Unchain Queenie, Tina, and Jewel!
- by: Destiny and Passion Newton
- recipient: Chester A. Gipson, D.V.M., Deputy Administrator
Tina and Jewel are Asian elephants in their early forties who have endured lives of hardship and abuse traveling with the Cole Brothers Circus. They were ordered off the road by the USDA earlier this year, following many months of being observed to be looking gaunt, sick and broken, but they continue to endure conditions that will only damage what remains of their fragile health. Please "Take Action" to demand that the USDA immediately confiscate these two elephants and send them to a sanctuary.
Tina, Queenie, and Jewel are elephants who have all suffered in the circus for a long time. They have been treated badly, whipped with bullhooks (long sticks with sharp hooks at the end), and did not get to see doctors when they were sick. They have had burns on their legs from their urine ( pee) not getting washed off, cuts on their ears and bodies from being hurt with bullhooks, and Jewel even lost two thousand (2000) pounds because she was so sick and sad.
John Davenport who has Tina, Jewel and Queenie is not supposed to have any wild animals. He lost his license to have wild animals back in 1997 when he broke the law by hurting elephants. He even let a baby elephant named Heather die in a trailer in the hot desert. He keeps changing his name and using his family so he doesn't get caught and keeps mistreating the elephants and other wild animals.
Dear Dr. Gipson and Secretary Vilsack:
You are likely aware of the 3/7/09 incident involving circus elephants in Indianapolis, Indiana. One elephant head butted another into a scaffold as people waited in line for elephant rides with the Murat Shrine Circus. The metal structure caved in. An adult and 12 children were injured.
It could have been worse. From 1990 to 2008, captive elephant incidents in the U.S. have led to 13 human deaths and 120 human injuries.
Shockingly, the Murat Shrine Circus resumed elephant rides at intermission. The elephants under Will Davenport's direction for the Murat Shrine Circus included Tina, Jewel and Queenie. The three have shown aggression in the past. Moreover, the USDA has continually cited the Davenport family for inhumane treatment and lack of veterinary care to elephants.
When will the USDA finally seize Tina, Jewel and Queenie to retire them to a sanctuary? Please facilitate their reprieve from chains and bull hooks -- and protect the public from captive elephant rampages. In addition, I urge you to revoke Will Davenport's USDA exhibitor license.
Davenport was ordered out the City of Los Angeles in April 2008, due to his history of animal cruelty. In 2007 Tina and Jewel were so underweight, the USDA took them off the travel circuit. Presently, the USDA is investigating the Davenport family for violations of the Animal Welfare Act. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is looking into their alleged breach of the federal Endangered Species Act.
Tina, Jewel and Queenie have suffered extreme physical and psychological stress while leased from circus to circus over the years. In 2007, Tina and Jewel were photographed on a nearly shade-less cement slab engulfed in debris. Underweight and without access to water, they rocked back and forth.
I strongly encourage the USDA to clamp down on alleged animal abusers like Will Davenport. Please also remove Tina, Jewel and Queenie from travel, shows or rides. After suspect Tuberculosis test results on Jewel and numerous wounds congruent with ankus abuse -- it is well past time to authorize their release to an accredited sanctuary.
I sincerely hope this administration breathes new life into the "animal care" arm of USDA-APHIS.
Thank you...
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