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.

PETA has asked the Los Angeles Mayor's Office to immediately release records related to the city's decision to allow the Ringling Bros. circus to force ailing elephants to perform during its recent stint at the Staples Center despite expert advice to the contrary and despite apparently breaching the city's own laws.

Sound Advice

When Ringling came to L.A. this summer, the city brought in an independent elephant expert to determine whether the elephants used by the troupe were fit to perform. Dr. Philip Ensley—associate veterinarian for the Zoological Society of San Diego for 29 years—issued a critical report after inspecting the elephants.

He advised, among other things, that two of Ringling's elephants "should be removed from performing" since "Karen and most likely Nichole as well, suffer from arthritis, which results in chronic pain, impaired limb function, and are in effect crippled" and that five other elephants should be removed from performing if Ringling failed to improve their standard of care because of their histories of foot, toenail, and musculoskeletal issues, including at least one elephant who "suffers from … ongoing chronic foot problems."

Dr. Ensley concluded his report by noting that the inspected elephants "suffer unneeded existing detrimental medical conditions and should not participate in forced, non species-typical behaviors that are repetitive rigorous physical activities"—in other words, typical circus routines—"under the current standard of care and living conditions."

Questionable Decisions

Los Angeles law prohibits the city from issuing a permit to any circus with animals unless it has first conducted an investigation and determined "that animals will not be subject to needless suffering, unnecessary cruelty or abuse" and that the circus will not violate any state or local law. Los Angeles regulations also prohibit keeping crippled or painfully diseased animals in the city.

What's more, California law requires that animals who are "unfit for labor" are not to be used in any way, including in performances, and prohibits subjecting any animal to needless suffering. But despite these clear guidelines and Dr. Ensley's unequivocal findings, the city issued a permit to Ringling and allowed it to illegally force these suffering, unfit, crippled elephants to perform.

Less Than Full Disclosure

In an effort to determine why this decision was made, PETA submitted a public records request to the Mayor's Office. After delaying a response, the office provided some records but withheld an undisclosed number of records. PETA believes that the withholding of at least some of these records may have been unlawful since the reasons given for not releasing the records don't apply when the public interest favors disclosure.

The reasons for approving a permit for Ringling to use elephants—whom the city knew from its own expert to be unfit and suffering from chronic pain—against city law are clearly of interest to the public, especially at a time when the Los Angeles City Council is considering legislation to protect elephants used in circuses. This information is also of interest to PETA, whose campaigners are working nonstop to end Ringling's abuse and exploitation of animals, so the group has demanded the release of the improperly withheld records and will consider taking legal action if denied.

What You Can Do

Even animal-protection laws as seemingly clear as Los Angeles' don't always do the job. Please start a legislative effort to completely ban circuses and other traveling exhibits in your town or county. And if a circus with animals is scheduled to perform in your town, make sure that you're ready.

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.

While every Morrissey show is darkly entertaining, every Ringling show, with its behind-the-scenes elephant beatings, is just plain dark. So when Moz played Boston right as Ringling was rolling into town, he gave his bandmates PETA's "Ringling Beats Animals" tees to wear and gave Ringling the big middle drumstick:

© FilmMagic

Morrissey knows that true great shows don't involve beating crippled elephants with sharp metal-tipped bullhooks to force them to act out confusing tricks. PETA just released a new video showing a Ringling trainer striking an elephant, who is already showing signs of arthritis, because she wasn't performing exactly as she was told to.

Moz and his band choose to perform—elephants don't. Tell Ringling that until it stops beating elephants, it can beat it, with your own "Ringling Beats Animals" tee. 

One thing wasn't up for debate last night—PETA's "elephant" turned almost as many heads at the presidential debate as the motorcades did.

President Barack Obama read the elephant's sign and responded with a wave. Mitt Romney likely got the message, too, as he passed by twice. Fox News pundit Juan Williams took our circus leaflet and read over it. And Rudy Giuliani and Tom Brokaw checked us out. In addition, many of the 5,000 members of the media who were there wanted to interview us and take the elephant's picture.

While our elephant's species might seem to suggest that she belongs to the GOP, the only party she's concerned with is the one she'll throw when circuses are no longer allowed to imprison and beat elephants. Help make it a reality for her—go only to circuses that don't use animals.

PETA is dedicated to stopping the abuse of animals and promoting healthy vegan eating. We take no position in support of or opposition to any political party or candidate for public office.

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.

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.

Sharon Osbourne told Intermix to get fur out of the mix when she helped Fur Free Los Angeles with a demonstration outside the store. And the host of The Talk isn't all talk—she donated her old furs to PETA several years ago and has been an anti-fur advocate ever since.

Miranda Cosgrove might not be a real talk show host yet, but she does play one on TV. The iCarly star is iCompassionate to animals, telling US Weekly that she never lets anyone kill bugs (she takes them back outdoors) and that she threw a birthday party for her cat.

When Chaka Khan made like a feline, appearing on American Idol in a sultry catsuit, her slimmed-down physique had people wondering what her secret was. Now the legendary singer is spilling the beans (in addition to eating them): She went vegan for her health and dropped 60 pounds in the process.

And two of the sexiest stars alive are teaming up in the summer's sexiest movie, Magic Mike, but Channing Tatum and Olivia Munn are also teaming up to end Ringling's abuse of animals, joining thousands of people in asking the Atlanta City Council to pass a proposed bullhook ban:

While the City Council passed only a partial ban this time, it will be voting on a full ban again soon. 

Who says cats can't edit? PETA's office cats Marshall and Bubbles seem to think that our Ringling slogan needs a rewrite.

As far as we're concerned, this is as close as cats should ever get to Ringling.