Elephant in the Room! King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament, Angus Energy, Campari Group, Ecolab, Johnnie Walker, Leading Quality Assurance, Piaggio Group (maker of Vespa scooters), PwC, UK Proposes Measures to Ban Ivory
Fifteen. That's the number of times that a handler is seen beating an elephant on the head as she shies away and bucks to avoid the blows in PETA's new exposé of the King's Cup Elephant Polo Tournament in Thailand.
The tournament touts itself as a charity event for elephants and their conservation—but as the footage shows, this isn't the way to help elephants. There's never a justification for chaining and beating these highly social, emotional, and intelligent animals or for wearing them down, starting when they are babies, so that they can be trained and used for polo, elephant rides or shows, or circus acts. It's wrong, it's cruel, and it's the opposite of the protection that they need in proper sanctuaries and in nature.
PETA staffers pored over footage from the investigation and launched this campaign just hours after an eyewitness captured the abuse. Since the new exposé broke and the video of the beatings went viral on social media, many compassionate people have joined us in urging tournament sponsors to withdraw their support—and Sunraysia, Campari Group, Grohe, Ecolab, J.D. Edwards, Piaggio Group (maker of Vespa scooters), and others have already done so! PETA is truly a powerhouse online, with nearly three-quarters of a million followers on Weibo—one of the most popular social media sites in China. When campaigns such as this one launch, we reach hundreds of thousands of people within moments—including many who immediately take action to help animals and push companies such as those listed above to stop supporting cruelty. If you haven't already added your voice, will you please take a moment to urge the Minor Hotel Group to make the compassionate decision to help stop elephant abuse?
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Here’s Why Brands Are No Longer Supporting the King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament
Angus Energy, Campari Group, Ecolab, Johnnie Walker, Leading Quality Assurance, Piaggio Group (maker of Vespa scooters), and PwC have all informed PETA that they’ll no longer support the cruel King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament.
Their decisions have come in response to shocking footage released earlier this month by PETA Asia showing handlers repeatedly beating elephants used in the event at the Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort in Thailand. The video reveals that handlers beat and jabbed the captive elephants’ heads with bullhooks – weapons that resemble a fireplace poker with a long, sharp metal hook on one end – violently pulled the animals by their sensitive ears, and left them without access to shade in sweltering temperatures of up to 33 degrees. One handler can be seen hitting an elephant on the head approximately 15 times, apparently drawing blood.
In a statement, Campari Group said, “The Group condemns any form of violence and mistreatment towards animals and for this reason has decided to immediately suspend its sponsorship of the event.”
By withdrawing their sponsorship, these companies have set a positive example for those that still support such abusive spectacles to follow. Elephants belong in the wild, not on polo fields, where they’re forced to obey confusing commands under the constant threat of punishment.
What Can You Do?
Elephants used for polo tournaments, rides, or any other type of entertainment endure violent training to break their spirits, during which they’re regularly beaten. Between matches, they’re often shackled so tightly that they can barely take a single step in any direction. Because of this cruelty, numerous tournaments have been cancelled or lost sponsors – and Guinness World Records has struck all mention of elephant polo records from its pages.
UK Proposes World’s Toughest Measures to Ban Ivory in Desperate Effort to Save Elephants. It is estimated that every fifteen minutes, an African elephant is killed for their tusks. At this shocking rate, wild elephants are facing a high risk of extinction. Not only does the ivory trade kill innocent adult elephants, it disrupts family herds and leaves traumatized, defenseless orphans behind. In an attempt to slow down this vicious trade, the U.S. banned the commercial sale of ivory in 2014, and China, the largest contributor to the trade, finally enstated a ban on ivory this year after shutting down ivory carving facilities in 2017. And now the UK has announced the introduction of the toughest ban on ivory yet!
This proposed new law was written after 88 percent of 70,000 people surveyed said they support a ban on the ivory trade. If passed into legislation, the ban would stop the import and sale of ivory, with just a few exceptions — items made before 1947 composed of less than 10 percent ivory, musical instruments made before 1975 composed of less than 20 percent ivory, and rare items that are at least 100 years old that will be reviewed by institutions like museums before being permitted. Those found in violation of the ban could face up to five years in jail and an unlimited fine.
UK’s Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Michael Gove, stated: “Ivory should never be seen as a commodity for financial gain or a status symbol, so we will introduce one of the world’s toughest bans on ivory sales to protect elephants for future generations … The ban on ivory sales we will bring into law will reaffirm the UK’s global leadership on this critical issue, demonstrating our belief that the abhorrent ivory trade should become a thing of the past.”
The Duke of Cambridge, who is the patron of the conservation charity Tusk, has been vocal about his opposition to the trade, saying ivory is a “symbol of destruction, not of luxury.” Tusk’s chief executive Charlie Mayhew stated, “The ban will ensure there is no value for modern day ivory and the tusks of recently poached elephants cannot enter the UK market.”
