PETA Pachyderm Ellie to Hand Out Activity Books Following Exposé of Ringling's Violent Treatment of Baby Elephants
For Immediate Release:
April 6, 2011
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
Richmond, Va. --An "elephant" with a bloody bandage wrapped around a wound on her head will greet students as they leave George W. Carver Elementary School tomorrow. The elephant will hand out activity booklets and explain to kids and their parents that animals used by Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus—which is scheduled to visit Richmond soon—are jabbed with spiked, metal bullhooks and beaten to make them perform difficult tricks that are confusing and sometimes painful to them.
Where: George W. Carver Elementary School, 1110 W. Leigh St. (at the intersection of West Leigh and Oak streets), Richmond
When: Wednesday, April 6, 2 p.m.
"If children knew how animals suffer behind the scenes, their smiles would quickly turn to frowns," says PETA Director Delcianna Winders.
PETA will be sharing with parents compelling photos taken inside Ringling's Florida training center by a veteran elephant handler. The photos expose how still-nursing baby elephants are captured rodeo-style and dragged away from their mothers. The babies scream and struggle frantically as they are wrestled, stretched out, slammed to the ground, gouged with steel-tipped bullhooks, and shocked with electric prods. These abusive sessions go on for several hours a day for up to a year.
For more information, please visit PETA's website RinglingBeatsAnimals.com.