Ban Elephant Bullhooks Nationwide!
- by: Chris Wolverton
- recipient: W. Ron DeHaven, Administer of Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
While several nations have banned the use of animals in circuses, U.S. acts such as the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus and Shrine Circus continue to force elephants to perform in their shows. Performing is not natural for elephants, so trainers use cruel devices called bullhooks to control them.
The bullhook is a tool with sharp metal prongs that trainers sink into an elephant's sensitive areas, such as behind the ear. The cruel tool inflicts great pain to an elephant. Circuses claim that bullhooks are necessary to handle elephants safely, but if they can't handle elephants safely without inflicting pain, they shouldn't use the animals in their acts.
There is no need to inflict pain to an animal for the purposes of entertainment. Many circuses thrive without the use of animals at all. Please sign the petition to convince the USDA to ban bullhooks nationwide.
We, the undersigned, are concerned with the continued use of painful bullhooks to control elephants in circus shows. While several nations have banned the use of animals in circuses, U.S. acts such as the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus and Shrine Circus continue to force elephants to perform in their shows. Performing is not natural for elephants, so trainers use bullhooks to control them.
The bullhook is a tool with sharp metal prongs that trainers sink into an elephant's sensitive areas, such as behind the ear. The cruel tool inflicts great pain to an elephant. Circuses claim that bullhooks are necessary to handle elephants safely, but if they can't handle elephants safely without inflicting pain, they shouldn't use the animals in their acts.
There is no need to inflict pain to an animal for the purposes of entertainment. Many circuses thrive without the use of animals at all. Please ban bullhooks nationwide to prevent future cruelty. Thank you for taking the time to read and consider our petition.
