Groups try to stop circus from chaining elephants
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A coalition of animal welfare groups says it has evidence that Ringling Bros. circus elephants are sometimes chained for days at a time, and the groups asked a judge Wednesday to halt the practice while a lawsuit comes to trial. The Associated Press reports:
In federal court papers filed in Washington, the groups said Ringling Bros.’ own train records show that the Asian elephants are chained in box cars for an average of more than 26 straight hours, and often 60 to 70 hours at a time, when the circus travels. In some cases, the elephants have been chained on trains for 90 to 100 hours. The parent company of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has argued that chaining the elephants during transport is necessary and legal.
‘The public should be outraged at the amount of time these animals are forced to be shackled and confined,’ said Lisa Weisberg, senior vice president of government affairs for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The photo above, provided by Born Free USA, is among the images placed in evidence by a coalition of animal welfare groups in its lawsuit against Ringling Bros.