Alternative Measure Doesn't Spare Elephants, Say PETA Pachyderm Experts
For Immediate Release:
June 26, 2012
Contact:
David Perle
202-483-7382
Atlanta -- PETA has fired off a letter to the Atlanta City Council pointing out that a new ordinance passed on June 18 would almost require a miracle to enforce since it demands that any particular wound, tear, or incidence of bleeding be matched to a specific bullhook strike as seen by a witness—an almost impossible task given that handlers commonly strike elephants in places that hide the wounds, such as behind the ears or under the chin. Not all beatings with a solid object will break the skin, either—although they may cause serious injuries. When beatings do cause bleeding, circuses are ready: A gray powder called "Wonder Dust" is used to cover up any wounds as it blends in with elephants' skin.
Included with the letter are videotapes showing several incidents in which elephants were beaten with bullhooks in California, which has a law that's virtually identical to Atlanta's. In none of these instances was the perpetrator prosecuted under the law. The group also notes another case, witnessed by a police officer, in which a Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus handler put a bullhook into an elephant's mouth and yanked with both hands and also grabbed another elephant on the top of her ear with a bullhook and pulled her down by yanking on the weapon with both hands.
"As long as elephant handlers with circuses are allowed to wield bullhooks, they're going to beat elephants with those bullhooks," says PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Delcianna Winders. "Instead of copying California's failed elephant-protection law, the Atlanta City Council needs to look no further than Fulton County's ordinance, which is the only way to stop circuses from beating elephants: a total ban on all use of bullhooks."
For more information, please visit RinglingBeatsAnimals.com.
PETA's letter to the members of the Atlanta City Council follows.
June 26, 2012
The Honorable Ceasar C. Mitchell
Atlanta City Council President
The Honorable Atlanta City Councilmembers
Re Fundamental Enforcement Problems With New Elephant Ordinance and the Need for a Bullhook Ban
Dear City Council President Mitchell and Councilmembers:
I am writing to urge you to support the ordinance introduced on June 18 by councilmembers Felicia Moore and Natalyn Archibong that would ban any use of bullhooks on elephants. While we appreciate the City Council's intentions in passing Ordinance No. 12-O-0784, which purports to restrict bullhook use, unfortunately this ordinance is ultimately meaningless because it is unenforceable. As described in the attached appendix, extensive evidence, including video footage of numerous vicious beatings, shows that bullhook abuse and other elephant abuse has persisted in the state of California despite the existence of a law that is virtually identical to Ordinance No. 12-O-0784. This is the result of numerous insurmountable enforcement problems inherent in this law, which are also detailed in the appendix. If the council truly wishes to protect elephants in the city of Atlanta, it is crucial to pass a ban on all bullhook use.
Thank you for your consideration. I would be happy to discuss this matter with you further and to provide documentation of the incidents discussed in the appendix.
Very truly yours,
Delcianna Winders, Esq.
Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement
cc: The Honorable Kasim Reed (mayorreed@atlantaga.gov)
The Honrable Felicia Moore (fmoore@atlantaga.gov)
The Honroable Natalyn Archibong (narchibong@atlantaga.gov)