PETA Statement: Elephant’s Life Cut Short After Years of Suffering

For Immediate Release:
November 16, 2015

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

PETA Foundation Counsel Rachel Mathews released the following statement in response to the recent death of Tova, an elephant who died less than two months after being moved from Ringling Bros.’ Florida facility to the Tulsa Zoo:

This elephant’s life was cut short at 43, far less than the 70 years that elephants are expected to live in nature, where they walk for miles a day in close-knit family herds. That opportunity was stolen from Tova when she was torn away from the wild as a baby and bounced from zoo to zoo, then to Ringling’s Florida training facility, and finally to the Tulsa Zoo, where she died in poor health just two weeks after Ringling boasted about her well-being on Twitter. Her sad life story is exactly why PETA is calling for Ringling Bros. to give elephants a true retirement at an accredited sanctuary and urging all families to stay away from zoos and circuses that exploit elephants.

PETA’s motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment,” and more information about Ringling Bros. is available at RinglingBeatsAnimals.com.