Another Dead Ringling Elephant

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus doesn’t always let the public know when an elephant dies, as in the case of 11-day-old Bertha, who was born and died with no recognition, but in a news release issued this week, the circus announced that an elephant named Lutzi—who spent 56 years of her 61-year life with the circus—was euthanized after her health deteriorated.

In a sworn deposition taken during Ringling’s 2009 trial to answer charges that its elephant-handling practices violated the federal Endangered Species Act, Ringling’s general manager for the CEC admitted that Lutzi and other elephants were chained by two legs on a concrete floor for 16 hours a day.

Ringling is still hauling around Karen, an ailing elephant who has tested positive for tuberculosis, and is forcing her to perform tricks.

Please ask the U.S. Department of Agriculture to pull Karen off the road before she is added to the ever-growing list of captive elephants who have died too young.
Written by Jennifer O’Connor