Olivia Munn Rushes Letter to the USDA to Help Ailing Elephant

The Newsroom Star Joins PETA in Calling for Nosey’s Retirement From Life in Chains and Cramped Trailers

For Immediate Release:
October 20, 2014

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

An elephant named Nosey is in danger—and The Newsroom star Olivia Munn wants to help her. In a letter sent on PETA’s behalf to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack this morning, Munn points out that Nosey is showing signs of painful arthritis, one of the leading reasons why captive elephants are euthanized—yet notorious exhibitor Hugo Liebel continues to use her for elephant rides at fairs and circuses across the country. Munn joins PETA (whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”) in calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to confiscate Nosey from Liebel and permanently revoke his exhibitor’s license.

“With all the evidence that [the government has]—video footage, appeals from a veterinarian with decades of experience with animals, and the knowledge that joint problems can be fatal in elephants—it’s time to act,” Munn writes. “It’s time to step up and do the right thing for this animal by … sending her to a sanctuary. Her life depends on it.”

Earlier this week, veterinarian Dr. Philip Ensley sent a letter to the USDA stating that Nosey’s case is “the worst, most prolonged” case of elephant suffering and abuse he has ever seen.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Olivia Munn’s letter to the USDA follows.

October 16, 2014

The Honorable Tom Vilsack
Secretary of Agriculture
U.S. Department of Agriculture

Dear Mr. Secretary:

I am writing to you today about Nosey, an elephant about whom I learned from my friends at PETA. Anyone can see that Nosey is suffering from lameness, yet the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is allowing her exhibitor, Hugo Liebel, to force her to work, even though she’s in pain. As an elephant lover, I’m troubled that the USDA is allowing this abuse to continue and has failed to ensure that this lame elephant is never forced to perform again.

Elephants were never meant to be locked inside cramped trailers, kept in chains, or forced to walk in endless circles carrying riders on their backs. This has been Nosey’s life, and it has taken a toll on her body. Elephants live about as long as we do, but at just 32 years old, Nosey is showing signs of crippling arthritis, which is one of the main reasons why captive elephants are euthanized.

The USDA has the power to make sure that this condition is not a death sentence for Nosey. If she is placed in a reputable sanctuary, where she would have acres of soft earth on which to roam free, pools to wade in to ease the pain in her joints, and access to expert veterinary care, Nosey could have many happy years ahead.

But I understand that in a recent meeting with PETA representatives, your agency was ignorant of Nosey’s condition and refused to commit to enforcing the Animal Welfare Act in her behalf. Nosey is suffering on your watch. With all the evidence that you have—video footage, appeals from a veterinarian with decades of experience with elephants, and the knowledge that joint problems can be fatal in elephants—it’s time to act. The USDA’s own records show that Nosey has been exploited, mistreated, and neglected her entire life. It’s time to step up and do the right thing for this animal by revoking Liebel’s license, seizing Nosey, and sending her to a sanctuary. Her life depends on it.

Thanks for your time. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely yours,

Olivia Munn