Wounds on Elephant With San Diego–Bound Ringlings Bros. Prompt Call for Investigation
Photo and Video Show Abrasions That Circus Apparently Attempted to Conceal With Gray Powder Called ‘Wonder Dust’
For Immediate Release:
August 4, 2014
Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382
As reported in the Los Angeles Times, PETA has received a photograph and video footage of elephants traveling with the Ringling Bros. circus as they were being walked in Anaheim on July 31. The photograph, taken by a concerned citizen, shows an elephant with three long abrasions on her side, prompting PETA to send an urgent request calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to conduct an immediate inspection of the elephants with Ringling’s Blue Unit, which will perform in San Diego beginning this Thursday, August 7; determine the cause of the abrasions; and ensure that the elephant is receiving proper veterinary care as required by the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). Ringling appears to have tried to cover up the wounds with a gray powder called “Wonder Dust,” which the circus uses to conceal injuries caused by bullhooks (weapons that resemble fireplace pokers with a sharp metal hook on one end).
“PETA’s motto says, in part, that ‘animals are not ours to use for entertainment,’ and the wounds on this elephant’s side demonstrate why,” says PETA Foundation Deputy General Counsel Delcianna Winders. “PETA is calling on the authorities to hold Ringling—which has a long history of animal-care violations, including deaths from neglect, and has paid the largest fine in circus history for failing to comply with the Animal Welfare Act—accountable and asking families to stay away from this cruel circus.”
Ringling’s long history of cruelty includes both abusing elephants with bullhooks and transporting them in unsafe enclosures, either of which may have caused this elephant’s injuries.
These wounds come just two years after a sick elephant with Ringling collapsed in Anaheim. Just days ago, PETA asked the USDA to inspect a different elephant traveling with this same unit, who had what appeared to be a swollen lump on the right side of her face.
For more information, please visit RinglingBeatsAnimals.com.
