George Bernard Shaw

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http://www.peta.org/news/NewsItem.asp?id=4486 

Zoo Has Long History of Public Endangerment, Elephant Deaths

For Immediate Release:
June 3, 2004

Contact:
Nicole Meyer 757-622-7382    

New York — Today, PETA fired off a letter to Kieran Burke, CEO of Six Flags, Inc., urging him to permanently close the entertainment company’s elephant exhibits at Marine World in Vallejo, Calif., and Wild Safari in Jackson, N.J., and place the elephants in an approved sanctuary. PETA’s plea comes on the heels of yet another attack on a Six Flags elephant trainer. In this most recent incident, a trainer at Marine World was hospitalized in critical condition after being gored in the abdomen by an elephant named Misha on Tuesday.

PETA points out that Marine World uses cruel, circus-style training, which involves the use of metal-tipped bullhooks, and forces its elephants to perform tricks and give rides—a direct violation of American Zoo and Aquarium Association guidelines. In 1991, five people were injured during elephant rides at Marine World, and the company paid $600,000 to settle a lawsuit stemming from a 1993 incident in which a rider was thrown. PETA also reminds Burke of Marine World’s abysmal history of elephant deaths: Eight elephants have died in the past 10 years, including Misha’s calf, who was stillborn in March 2003. Federal inspection reports reveal numerous citations; among other violations, animals were found to be caged in dangerous conditions and subjected to fatally excessive heat. PETA also attributes Misha’s attack—her second on a keeper in three years—to the frustrations of captivity, which deprives elephants of their need to roam great distances, forage, choose mates and companions, and play.

A 2003 study, partly funded by six British zoos and published in the journal Nature, concluded that captivity is disruptive to naturally wide-ranging animals and causes them to suffer disturbing levels of abnormal behaviors and high infant mortality rates. Solely on the basis of ethical considerations, the Detroit Zoo recently closed its elephant exhibit and placed its elephants in a spacious, accredited sanctuary.

"How many elephants must die and how many humans must be injured before Six Flags stops imprisoning these animals?" asks PETA Director Debbie Leahy. "Placing these majestic animals in glorified cages is a crime against nature."

For more information, please visit PETA’s Web site SaveWildElephants.com. PETA’s letter to Six Flags is available upon request.