City Leaders Praise Circuses' Decision to End Elephant Performances Following Bullhook Ban in Oakland

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus will discontinue elephant performances by 2018, only a few months after a ban on the use of bullhooks for handling elephants in Oakland is set to take effect. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf hailed the announcement as a victory for cities like Oakland that have legislated the treatment of elephants as a means of effecting change at the circus.

“I am proud that proactive leadership from cities like Oakland means elephants being forced to perform in the nation’s largest circus will soon come to an end,” Schaaf said in a statement. “There is still more work to be done to ensure the safety and protection of all animals, but by presenting legislation where there had previously been none, Oakland has helped us take a big step forward in how we care for and treat these majestic animals,” Schaaf said.

In a statement, the circus’s parent company, Feld Entertainment, called the change “unprecedented.” It said the 13 elephants currently traveling with its three circuses will be relocated to the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant for Conservation in Florida by 2018.

Oakland’s ban on the use of bullhooks, ankus or other tools designed to inflict pain on elephants to train or control them is set to take effect in September 2017. The City Council voted for the ban 5-2 in December. The city’s move followed similar legislation passed in Los Angeles and was widely supported by animal rights groups. Humanity through Education, a circus protest group based in the Bay Area, applauded the move to remove elephants from circus performances but reiterated its position that all animals should be removed from circuses.

“This is the result of public education and laws being passed on that education,” Humanity through Education founder Pat Cuviello said. “The public education must continue in order to stop the exploitation of all animals used for entertainment.” Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey shows will continue to feature animal performances including tigers, lions, horses, dogs and camels, the company said. The company’s statement did not attribute the move to the bullhook bans, instead saying it was moving to focus on its elephant conservation programs. Since the company founded its Center for Elephant Conservation in 1995, it has had 26 elephant births, according to Feld Entertainment CEO Kenneth Feld.

“No other institution has done or is doing more to save this species from extinction, and that is something of which I and my family are extremely proud,” Feld said. “This decision was not easy, but it is in the best interest of our company, our elephants and our customers.”

Oakland Zoo officials, who supported the ban, called the announcement “a huge victory for elephants.” The zoo “has always strived to be a leader in humane care of elephants and discontinued the use of bullhooks in 1991,” zoo elephant manager Jeff Kinzley said. He said the zoo then implemented a management style using positive reinforcement.

“With this style of management, there is never a need for a zookeeper to show dominance or inflict pain on the animals,” Kinzley said.

By Bay City News

Photo courtesy Morguefile