|
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus often boasts that its Center for Elephant Conservation (CEC) is having a baby boom. What its promotional material doesn't reveal is that four of these baby elephants are already dead and many others have suffered unfathomable abuse, including beatings. Bertha, the latest Ringling casualty, is believed to have died when she was just a few months old. The circus did not announce her birth or death. At just 3 years old, Rudy reportedly suffered serious injuries in December 2005 while performing in Puerto Rico. Baby elephants born at CEC experience the trauma of being prematurely separated from their mothers and feel the pain of having a bullhook dug into their skin. When these curious and energetic animals have their childhoods cut tragically short, they learn that being shackled by two legs, barely able to take a single step, causes intolerable boredom and distress. They soon show signs of neurotic behavior, such as swaying and head-bobbing, which are conditions that commonly afflict elephants in circuses.
In recent years, three circuses have retired their elephant acts, and animal-free circuses, such as Cirque du Soleil, are becoming increasingly popular. Ringling stubbornly refuses to follow this progressive trend and is attempting to replenish its dwindling supply of elephant "performers" through a breeding program filled with heartache. Learn about what has already happened to Rudy, Riccardo, Shirley, Benjamin, Kenny, Doc, and Angelica. And then take action to ensure that baby elephants are protected from Ringling's "cruelest show on Earth."
What You Can Do
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has repeatedly cited, warned, and penalized Ringling for failure to comply with the minimum standards of the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA). These punitive actions, which happen after the damage is done, are too little, too late. You can help stop Ringling from killing or harming more baby elephants by demanding that newborns, who nurse until they are 5 years old, be allowed to stay with their mothers during their formative years.
The AWA has standards that prohibit the transportation of puppies and kittens until they are at least 8 weeks of age and weaned. There is no similar regulation for exotic or wild animals, including those who naturally have maternal dependencies that last months and even years. This disparity has no doubt caused trauma and countless preventable deaths. Please write to USDA officials and politely urge them to do the following:
- Establish a minimum age requirement of 5 years for the transportation of elephants, in order to ensure that baby elephants are allowed to receive proper care from their mothers
- Set a minimum age of 18 for allowing elephants to breed, in order to prevent circuses from breeding immature elephants
- Pursue charges against Ringling for Riccardo's death, Angelica's beating, and Rudy's and Angelica's terrifying experience in Puerto Rico
Chester A. Gipson, D.V.M.
Associate Deputy Administrator
USDA-APHIS-VS
4700 River Rd., Unit 84
Riverdale, MD 20737-1234
301-734-7833
301-734-4993 (fax)
Chester.A.Gipson@usda.gov
|
