Behind the scenes, elephants are abused

I am saddened to see that the circus has come to our town and am particularly distraught about the elephants.

For elephants, the constant travel the circus demands translates into abysmal living conditions such as fetid, windowless railroad cars, and constant chaining. Behind the scenes, life worsens for the elephants as trainers commonly use weapons called bullhooks to beat elephants into submission, making them perform unnatural acts such as standing on their heads or dancing. Bullhooks are homemade tools of cruelty that are heavy and have a very sharp hook on the end. By hooking an elephant in the mouth, around the eyes or behind the ears and causing extreme pain and even drawing blood, a trainer can successfully intimidate elephants into performing.

In fact, there is so much evidence of abuse of Ringling Brother’s elephants the ASPCA has been compelled to sue the circus for violation of the Endangered Species Act. The act dictates that endangered animals (in this case Asian elephants) shall not be harmed in any way.

Every ticket sold to the circus perpetuates the abuse of animals. Let’s teach our children that elephants are magnificent beings who belong in the wild, not chained out behind the Big Top.

Monroe