Editorial in the Richmond Times-Dispatch by Janice Aria, Director of Animal Stewardship at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation:
BY JANICE ARIA | Posted: Sunday, November 16, 2014 10:30 pm
For more than 30 years I have had the honor and the privilege of living and working with some of the most magnificent animals in the world, the Asian elephants with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. I have also had the opportunity to personally witness the outstanding care and the deep commitment shared by everyone with the circus for the elephants’ health and well-being. It’s with that background that I offer a response to Robin Starr’s recent opinion (“Ban Bullhooks: Make Richmond safe for elephants”).
While I am sure the Richmond SPCA provides fine care for homeless dogs and cats in the city, based on her comments, clearly Starr has little or no experience or knowledge about actually caring for elephants. The stated goal of the proposed ordinance before the Richmond City Council is to improve the welfare of elephants visiting the city. However, the result will be just the opposite: If passed, this ordinance would do nothing to improve animal welfare but would simply ensure that no elephants can ever return to Richmond. This in turn means that Ringling Bros. would no longer be able to perform here.
Starr completely mischaracterizes an industry standard and veterinarian-approved animal husbandry tool specifically designed for working with elephants. Termed a bullhook, a guide or an ankus, the name of the tool in question is immaterial. What is important is an understanding of its use and why. Guides or bullhooks are used primarily as an aid to verbal commands and as an extension of the elephant handler’s arm. If you want to touch an 8-foot-tall elephant on the shoulder or one of its large back legs while you are standing in front of it, rarely will the length of an arm be sufficient. It also can be used to ensure the safety of not only the handler but others who happen to be around the elephant. It is not, as is claimed, intended to be used to intimidate an elephant.
The opinion column also attempts to demonize this tool without ever mentioning that its use is approved not only by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the government agency responsible for enforcing the federal Animal Welfare Act, but also by the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Elephant Managers Association, a professional organization made up of leading experts on caring for and handling these large animals. These groups are the experts on elephants and they know that when this tool is used by highly skilled and experienced professional handlers, its use is not only necessary and proper but also completely humane. For example, without those skilled handlers, the veterinary care we provide for all the elephants with Ringling Bros. would not be possible and the very health of these animals would indeed suffer.
Beyond the daily care we provide, Ringling Bros. also is dedicated to the conservation of the endangered Asian elephant as a species, which only numbers approximately 35,000 left on the planet. We work with a variety of zoos, researchers and other groups both in the United States and abroad so that this species survives for future generations.
Ringling Bros. has spent millions of dollars to help enhance the survival of this species in the wild and right here in the U.S. That is only possible because of the circus. Moreover, each and every elephant born into the Ringling Bros. herd is a step in the right direction to preserve the species. We celebrate each new addition to our circus family and we mourn each passing — but above all, Ringling Bros. is proud of its human and animal partnerships and the physical and behavioral needs of our elephants and all our animals. Their health and vitality can be seen in every city we visit, including Richmond, where we have been entertaining tens of thousands of area families for nearly a century. Passage of this ordinance by the City Council would prevent our elephant handlers from continuing to care for and work with our elephants in a manner that ensures both animal and public safety.
Starr and the SPCA may be working with the best intentions but they are not advocating a position based on correct information. I hope the City Council takes the time to fully understand the implications to elephant health and conservation as they consider the proposed ordinance. I’ve had decades of joy and thrills as a part of the American tradition that is Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. I hope we can continue to bring our elephants and other amazing performers, both human and animal, to our fans in Richmond for decades to come.
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