Now here's some real appointment television: On Earth Day—Monday, April 22—at 7 p.m. EDT (check your local listings for the time in your region), HBO will premiere the documentary An Apology to Elephants. Watch a preview here. 

Getting the Word Out—and the Story Straight

In his review, David Wiegand of the San Francisco Chronicle says that Apology, narrated by Lily Tomlin, is "impossible to ignore because of the irrefutable arguments made by its savvy combination of testimony from animal experts and images of elephants being abused."

Since HBO began working on this project more than two years ago, PETA has been on board offering information and documentation. The documentary features pictures and video footage provided by PETA, including photos from a whistleblower that document the shockingly cruel way in which Ringling Bros. circus breaks the spirit of baby elephants and video footage from a Ringling elephant walk showing bullhook abuse. Viewers will see elephants Maggie—who suffered alone for years at the Alaska Zoo before being sent to a sanctuary following a lengthy PETA campaign—and Nosey, in whose behalf PETA has been working for years.

Among the experts who participated in the documentary are Dr. Mel Richardson and Dr. Joyce Poole. Also appearing is passionate young animal advocate Rose McCoy, who once schooled McDonald's execs over their failure to reduce the suffering of chickens.

How You Can Help

Besides watching An Apology to Elephants yourself, encourage others to tune in, too—and tell them never to buy a ticket to any circus that uses animals. 

Circuses are running into more and more places where they can't force elephants and other exotic animals to perform, as localities ban the use of bullhooks—sharp metal weapons that resemble fireplace pokers—and other cruel devices. Trainers use them to beat, hook, and gouge elephants on the most sensitive parts of their bodies, like behind their ears and knees. In Florida alone, Pompano Beach, Clearwater, Hollywood, and Margate have already enacted bans, and now we can add Hallandale Beach to the list of dozens of compassionate communities across the country that are saying, "Not on our watch."

Thanks in part to the help and hard work of local group Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF), the City Commission of Hallandale Beach, just north of Miami, voted to ban circuses and rodeos from using bullhooks, whips, and other cruel devices to beat animals. Since threatening elephants, tigers, and other animals by showing them a bullhook or whip is the only way that circus trainers can make them stand on their heads, jump through rings of fire, or perform other frightening, confusing tricks, circuses will have to leave exotic animals out of their acts if they want to entertain in Hallandale Beach. 

PETA is sending the Hallandale Beach city commissioners a box  of vegan chocolates to thank them for being elefriends. 

Los Angeles is also considering a bullhook ban. Let the City Council know that you (and elephants) would love to see Los Angeles become known as the City of Angels to Animals by passing the ban.

Los Angeles has been on a roll lately (ever since PETA's new Bob Barker Building opened there—coincidence?). First, the city banned pet stores from selling puppies, kittens, and rabbits from breeders, and then it became the first major city to embrace and endorse Meatless Monday. Now, the City of Angels is considering a ban on cruel elephant acts.

Here's what's going on: The City Council's Personnel and Animal Welfare Committee proposed a measure that would ban circuses and other traveling exhibits in L.A. from forcing elephants to perform. 

If the council passes the measure, Ringling Bros. and other circuses that abuse elephants will no longer be allowed to haul them to Los Angeles in cramped, stifling boxcars or trucks in which they're kept chained for up to 100 hours at a time. These circuses will no longer be allowed to drag elephants into an L.A. arena and force them to stand on their heads or balance on balls, with the ever-present bullhook looming threateningly nearby. In L.A., they would no longer be able to deprive elephants of the right to be elephants.

Ringling Bros. is already blasting the measure with both barrels, so the L.A. City Council needs to hear from every single person who has elephants' welfare at heart. Please write—even one line—to the council and encourage it to support the ban on cruel elephant acts. Get everyone you know to do the same so that L.A. can continue to serve as a role model for cities across the country.

PETA is calling for an investigation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) inspector general following the departure of the agency's former deputy general counsel, Kenneth Vail—the man who was tasked with enforcing animal protection regulations for the USDA and who has now taken a job with the Ringling Bros. circus, which is counted among the most egregious animal abusers in the country.

Yeah, that doesn't seem shady at all, does it?

Whose Interests Was He Serving? Not Animals'

Before officially becoming Ringling's paid protector, Vail served as the USDA's lead legal counsel for animal welfare matters. Yet he repeatedly failed to take enforcement action against Ringling Bros.—despite a mountain of proof provided by PETA that exposed flagrant animal abuse and the concealment of evidence and even when the USDA's own Investigative and Enforcement Services (IES) recommended seeking penalties.

