Group's Supporters Urge Mayor Meeker to Stop Ringling From Forcing Lame Elephants to Perform in Raleigh
For Immediate Release:
February 10, 2011
Contact:
David Perle 757-622-7382
Raleigh, N.C. — The Ringling Bros. circus has opened in Raleigh, despite very recent veterinary reports stating that the circus is unlawfully forcing at least two lame elephants—Nicole, age 36, and Sara, age 9—to perform grueling and painful tricks in its shows. Because Mayor Charles Meeker has been unresponsive to PETA's appeals to address this illegal situation, PETA has posted an action alert on its popular website asking its members and supporters to urge the mayor to prevent the ailing elephants from performing in the city.
As PETA has explained in a letter to Mayor Meeker, an independent veterinarian who recently observed Nicole and Sara reported that both animals exhibited signs of lameness and that Ringling handlers used bullhooks—sharp devices that resemble fireplace pokers—to painfully hook elephants in order to keep them moving. Forcing lame elephants to perform circus tricks and injuring animals with bullhooks are both illegal in the state of North Carolina.
"Making elephants to perform painful contortions despite the animals' ill health is cruel—and it's illegal in Raleigh," says PETA Director Delcianna Winders. "Mayor Meeker has the power to make sure that Nicole and Sara don't continue to suffer under his watch."
For more information, please visit PETA.org.