Evidence Supplied by PETA of Physical and Psychological Threats to Two Elephants Leads to Government Action
For Immediate Release:
October 25, 2012
Contact:
Shakira Croce 202-483-7382
Palm Beach County, Fla. -- After PETA filed two complaints with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regarding the physical safety and psychological well-being of two elephants with Cole Bros. Circus, the circus has agreed to pay a $15,000 penalty to the USDA to settle formal charges against the circus, which is scheduled to perform in West Palm Beach from November 1 to 4 and in Boca Raton from November 8 to 11. The charges came after PETA pointed out that two elephants, Tina and Jewel, were hundreds of pounds underweight and had been deprived of adequate veterinary care, including for a protruding spine. They were also sent to an unlicensed exhibitor with a long history of violating the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). Cole Bros. has settled more than 10 charges with the USDA, including failure to provide the elephants with adequate veterinary care and failure to hire personnel capable of caring for them.
In 2009, the USDA felt that the case was so serious that the agency confiscated Jewel and also removed Tina. Even so, Cole Bros. continues to use other elephants in old-fashioned circus acts. It now uses an elephant act supplied by Carson & Barnes. The act includes elephant trainer Tim Frisco, who was caught on camera viciously beating terrified elephants and shocking them with electric prods. Carson & Barnes also just paid a fine for 10 violations of the AWA, including for allowing an elephant to get loose and leaving animals unattended during elephant rides at Cole Bros. performances. In one instance, a handler left six children on an elephant and walked away to talk on his cell phone.
"The USDA's actions against Cole Bros. and Carson & Barnes should put all animal circuses on notice that, sooner or later, they must pay for animal abuse," says PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Delcianna Winders. "Since children love animals, the last place that parents and grandparents should take them is the circus."
For more information, please visit PETA.org.
A list of the violations named in the charges follows.
The violations of the Animal Welfare Act for which Cole Bros. Circus was ordered to pay a $15,000 penalty include the following:
Elephants
- Failure to supply adequate veterinary care to two underweight elephants, including one with a prominent spine and sunken body image
- Failure to have records for vet exams and tuberculosis tests
- Failure to handle an elephant in a way that minimizes the risk of harm to the public and the elephant
- Failure to employ personnel capable of caring for elephants
- Failure to house elephants at a facility that could meet their needs
- Failure to follow recommendations of an elephant specialist
- Failure to store medications properly
- Transporting elephants to another person who was not equipped to care for them against the recommendation of an elephant specialist
- Inadequate enclosures
- Handlers who lacked training and knowledge and weren't regularly on site
Tigers
- Employing a handler who lacked training, knowledge, and experience
- Selling tigers without a dealer license