Vail's failures to seek enforcement against Ringling are many, including these:

• Ignoring IES' advice to pursue fines against Ringling, Vail took no action against Ringling after it allowed Clyde, a 2-year-old lion, to bake to death in a boxcar as the circus traveled through the Mojave Desert on a scorching July day.
• Ringling killed Riccardo, an 8-month-old infant elephant, after he slipped from a pedestal onto which he'd been forced using ropes and a bullhook, breaking both hind legs, during a training exercise. Vail disregarded IES' recommendation that his office seek a penalty for blatant violations of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), taking no enforcement action at all.
• When Ringling's head of elephant training revealed in federal court that the circus repeatedly lied to the USDA about Riccardo's death—denying that Riccardo was being trained and claiming that he was just playing when he fell—Vail failed to reopen Riccardo's case or pursue any action against Ringling.
• Vail also declined to follow IES' recommendation to seek a fine—or, indeed, to pursue action of any sort—against Ringling after a handler was caught on tape violently beating a young elephant with a bullhook while she was chained by two legs.

Now Hiring: Must Have Influence, No Principles

Unsurprisingly, Ringling, a company that abuses and has killed animals, is notorious for its complete lack of scruples when it comes to making sure that it gets its way, including procuring the services of well-connected Washington insiders to sway their former colleagues and hiring an ex-CIA agent to intimidate critics and spy on and steal from PETA.

It's not surprising that Ringling would like Vail, who certainly seems to have given the circus special treatment for years during his government tenure. But even for such a shameless and unscrupulous enterprise as Ringling, the cozy deal to formally hire Vail to be the circus's "Animal Welfare Act compliance officer" raises the specter of impropriety. That's why PETA is urging the USDA's inspector general to investigate whether Vail has violated (or is currently violating) any federal conflict-of-interest laws.

As a result of PETA's relentless pressure on the USDA to take action in behalf of these animals, Ringling was recently forced to pay the largest penalty for AWA violations in circus history—after Vail left the USDA. While this was an important step, the government must now take action to confiscate the arthritic elephants forced by Ringling to travel up to 50 weeks a year in filthy, poorly ventilated boxcars and to perform painful, unnatural tricks.

What You Can Do

Never buy a ticket for Ringling Bros. or any other circus that uses animals, and please join PETA in asking the USDA to confiscate the lame elephants suffering under Ringling's domination immediately.

Update: PETA has just received word that following its submission of evidence of this cruel beating to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the agency's Investigative and Enforcement Services has opened a formal investigation into the matter.

Originally posted June 15:

A security guard has reported that an animal attendant with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus repeatedly beat a chained elephant with a bullhook at the World Arena in Colorado Springs shortly after midnight on June 10. A sworn cruelty complaint has now been filed with the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region.

'Elephants Never Forget' Cruelty

The whistleblower, while working as a guard at the arena, saw a Ringling employee strike an elephant on her leg "with full force" at least six times in a manner that the whistleblower describes as "violent," "excessive," "angry," and "without warning." The attendant continued striking the elephant, who was chained by two legs, even after she had moved out of his way.

The guard also noted that the large cats traveling with Ringling were always confined to their cages unless they were performing, that he did not see any of the animals provided with regular access to water, and that he was told that the circus does not travel with a veterinarian.

'Animal Care' Requires Actual Care

Last year, Ringling paid a $270,000 fine to settle charges brought by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but the complaints keep coming in.  

The man who came forward is a trained veterinary assistant who had been in the process of filling out a job application to work in an animal-care capacity for Ringling. After witnessing Ringling's mistreatment of the animals, he immediately closed his Ringling employment application and contacted PETA.

What You Can Do

Please take a moment to e-mail the Humane Society of the Pike's Peak region and urge them to take swift enforcement action against this blatant cruelty.

The following was originally posted on September 25, 2012. 

Update: Because of a change in the council's agenda, a vote was not held on the 25th. Please keep watching The PETA Files for further details, and visit RinglingBeatsAnimals.com to learn about more ways to put a stop to circus cruelty.

This is exciting: Today, the City of Anaheim will consider banning the use of exotic animals in traveling exhibitions—including circuses! Ringling Bros. includes Anaheim in its annual California tour. Imposing an exotic-animal ban would reinforce PETA's intensive efforts to stop Ringling from abusing elephants and other animals.

Anaheim is where one of Ringling's elephants, Sarah, collapsed in 2011 after Ringling forced her to continue performing despite a chronic infection. If passed, the ban will ensure that she—and all the elephants used by Ringling—will never again be subjected to further cruelty in that city.

Currently, Anaheim has a ban on keeping exotic animals, but the proposed ordinance, introduced by Council Member Lorri Galloway, would remove an existing exemption for circuses and other traveling acts. Anaheim would join Ontario, Canada, in the growing list of North American jurisdictions that are currently considering bans on the use of bullhooks, elephants, or all exotic animals in circuses.

What You Can Do

If you live in the Anaheim area, please join the concerned citizens who will be meeting at City Hall to speak in favor of the ban during the City Council's 5 p.m. meeting.

Wherever you reside, learn how you can help PETA put an end to Ringling's cruelty.

Members of the Ontario Provincial Parliament might not have been expecting to get a personal visit from one of the stars of The Secret Life of the American Teenager when Megan Park knocked on their door. But the Ontario-born actor wasn't there to sign autographs; she was there to hand-deliver a letter she penned to Parliament on behalf of PETA asking for the legislators' support of Bill 69—the Elephant Protection Act.

