Blog 2: How Far Can We Go?

The images shown in this blog post may be seen as disturbing/sensitive to the public.

How far can we go guys. Through the race? Education? Life? Nope, I’m not referring to those items.

I am talking about animals. Well, in this case, Elephants.

See the source image

“The circus broke the spirits of baby elephants by separating them from their mothers, tying them down, and beating them with sharp, metal-tipped weapons called bullhooks.” (PETA, 2018) 

Ringling Baby Elephant Training

Chaining up elephants and destroying their physical and psychological well being, for circus entertainment? How are people still supporting this kind of treatment towards animals? Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse, animal neglect or animal cruelty, is the infliction by omission (animal neglect) or by commission by humans of suffering or harm upon any non-human. (Clair, L. 2018) Imagine the treatment these elephants are receiving, is practiced upon humans for entertainment purposes? The world would go completely mad!

Here are some facts that you may not know about Elephant abuse in the entertainment industry. 

  • The circus tears babies away from their mothers.
    • Baby elephants are separated from their mothers from just 21 months old, and are in lockdown. This ruins the psychological being of the elephants as males stay with their mothers till their teenage years, while females stick with their mothers for the rest of their lives. Circus elephants start their training at an extremely young age, being chained up for basically the rest of their life.
  • Trainers use bullhooks, ropes, and electric prods.
    • The use of these items are mandatory for trainers. They use them to create fear towards the baby elephants, in order to make them obey the trainer at any given time. Wounds of the elephants can be seen at times, which are sometimes covered up with “circus makeup” to avoid suspicion from inspectors. The even slightest of disobedience will make the trainers punish them brutally.

Ringling Trainer Hitting an Elephant

  • Ringling paid a $270,000 fine for violations of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA).
    • This is the largest amount ever paid by an animal exhibitor, ever. This is why. The Ringling Circus Bros. started in 1871, and was a traveling circus company that was nicknamed “The Greatest Show on Earth” (Graham, B. 2017). Filled with marvelous and magical acts, but at what cost? You guessed it, abuse towards various exotic animals, especially Elephants. Elephants are tortured and are forced to be on their trains for dozens of hours while standing, chained up and unfed, to get to the next designated city. Around 14 elephants were entangled into this cruelty show, for decades. Thankfully in 2017, the show was cancelled due to the lack of audience, animals protests and high maintenance costs.

Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities (Oxford English Dictionary, 1885). In this context, Elephants are portrayed as performers to the public. Creating human like movement with acrobatic tricks that seemed impossible for a massive species. But we have to ask ourselves, is this really worth the entertainment? Pay a couple bucks to watch literal tortured animals perform for your giggles and smiles?

I don’t think so, and no living species in our globe should suffer any type of treatment like these elephants do. If you want to know more about elephant suffering, below is a YouTube clip that talks about one of the suffering elephants from the Ringling Circus.

Do not support animal abuse, please.

References

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