under similar conditions. Would we like to be beaten night after night and forced to perform? 

“I cannot make a statement per the legality, as its interpretation has to be made by a judge, which is currently underway,” says Bradshaw, who wrote a policy paper, “Elephants in Circuses: Analysis of Practice, Policy and Future” published by the Animals & Society Institute. “Morally, from what science and sheer sensibility tell us, it is reprehensible. We as a society cannot ignore what even science says: elephants and other animals are vulnerable to the same suffering as people who are also imprisoned, beaten, and  deprived of self-determination and their families.”

My mom recently brought my niece to the “Greatest Show on Earth” in Texas, and she saw picket lines of PETA activists outside, but in the show the staff went to great lengths to explain the care they gave to the elephants, and the conservation work they do. I also attended a circus a few years back with my kids. But I didn’t know about these issues then.

Amy Mayers, a writer, photographer and animal advocate, shot photos of Ringling Bros. elephant parades in Washington D.C., viewable here and here. What I notice most is the sad and broken eyes of the elephants. There are possible wounds visible on one of elephant's skin, which, contrary to popular belief, is thin not thick.

“Whatever Ringling says publicly, all of them -- Ken Feld, Gary Jacobson (the head of Ringling's conservation center in Florida), Dennis Schmitt (Ringling's vet), handlers -- they all admitted under oath what activists have been charging for years: Ringling beats elephants, chains them for long hours, confines them on trains for as long as 60 hours at a time and separates babies from their mothers years before they're weaned,” says Mayer. She attended many hours of the ongoing trial testimony as she could. “As someone involved in these issues, I'm thrilled they got this out there.”

Another interesting fact: Sweden, Costa Rica, India, Finland, Singapore, Austria and most recently Bolivia have all banned or restricted the use of animals in entertainment. Should the U.S. follow suit?

Some may ask what can they do. Here are a couple ideas to start. PETA's Ringling Beats Animals page lists several things that can be done, and you can write a letter to the USDA about the elephant video here. Please share your thoughts. What do you think of the video?

Comments

[Lorien House]

Recent findings about elephants indicate that they suffer a great deal from being in captivity, probably more than many other animals. Elephants are social animals forced to be mostly solitary in confinement, as Wendee notes. Additionally, elephants in the wild wander miles each day, and being forced to stand on concrete for long hours in cages contributes to the development of painful arthritis in their feet. Here in NYC, in recognition of the special nature of elephants, the Bronx Zoo is phasing out its elephant exhibit, and has stated that it will no longer have them at the zoo. I wish other zoos/circuses would follow suit, but hey, there's the profit motive to think of.

[David W. Potter]

Abuse? Yes--maybe not severe, but nonetheless abuse. Captured/raised in captivity alone is abuse. And love between handlers and animals? Not likely--rather likely it is 'just a job'.

I used to love seeing circuses, and took my daughter to see them when she was young, but I gradually changed my mind about them. Anything of that kind now, of animals being forced to perform for us arrogant humans, offends me.

And, Lorien, zoos and circuses also operate under the myopic old-fashioned mentality that animals are here solely to serve humans--well, Man, and then taken care of by women--still a patriarchal society, despite some progress. So, profit motive on top of societal inertia....

Those are interesting comments on the effects of captivity on elephants--thanks!

Good report, Wendee!

[Momma1]

Thank you for this information. Sad for these animals - and you look at the photos of parents/kids having fun watch the elephants -- they have no clue about the suffering they are watching. I wish Animal Planet would do an expose on this issue.

[Joyce Poole]

I am one of the expert witnesses for the elephants in the trial. Elephants in circuses = elephant abuse. You can read what I think about the evidence that I have viewed at http://www.elephantvoices.org/news-media-a-reports/102-news/662-joyces-ringling-report-a-testimony-online.html and http://www.elephantvoices.org/news-media-a-reports/102-news/660-new-footage-confirms-ringling-elephant-abuse.html

[شات]

Thank you for this information.

[Kim Hogan]

Thank you for your posting. Also, so glad to hear from Joyce Poole, elephant expert.
IDA (In Defense of Animals) is also a great resource.
The Elephant Sanctuary in Tn & PAWS in Ca are 2 licensed sanctuaries that are the safest, most natural places for elephants that have been in captivity (circus & zoo elephants)
Please help these wonderful animals: 1. Write to your city councils, 2. write letters to the editor of newspapers, 3. get the word out. 4. Ban zoos and circuses. Elephant abuse is NOT okay. Trainers are taught to "make the elephants scream with pain" so that the elephant will submit to the trainer. That is just one common method of abuse and domination.
IT is up to us to right the wrongs that we have committed against elephants. We need to help the elephants get retired to safe sanctuaries. PLease
look in their eyes. PLEASE open your eyes. PLEASE HAVE A HEART for Viola and all the elephants who need your help. Their life depends on you and me.

[Sandy Holt]

MOST of the animals used for "entertainment" are abused, especially the ones that were meant to be in the wild. These circuses and fairs that come to your town that have this sort of show, you can bet those animals suffered terribly and still are suffering. Most human are in this for the money and nothing more. Think of all the "research" labs which torture animals, all these Vegas shows, circuses etc all torture animals for the "entertainment" and the money they can make.......it is disgusting and sickening to see these animals treated like this. Go to Peta's website and look at that poor baby elephant being stretched with chains by his legs!!!! This is "training"???

[EVAN WALKER]

I im interested in sharks.My name is EVAN WALKER im evelen years old. I want to be a marine biologist that specailizes in Great White Sharks.

I am interested in all sharks and would like to see programming based on the investigation and study of sharks.

Thanks