30 July 2008
Traveling circuses (such as Ringling Brothers) routinely abuse elephants with sharp, metal bullhooks to train circus elephants into performing frivolous "entertainment" for humans.
Former Ringling Bros. employees Archele Hundley, Margaret Tom and Robert Tom Jr. witnessed elephant cruelty before leaving the circus. Margaret Tom’s husband, Robert Tom Jr., reported that elephants are hit with bullhooks daily. He described an elephant who bled from the back and screamed in pain from a beating that lasted approximately 30 minutes. The trainer exerted so much energy that “he would periodically sit in a chair to take a break, then return to the elephant and start hooking again.”
* SOURCE:
USDA citations, lawsuits, video documentation, testimonials from former circus employees, and reports from federal humane officers.Circus violations: www.circuses.com/circuses.asp
* LEARN MORE:
Ringling Brothers Cruelty - 6 Minute Video
Bullhooks – Tools of the Trade – Article
Elephants Beaten with Bullhooks in the Name of Entertainment - 2007 Press Release from the Animal Welfare Institute
Previous Day
