PETA Statement re Rhode Island Legislature’s Passage of Bullhook Ban

For Immediate Release:
June 19, 2016

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Below, please find a statement from PETA Foundation Counsel and Manager of Legislative Affairs Gabe Walters in response to Rhode Island’s bullhook ban, which passed in the General Assembly this weekend:

Many cities and counties across the U.S. have banned bullhooks, but Rhode Island is now poised to become the first state to outlaw these weapons, which resemble fireplace pokers with a sharp metal hook on one end and are used to prod and hook elephants to force them to perform. PETA looks forward to seeing Governor Gina Raimondo sign this important bill, a reflection of our society’s increased respect for wild animals, into law.

PETA’s motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment,” and more information about bullhooks is available here.