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Originally Posted by Fitzwilly
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.
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This is a ludicrous charge. Ringling insists upon regular train stops to let the elephants off the train for watering while in transit. There may be a cumulative time while the train is moving that the animals are, necessarily, chained to maintain a sense of center and safety but I can't imagine them leaving the animals that long on the train without intermediate stops.
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....the elephants were restrained "for their own safety" in accordance with federal guidelines.
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(emphasis mine)... They are doing what the regulators insist upon, what's the problem - other than that PETA types don't want ANY type of restraints under any circumstances based upon their own ideology.
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"It's not fair. It's not humane, what kind of life these animals have to live in order to give a 12-minute performance," Meyer said.
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She'd probably prefer that they get released to the wild and die.
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"The elephants spend the majority of their waking hours socializing, exercising — untethered," he said.
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Exactly.
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They also cited testimony from former circus employees contending that the elephants were tightly chained by one front and one hind leg for long periods in a manner that prevented them from turning in place.
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Usually inexperienced (and possibly lying) employees who know little to nothing about animal care and training.
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Along with the complaints about chaining, the lawsuit alleges that the circus is violating the Endangered Species Act by abusively training and disciplining elephants with sharp implements such as bull hooks.
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Ever touch the tip of a bullhook? I have. They ain't sharp. You have to press your thumb pretty forcefully into it just to get a pressure indentation.
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The plaintiffs hope the lawsuit pressures Ringling to stop using elephants in its shows. Meyer said many circus-goers have come to appreciate animal-free circuses.
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Which is what this is really about. They want animals out of circuses and will try any tactic possible to make it so.