Livin’ Veg

Former Elephant Trainer Blows Whistle on Ringling Bros. Circus December 23, 2009

The Washington Post published a fantastic article last week on a trainer named Sammy Haddock, a retired elephant trainer who worked with elephants in the circus since the mid seventies. In 1997 Mr Haddock was hired to work as a handler at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s Center for Elephant Conservation.

What’s so special about Mr. Haddock? After working with elephants for 30 years and growing more and more uncomfortable with the training tactics used to turn the creatures into performers, he spoke out against the cruelty. Mr. Haddock released private pictures of the training of baby elephants, spoke about personal stories in which the brutal bull hook was used to beat the elephants, and how the babies are torn from their mothers at an early age. Think Dumbo. That scene that makes people cry.

Mr. Haddock went to PETA with his story and PETA is using it as fuel to come down hard on the circus. Read the entire story here. It’s long but well worth the read. What I love about this is that it’s not an AR person going under cover. This was a man’s livelihood. And even he knew it was wrong.

India Frees Elephants. We Should Do The Same. November 17, 2009

Photo from the LA Times

The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) in India has declared that all elephants in zoos and circuses should be taken off display and sent to national parks, sanctuaries and tiger reserves ASAP.

Why did they reach this fabulous conclusion? They say the following in the India Times:

“CZA’s order is binding on all zoos. Elephants are large animals and require a large area to move about freely. The environment of a zoo can be very restrictive. The animals have great use for departmental work, eco-tourism, patrolling etc and a decision has been taken to send them to national parks and tiger reserves where they can be under the supervision of mahauts,” said A N Prasad, director, Project Elephant.

Obviously the CZA gets what so many zoos and circuses in the USA do not. Elephants need more space than these facilities can provide. So why keep elephants especially if many zoos (as they claim) have the animal’s best interests in mind? Because elephants bring in big money. To be fair, some zoos have phased out their elephant exhibit for just the reasons the CZA expressed. A zoo cannot provide a quality habitat for an animal of that size. (I’d argue they can’t provide a quality habitat for any animal but I digress.) For a circus, elephants are a main attraction and a large source of income. No way they are giving up elephants without a claws out fight with animal activists. How wonderful India has an organization like the CZA that can give a independent assessment of the elephant’s needs. I’m so jealous.

Ringling Bros. Elephant Abuse on Tape July 24, 2009

PETA has just filed charges against Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus for violating Connecticut’s cruelty-to-animals statute.

What did Ringling Bros. do?

…trainers and other employees routinely struck elephants with bullhooks, dug the weapons’ sharp metal hooks into the sensitive skin behind elephants’ knees and under their trunks, and whipped both elephants and tigers.

Circuses really make me feel ill. Carting animals all around the country and making them perform. No one can ever convince me that an elephant can have any quality of life while stuck in a pen, traveling via train and being beaten with a bull hook. I really don’t know how parents think it’s okay to take their kids to the circus for a day of family fun. Perhaps they just don’t know about the atrocities. At least, I hope that’s true. That they just don’t know. In that case, it’s AR’s job (as well as our job) to do a better job getting the info out there. Good job to PETA for getting this on tape.

Read the full press release on PETA’s actions here…