PETA Calls On Fair to Nix Cruel and Dangerous Elephant Rides in the Future
For Immediate Release:
December 20, 2012
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
Rapid City, S.D. -- PETA has fired off a letter to the organizers of Rapid City's Central States Fair calling on them to make 2012 the last year that notorious animal exhibitor Have Trunk Will Travel (HTWT) will offer elephant rides at the fair. In the letter, PETA explains that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has just released records to PETA revealing that the agency—prompted by a PETA complaint—inspected HTWT during its first-ever appearance at the fair in August 2012 and cited the outfit for violating the federal Animal Welfare Act by failing to supervise its elephant rides properly, noting that at least twice, only a single handler was left to supervise two elephants.
"It's always dangerous to place adults and children on the backs of stressed, frustrated captive elephants—and when you have only one handler supervising multiple elephants, that risk skyrockets," says PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Delcianna Winders. "PETA is telling the Central States Fair that this violation is yet one more reason why the first year that HTWT brought its abusive, irresponsible, and hazardous elephant rides to Rapid City should be its last."
Just last year, Animal Defenders International released video footage of adult and baby elephants crying out in pain as HTWT trainers repeatedly struck them with sharp metal-tipped bullhooks and shocked them with electric prods. Abused elephants are known to lash out: One of the elephants owned by HTWT ran amok at the Denver Zoo, throwing a trainer against a wall, scattering crowds of visitors, and knocking over a mother and her baby. Elephant rides at numerous other venues have also resulted in injuries.
PETA's correspondence with the Central States Fair and the USDA's latest inspection report are available upon request. For more information, please visit PETA's blog.