Agency Places Inspection Results on Back Burner Despite Finding Potentially Deadly Foot Problems in Animals Leased to UniverSoul Circus
For Immediate Release:
November 30, 2011
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
Washington -- PETA today fired off a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) urging it to confiscate four ailing elephants from Bradenton, Fla.–based exhibitor Jorge Barreda and retire the animals to a qualified sanctuary. The USDA has repeatedly cited Barreda—who leases elephants to the UniverSoul Circus—for failing to remedy the elephants' foot problems, which are seriously and potentially fatal.
Although the USDA has formally warned Barreda, the agency—in apparent defiance of its own policies—has categorized the offenses as "indirect" violations of the Animal Welfare Act, placing them in the same category as faulty recordkeeping. PETA points out that the violations should be categorized as "direct" violations, which require urgent action, such as immediate veterinary intervention.
"The USDA has not only the authority to confiscate animals but also the responsibility to do so when the animals' health or life is at risk," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "We urge families to avoid circuses, which are notorious for denying elephants and other animals even basic veterinary care."
Foot problems cause more captive elephants in the U.S. to be euthanized than anything else. Without constant maintenance, elephants' feet may develop abscesses and severe infections. Photographs from July 2011 show improper sole-trimming, improper nail-trimming, sole cracks, and feces caked in the grooves of elephants' feet. Following an August 24, 2011, inspection of elephants with UniverSoul Circus, the USDA cited Barreda with a repeat violation and noted that treatment was needed so that the elephants' feet would not "trap manure, leaves and other foreign bodies that could potentially cause foot health problems." The inspection report warns that Barreda "must immediately institute a more aggressive, effective program of health care to alleviate these deficiencies or seek outside consult for footcare."
For more information, please visit PETA's blog.