This proposed new legislation is in alignment with other conservation efforts from the UK, including British military training African rangers and Border Force officers in intercepting efforts of poachers and smugglers.
This is wonderful news for elephants and the world of conservation, and we hope other countries follow in the UK’s lead and propose similar legislation.
Elephant Killed After Circus Truck Overturned on Highway Illustrates the Problem With These Shows. This just breaks our hearts. Life for an elephant forced to perform circus tricks is far from natural. These gentle giants are bound by chains and shipped like cargo from location to location. Circus employees tie heavy chains around the elephants’ ankles to limit their ability to move, preventing them from lying down or even having social interactions with other elephants. As you can imagine, transporting wild animals is dangerous for not only the animals themselves but also the people around them.
In yet another wreckless circus accident, a circus truck carrying five elephants in Spain was recently overturned on a motorway.
One elephant has been pronounced dead after they rolled off the road and into a ditch, Sky News reports. The four surviving elephants stood over their friend’s body. Elephants are highly intelligent creatures and will often mourn the death of a fellow elephant.
The motorway was closed off for two hours while fire personnel and concerned drivers tried to help.
Two of the elephants involved in the wreck suffered large cuts to their faces and legs. Is an hour of the circus really all that fun when you consider the expense animals have to pay?
The injured elephants are being treated by veterinarians in a public facility and from there, they will be moved to a clinic. This latest incident is just another example of why circuses that force wild animals to perform are highly unethical and dangerous for all involved.
“This terrible incident symbolizes all that is wrong with the use of animals in traveling circuses,” said Animal Defenders International President Jan Creamer. “Instead of a life in the wild, these incredible animals are being carted around the country, confined and forced to perform. Please don’t visit a circus with animals and help stop their suffering today.”
We hope that the circus involved in the crash has the compassion to send the four surviving elephants to an accredited sanctuary, where they can live out the remainder of their days in peace (another circus in Spain retired their animals to a sanctuary just last year, so it’s possible!).
The growing majority of the public agrees that they don’t want to watch captive animals perform silly tricks. Over 40 countries worldwide have banned the use of wild animals in circuses, including Scotland, India, Italy, Iran, Ireland, Romania, the U.K, and the Netherlands, so why are we still forcing animals into this horrific life?
If you are looking forward to the day when animals used in entertainment will be just a mention in history books, SHARE this article to spread awareness about what’s wrong with circuses! Image Source: The Save Movement/Facebook
An elephant was killed today in the streets of Spain. That's a headline that we should never have to read. But when governments allow animals to be used as entertainment, tragedies like this can — and do — often happen.
Five innocent elephants, forced to work in a circus, were tossed from their trailer when the truck carrying the pachyderms lost control trying to overtake another vehicle. One lost its life, two others were injured and the others escaped without any physical injuries.
Yet, whether or not the elephants experienced any physical pain, what is certain is that these beautiful creatures are suffering mentally. Circus elephants are often sent on the road for hours at a time, traveling from one location to the next. Their trainers often use cruel methods to train them and coerce them into doing tricks they would never do in the wild.
And now, an elephant has lost its life all for the sake of "entertainment."
While city, state, and national governments have been banning the use of animals in entertainment all across the world, Spain hasn't gotten the memo.
It's time for Spain to join its European allies like Italy, Belgium, Austria, Sweden and Portugal and a whole host of other national and local governments in ending the animal entertainment industry. Please sign the petition and ask Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy Brey to end the suffering.
Across Southeast Asia, elephants are torn from their mothers and condemned to brutal work in the logging and tourism industries. These intelligent animals are forced into endless, back-breaking labor, until their bodies eventually give out from the torture. Their lives are bleak, pain-filled, and cruel.
Boon Peang was one of those elephants. Likely stolen from her mother as a baby, she was forced into Laos’ illegal logging industry, where she was bullied into moving and lifting heavy logs all day, every day. For years she suffered in the logging camp. Finally, she could haul no more, but the cruelty she endured was unfortunately not yet over.
Swapping the harness she used to haul logs for a seat to haul humans, she was moved to a riding camp. Beaten and broken, Boon Peang was made to give ride after ride to tourists. For over a decade she had to endure giving rides under the hot sun, sometimes up to 12 a day. This type of torture is unacceptable to World Animal Protection where we work to protect elephants used in the tourist trade.
There was light at the end of the tunnel for Boon Peang. Her owner finally realized the misery she endured and contacted MandaLao Elephant Conservation, in Laos, a sanctuary sponsored by World Animal Protection. Although Boon Peang was rescued, there are many other elephants still suffering. With your support, we can continue to rescue elephants and stop the tourist trade that causes it.
We are working with venues like MandaLao in Asia to improve conditions and give the best possible lives for the wild animals who have been ripped from their homes by humans. But we can’t help these and other animals without your help. Please, help today so that we can make a difference for suffering animals all around the world.
