PETA Rallies Supporters to Demand That Montmorency County 4-H Fair Nix Elephant Rides

Abusive and Repeatedly Penalized Exhibitor Continues to Use Suffering, Neglected Elephant

For Immediate Release
August 13, 2013

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Atlanta, Mich. — PETA has sent an e-mail alert to its supporters asking visitors to immediately contact the organizers of the Montmorency County 4-H Fair and urge them to cancel elephant rides that are scheduled to be provided this week. The exhibitor offering the rides, Hugo Liebel of the notorious Liebel Family Circus, has been repeatedly cited and penalized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for denying veterinary care to Nosey, the elephant forced to carry fairgoers on her back, as well as for other violations. Liebel has also been cited and penalized for repeatedly allowing dangerous, unsupervised public contact with Nosey, who attacked and sent a worker to the emergency room in 2004.

Despite being informed last week of Liebel’s history of violating the federal Animal Welfare Act, the fair is apparently going forward with the rides, showing total disregard for Nosey’s well-being.

“No matter how many times he gets caught, Liebel continues to thumb his nose at animal welfare and public safety,” says PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Delcianna Winders. “If the Montmorency County 4-H Fair hosts this cruel outfit, it will virtually be underwriting animal abuse and public endangerment.”

Liebel was recently ordered to pay a $7,500 penalty to settle nearly three dozen charges of violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act. These charges included repeatedly chaining Nosey so tightly that she could barely move and denying her necessary veterinary care. According to USDA records, Liebel has failed to adequately treat Nosey’s chronic skin condition over a 20-year period. Despite a growing collection of federal violations, he continues to deny this elephant the care that she needs—instead transporting her all over the country and forcing her to give rides.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.