PETA Statement: Elephant Attack Is No Surprise

For Immediate Release:
June 21, 2019

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Below, please find a statement from PETA Foundation Deputy Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Rachel Mathews in response to reports that an elephant at African Lion Safari has injured a trainer:

Elephants who have spent years being bullied and threatened with weapons are known to run amok, lashing out in fear and frustration, and African Lion Safari is notorious for handling elephants with bullhooks—weapons that resemble a fireplace poker with a sharp hook on one end, which no modern facility uses. PETA’s message to the public is to stay away from any facility that allows handlers or visitors to ride, take photos with, or have other direct contact with elephants.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—opposes speciesism, which is a human-supremacist worldview. More information about dangerous incidents with captive elephants is available here.