IDA, PETA CALL ON STATE TO PULL RINGLING'S LICENSE

Direct Contact Between Elephants and the Public Reveals Clear Violation of License Terms, Say Groups

Albany, N.Y. – Today, PETA and In Defense of Animals (IDA) sent an urgent letter to Pete Grannis, commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), calling on him to deny an Endangered/Threatened Species License to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus or to revoke the circus’s license if one has already been issued. The groups’ request comes after IDA documented eight instances in which Ringling-while performing in Coney Island this summer with elephants owned by Carson & Barnes Circus—allowed direct contact between elephants and the public. The contact is a clear violation of the terms of the license. The circus is scheduled to perform in Buffalo October 22 to 25.

“Long known for its abuse of animals, Ringling now seems to be violating its license agreement with New York and endangering the public,” says PETA Director Debbie Leahy.

“If the DEC is at all serious about enforcing its own regulations, it’ll be a long time before Ringling brings abused elephants back to New York,” says IDA Program Director Suzanne Roy.

In a letter to holders of Endangered/Threatened Species Licenses, the DEC stated, “Animals must be exhibited, held, transported, and housed in a manner which prevents direct contact with the public at all times.” On September 3, 2009, IDA filed a complaint with the DEC concerning contact between members of the New York City Fire Department and one of the elephants. The DEC informed IDA that it had issued a notice of violation and assigned counsel to the matter. Since then, IDA has obtained photographic evidence of at least seven other instances in which Ringling allowed contact between elephants and members of the public during the circus’s time in Coney Island.

Ringling also faces an animal abuse complaint that PETA filed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and law enforcement officials after an undercover investigator recorded Ringling employees who were striking elephants with steel-tipped bullhooks and whipping the animals.

PETA and IDA’s DEC complaint and links to the images are available upon request. For more information, please visit PETA’s Web site RinglingBeatsAnimals.com. To learn more about IDA, please visit helpelephants.com.

Read the full complaint here

Contacts:
RaeLeann Smith 757-943-7270; RaeLeannS@peta.org(PETA)
Deborah Robinson 860-836-7761;deborahrobinson1@gmail.com (IDA)