Thank you to One Eye Productions

This historic piece of legislation would ban circuses and zoos in Ontario from using bullhooks (which resemble fireplace pokers), electric prods, and other weapons to beat elephants into submission and force them to perform confusing and uncomfortable tricks. The bill would also prohibit circuses or zoos from tethering elephants except during transport or veterinary procedures. When Zoocheck Canada asked for PETA's help in getting the bill passed, we and Megan were both excited to jump on board. In her letter, Megan stressed the urgency of Parliament's passage of the Elephant Protection Act:

Join Megan in asking Ontario legislators to support the Elephant Protection Act.

As President Obama hits the road, he's finding himself dogged by an elephant. PETA is asking Mr. Obama to direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to start confiscating these abused animals, who are so cruelly trained and treated by Ringling Bros. and other circuses.

Circus Cruelty Is Bull(hooks)

In fact, in the circus, abuse is the norm. Handlers frequently embed the sharp end of a bullhook into the soft tissue behind elephants' ears and knees and under their chins. The USDA has the ability and the responsibility to seize suffering animals, and yet the agency allows them to travel up to 50 weeks a year in cramped and filthy boxcars and trailers, to be kept in shackles, and to be beaten. Even lame elephants are forced to stand with all their weight pressing on their hind legs and to perform tricks that can only be painful.

PETA's complaints against Ringling Bros.—filed over several years—regarding beatings and the death of elephants, including one particular baby among several who succumbed during training, resulted in the largest fine in circus history. But while fining Ringling Bros. and then Cole Bros. circuses is a good step in the right direction, it is only small step, and it does nothing to abate the horrors that elephants are enduring right now. The USDA must use its powers of confiscation and remove from abuse the dozens of elephants who are still suffering in circuses. That's why PETA is appealing directly to the president.

What You Can Do

Please take a minute of your time to weigh in regarding these suffering elephants and push for them to get the retirement they deserve. Please use this form to urge President Obama to order the USDA to confiscate all ailing animals from Ringling and other circuses now. And, if Ringling or another circus is coming to your town, please contact us, and we’ll give you all the information and materials that you need to convince people to stay away. 

Imagine you're cruising down the Pacific Coast Highway, ragtop down, enjoying the Golden State sunshine. You flip on the radio and hear, "This next dedication goes out to Ringling: 'Shut Down' by the Beach Boycotts!"

This little mental vacation was prompted by news that a coalition of California humane societies has joined PETA in calling for a boycott of the cruel Ringling Bros. circus. As the coalition's announcement explains:

PETA has worked with the Marin Humane Society, one of the worthy organizations behind this coalition effort, to train humane officers in inspecting elephants used by circuses—and clearly, what they've seen has made an impression!

What You Can Do

Please show this to your local humane society or SPCA director and encourage him or her to join the growing ranks of animal protection groups that urge people to boycott Ringling. Please make sure that groups in your area have the facts, and ask them to get on board.

Update: 

At Atlanta's City Hall, B-52s singer Fred Schneider, surrounded by City Councilmember Felicia Moore and other PETA supporters, called on the City Council to pass a total ban on bullhooks. "How can we do this to elephants?" he asked. "I can't imagine doing this to our cats, dogs, or other pets we love." Moore commented that "Atlanta is better than this" and added that she and fellow Councilmember Natalyn Mosby Archibong will continue to push for the full ban.

Photo: Anna Ware

Photo: Anna Ware

The following was originally published on June 26th.

PETA has sent an urgent letter to the Atlanta City Council exhorting it to pass an ordinance proposed by Councilmembers Felicia Moore and Natalyn Archibong that would ban all bullhook use in the city. The new measure would strengthen recently passed legislation that is unenforceable and will do nothing to protect elephants used in circuses from abuse.

Excessive Burden of Proof

The ordinance passed on June 18 bans the use of bullhooks only when a witness comes forward to attest that they were used to "punish" or "discipline" an elephant and that the specific incident resulted in the elephant's skin being observably broken, scarred, or otherwise damaged—an almost impossible task given that handlers commonly strike elephants in places that hide the wounds, such as behind the ears or under the chin.

Nor do all bullhook beatings break the skin, even when they cause serious injuries—and when they do cause bleeding, circuses apply a gray powder called "Wonder Dust" to cover up any wounds since it blends in with elephants' skin.

Along with the letter, PETA sent videotapes showing several incidents in which elephants were beaten with bullhooks in California, which has a law that's virtually identical to Atlanta's. In none of these instances was the perpetrator prosecuted.

What You Can Do

California's failed elephant-protection law proves that as long as circus elephant handlers have bullhooks, they're going to beat elephants with them. Please join PETA in making it clear to the Atlanta City Council that a total ban on bullhooks is the only way to stop circuses from beating elephants. (Please keep all correspondence polite.)