PETA ‘Slams’ Elephant Abuse, Not Nicole Richie

PETA appreciates its friends in the media, but some websites seem to be looking to stir up controversy. (Shocker, right?) Case in point: PETA sent a friendly letter to Nicole Richie after learning that her father had rented an elephant as a “surprise” for her wedding this weekend to Joel Madden. We asked her to make sure that exotic animals would be kept off her guest list for future celebrations. After all, Nicole loves elephants and has drawn attention to the way that Ringling abuses babies. Plus, the members of the Madden family are great favorites at the PETA offices.

But saying that PETA has “slammed” or “blasted” Ms. Richie (Mrs. Madden?) is going a bit overboard. Animal lovers are often mistakenly “taken in” by animal exploiters. We just wanted to be sure Ms. Richie knew how Have Trunk Will Travel—the company that likely provided Tai, the elephant, for the event—takes young elephants from the wild and uses bullhooks and electric shocks to force them to perform. Knowing how compassionate she is, we’re sure that Ms. Richie will be beyond shocked herself.

In the end, whether someone is a celebrity or not, PETA appreciates everyone who cares about animals and will speak up in their behalf.

Written by Jeff Mackey