Ringling Brothers Stands Trial in Federal Court For Elephant Abuse

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- After more than eight years
of legal wrangling, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus and its
parent company, Feld Entertainment, will finally stand trial to face charges
that the circus abuses its Asian elephants in violation of the federal
Endangered Species Act.
On Monday, Oct. 27, the plaintiffs, including the American Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Animal Welfare Institute, Fund for Animals,
Born Free USA united with Animal Protection Institute, and former Ringling
Bros. employee Tom Rider are scheduled to present their case in federal
district court in Washington D.C.
The groundbreaking lawsuit alleges that Ringling Bros. circus violates the
Endangered Species Act by abusively training and disciplining elephants with
sharp implements such as bull hooks and by intensively and continuously
confining and chaining the animals for hours and even days on end.
"We look forward to finally having the opportunity to establish at trial
that Ringling Bros. inhumanely and unlawfully mistreats the endangered Asian
elephants it uses to perform in shows all across the country," said lead
counsel Katherine Meyer of the law firm Meyer Glitzenstein & Crystal. "The
elephants not only deserve to be treated in a humane manner but they are
entitled to be protected under the law and we hope that they will be afforded
such protection once this case finally comes to an end."
Over the years, the plaintiffs have amassed a wealth of evidence to
support their claims including photographs, video footage, internal Ringling
Bros. documentation and reports from the United States Department of
Agriculture. In addition to such evidence, eyewitness testimony from former
Ringling Bros. employees and testimony from leading elephant behavior experts
will be presented by the plaintiffs at trial.
SOURCE ASPCA

Tracy Silverman, Esq., AWI, +1-202-460-3231, tracy@awionline.org; or Anita K.
Edson, ASPCA, +1-646-522-5056, anitae@aspca.org; or Martin Montorfano, FFA,
+1-301-258-3152, mmontorfano@humanesociety.org; or Adam Roberts, API,
+1-202-445-3572, adam@bornfreeusa.org