PETA and Orange County People for Animals Call On Mayor Pulido to Stop Employing Abusive Company
For Immediate Release:
May 9, 2011
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
Orange County, Calif. -- Newly released video footage from Animal Defenders International shows the owners of Have Trunk Will Travel (HTWT)—the company that provides elephants for rides at the Santa Ana Zoo—striking elephants with sharp metal-tipped bullhooks and shocking them with electric prods. PETA, Animal Protection and Rescue League (APRL) and Orange County People for Animals (OCPA) have sent an urgent letter to Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido and other Santa Ana officials calling on them to end the rides once and for all.
HTWT owners Gary and Kari Johnson defended the use of electric prods in comments that they submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) calling them a necessary or useful training tool in the handling of potentially dangerous animals. They have also testified in a federal court case where they defended the use of bullhooks on elephants. Elephants in HTWT's care are subjected to other stressful conditions, including being chained for 13.5 hours at a time, as Kari Johnson has testified in court. In addition, HTWT has opposed proposed state and federal legislation that would improve elephant welfare and has blatantly disregarded longstanding Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) policies against offering public elephant rides or allowing direct public contact with elephants, admitting that it does not adhere to all AZA policies concerning the care and management of elephants.
"Video footage reveals that Have Trunk Will Travel beats elephants with what is essentially a fireplace poker, clearly showing that 'training' to the company means beating and shocking these gentle elephants until they scream," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "Mayor Pulido needs to stop supporting such wanton abuse and stop the pathetic old-fashioned elephant rides at the zoo."
For more information, please visit PETA.org.
PETA's, APRL's, and OCPA's letter to Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido follows.
May 9, 2011
Mayor Miguel Pulido
Gerardo Mouet, Parks and Recreation Director
Jon "Rip" Ribble, President of the FOSAZ Board of Directors
Kent Yamaguchi, Zoo Manager
Dear Messrs. Pulido, Mouet, Ribble, and Yamaguchi:
On behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Animal Protection and Rescue League (APRL), and Orange County People for Animals (OCPA), I want to make you aware of newly released video footage that shows Have Trunk Will Travel (HTWT) trainers striking elephants with bullhooks and shocking them with electric prods in order to get them to perform. This footage is particularly disturbing in light of HTWT's repeated assurances that they train their elephants only by positive reinforcement. The training methods shown in the video are not positive at all but are designed to inflict pain and cause fear.
Please take two minutes to watch this video footage so that you can see for yourself that HTWT's elephants perform for no other reason than out of fear and intimidation. The elephants in the footage scream as they are struck in their sensitive feet, bellies, and mouths. In light of this new evidence that HTWT—the company that provides elephants for rides at the Santa Ana Zoo—uses violence and intimidation to "train" their elephants, won't Santa Ana abandon the cruel elephant rides for good?
You can also view stills from the HTWT footage in this article. The photos show HTWT owners Gary and Kari Johnson using sharp, metal-tipped bullhooks and electric "hot shots" on elephants. The Johnsons defended the use of electric prods in comments that they submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture calling them a necessary or useful training tool in the handling of potentially dangerous animals. They have also testified in a federal court case where they defended the use of bullhooks on elephants. A PETA video that includes footage taken of the Santa Ana Zoo's elephant rides shows a HTWT handler carrying a bullhook—a common practice used to intimidate the elephants once they know that the bullhook is a source of pain. In addition, HTWT has opposed proposed state and federal legislation that would improve elephant welfare and has blatantly disregarded longstanding Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) policies against offering public elephant rides or allowing direct public contact with elephants, admitting that it does not adhere to all AZA policies concerning the care and management of elephants.
Elephants in HTWT's care are subjected to other stressful conditions, including being chained for 13.5 hours at a time, as Kari Johnson has testified in court. HTWT had a baby elephant named JP die of a herpes virus that research strongly suggests is linked to stress factors commonly associated with the treatment of elephants used in entertainment—including maternal separation during infancy, abusive training practices (which can also be seen in this video footage), and transportation. HTWT also has several elephants who were caught in the wild in Southeast Asia, where abusive handling practices are common and maternal separation, immobilization, daily beatings, and gouging with nails are used to "break" young elephants. That video footage can be seen here.
No one wants to believe that these animals are being treated cruelly, but you can no longer pretend that it isn't happening. As long as it continues to offer elephant rides, the Santa Ana Zoo is endorsing cruelty to elephants. Please end the elephant rides immediately. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Tracy Reiman
PETA Executive Vice President
Julie Curran-Meskell
OCPA President
Bryan Pease
APRL President