In PAWS' September 2020 newsletter, we wrote about elephant tourism in Asia and warned against patronizing facilities that offer direct interactions with elephants, including riding, petting, or bathing them. You might be shocked to learn that similar elephant “encounters” are offered in the U.S. This form of elephant exploitation also involves inhumane training and handling, a serious public safety risk, and ineffective welfare oversight. In other words, there is nothing humane about paid interactions with elephants, no matter where they take place.
The demise of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in 2017, after years of falling ticket sales, signaled the end of an era for wild animal acts. Local and statewide bans on the use of elephants and, in some cases, all wild animals in circuses, proliferated. Some exhibitors saw the writing on the wall and created new ways to commodify their elephants by offering “encounters”, albeit under a different name. (We will not be providing the new names of these facilities in order to avoid giving them any publicity.)
One such facility is run by an exhibitor, formerly based in California, that used their elephants for rides, circus acts, and as props for film and advertising. Their punishing training sessions were caught on video, showing the owners and others brutally striking elephants with a bullhook and shocking them with a handheld electric prod.
After California banned the use of bullhooks (a bill that PAWS co-sponsored) in 2016, the exhibitor left the state and changed their name. However, they continue to exploit their five elephants under the guise of “conservation” and “education”, charging $95 per person to touch, bathe, and take a photo with them. We would have liked to say that at least the elephants have a more spacious and enriched living area or that their lives have been significantly improved. But the website for this venture says absolutely nothing about the welfare of the elephants, and they continue to be controlled with bullhooks by the very same people.
A Midwest-based circus runs an operation it calls a “retirement ranch” for its elephants – although it still breeds, trains and uses many of its elephants in circuses. The facility offers interactions with the elephants, including petting, photos, feeding, and "trunk hugs" – all at a price.
Elephant calves bred by this circus have been inhumanely trained and forced to travel and perform in circus acts. One of their trainers explicitly demonstrated, in an undercover video of a training session in 1999, how elephants are controlled through punishment and pain. He instructed others to dig the bullhook into the elephants’ flesh and twist it in order to “make ‘em scream” and ensure their submission. (He reportedly continues to manage elephant training at the "retirement ranch", possibly including a recently born calf.) The circus has been cited for numerous violations of the Animal Welfare Act and paid penalties to settle federal lawsuits for their illegal actions.
Five other facilities (one to open next month) offer "encounters" with elephants formerly used in circuses and other entertainment. Activities include bathing, touching, photos, and even rides. The only reason the public can approach and directly interact with an elephant is because that elephant has been physically and mentally broken at some point in their life. This does not mean that it is safe to be in close contact with an elephant. For “encounters” – nothing more than a brief period of entertainment – elephants are dominated by handlers wielding bullhooks that carry the threat of painful punishment. Visitors don't get to see what really happens behind the scenes, which is where most abuses take place. (The federal Animal Welfare Act provides extremely minimal protections; inspectors do not monitor training sessions.)
In order to "legitimize" their exploitation of elephants, these operations advertise interactions as "education" and "conservation." You can be sure that paying customers never get a real education on the realities of circus life for elephants, such as brutal training methods, prolonged chaining, and travel in filthy, cramped trucks – and how the elephants continue to be strictly controlled. Research suggests that seeing wild animals in an entertainment context can actually harm conservation efforts because the public does not perceive them as threatened or endangered, further debunking education and conservation claims.
Former circus and ride elephants may no longer be traveling or performing the same old tricks – which is better for them – but they continue to be used for people’s entertainment and as photo props. None of these elephants are truly “retired” – and they never will be. They will continue to be money-makers for their captors, likely until they die.
If you truly care about elephants and other captive wild animals:
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Never patronize a facility that offers interactions with captive wildlife.
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Do not take a photo with an elephant, big-cat cub, or any other captive wild animal.
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Don’t ever ride an elephant – at home or abroad.
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Avoid wild animal circuses and shows, including those advertised as "educational."
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Encourage others to avoid elephant “encounters.”
