Elephant Welfare
USDA to Require Retirement for Luna and Tonka
After countless hours chained in cramped train cars, most of
the elephants traveling with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey
Circus are finally given at least a brief opportunity to stretch
their legs, as they are walked from the train to the arena in
each performance city. Sadly, Luna and Tonka, two elephants who
have been described by ex-Ringling employees as especially dangerous,
are denied this chance. Instead, to protect the public, they
are usually taken to the arena by truck, forced to endure additional
time standing inside a dark and cramped space.
Though these elephants are apparently considered too dangerous
to consistently walk with the other elephants along routes that
put them in close proximity to people, Ringling Bros. still continues
to allow them to travel and perform for the public. Not only
does this put many children and adults at risk each week, but
it increases the level of suffering and stress experienced by
these magnificent animals.
Please contact the USDA today and urge it to step in and require
that Ringling Bros. retire Luna and Tonka from travel — for
the elephants’ own health and well-being, and for the safety
of the public.
To find out more and take action on this alert, click
here.
Source: Animal Protection Institute
IDA Tells Six Flags to Tackle Elephant Problem
IDA held a press conference last week in front of Six Flags
Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, Calif. to issue a report on the
state of the elephants at the amusement park.
Read more: http://www.helpelephants.com/feature_070703.html
Source: is IDA at http://www.helpelephants.com/index.html
Live Elephant Exploited for Art Exhibit
A spray-painted elephant was put on display in downtown Los
Angeles last week as part of an art exhibit entitled "Barely
Legal" by a British artist called Banksy.
SOURCE: In Defense
of Animals
http://www.helpelephants.com/feature_060920.html
SAVE ZOO ELEPHANTS
Elephants are highly complex, social animals. In
the wild, they live in extended family groups. They form lifelong
bonds and females stay with their mothers, aunts, sisters and
other female relatives for their entire lives. Males stay with
their mothers for up to fifteen years. These intelligent animals
can travel more than thirty miles a day.
Today's zoos are unable to meet the physical, psychological
and social needs of elephants. Zoos socially deprive elephants
by keeping them in unnaturally small groups and routinely break
up any bond formed in the zoo world when zoos shuffle elephants
and other animals from one zoo to another for breeding or to
make room for younger, wild-captured elephants.
SOURCE: Save Zoo Elephants
http://www.savezooelephants.com/
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