PETA alleges abuse at Carson & Barnes

The Carson & Barnes Circus has shows scheduled for June 3 and 4 in Lodi. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals allege that the circus beats animals with bullhooks. (Courtesy photo)

PETA alleges abuse at Carson & Barnes

Circus, set to appear in Lodi, denies abusing elephants

By Maggie Creamer
News-Sentinel Staff Writer

Thursday, May 28, 2009 6:11 AM PDT

Comments (38 comment(s))

With less than a week until the circus comes to town, the activist group People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals is asking the city of Lodi to ban the use of bullhooks, electric prods and other devices used to inflict pain on elephants.

In a letter sent to the Lodi City Council, PETA accuses Carson & Barnes Circus of beating its animals with bullhooks when training them to do tricks.

"Our goal is to shed light on the abusive training and constant confinement that Carson & Barnes and other circuses use on elephants ... It makes these otherwise gentle animals aggressive, and they become stressed and sometimes they snap," said RaeLeann Smith, PETA Circus and Government Affairs Specialist.

But Carson & Barnes denies ever hitting their elephants. While they do use bullhooks, it is to tap the elephants behind the ear or to lightly pull the tusk to nudge them in the right direction, said Mal Knopf, director of marketing for the circus.

The bullhooks the trainers use are rounded with no point, Knopf said, and are equivalent to a leash on a dog. He said he does not know of any circuses that still use electric prods.

"We're a 73-year-old family-owned business," he said. "You don't stay in business by beating animals."

Because the city received the letter on Tuesday, Mayor Larry Hansen said he did not know much about the issue.

"I'm never OK with cruelty to animals, so I appreciate their cause," Hansen said. "I don't know if we might pursue something or not."

He questioned whether it would be more effective for PETA to work at statewide level as opposed to appealing to individual cities.

Carson & Barnes Circus at a glance

The circus will be at the Grape Festival grounds for four shows: 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. June 3 and June 4

Purchase tickets online at the circus Web site or to get tickets by phone, call (580) 326-7597 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays.

While she knows of protests planned in other California cities that the circus will visit, Smith said she had not heard of one happening in Lodi.

Smith acknowledged the city would not be able to make a policy before the circus' shows on June 3 and 4. But she said the city could make a policy in the future, and the publicity could influence whether people go to the show or not. "If your readers saw what goes on behind the scenes, you'd have to drag them to the circus kicking and screaming," Smith said.

PETA tries to inform every city where Carson & Barnes Circus performs about their alleged treatment of animals, Smith said. They also have tried to get a statewide ban on bullhooks in California.

She said bullhooks are used only to inflict pain on animals and PETA has documented elephants who have lacerations, swelling, abscesses and bruises because of the hooks.

On PETA's Web site, there is a video labeled "Make 'Em Scream" that PETA says is from the Carson & Barnes Circus.

Knopf said he has seen the video and while there is some footage taken by an undercover PETA member, it is grainy and hard to make out what is happening. He also said the voices in the video were dubbed.

Circuses are a highly regulated industry, Knopf said, and the United States Department of Agriculture often inspects the animals. Whenever the circus moves to a new town, he said it is common for staff from local animal control and animal rights organizations to come early to see the conditions. The circus has never been cited for animal cruelty, he said.

The circus is required to keep extensive records on the animals' well-being, and has a veterinarian who travels with the show, Knopf said.

"It's a tremendous expense," he said. "When we are spending that kind of money and abiding by the rules and regulations, we are not going to beat up on the animals. That's just silly."

The circus staff trains the elephants through positive reinforcement, such as giving them an apple, Knopf said. The elephants respond to voice commands, and many of the tricks in the show are based off of what staff has seen the animals do in their natural habitat, he said.

He said the circus has 30 elephants that they keep in Oklahoma during the winter, and the circus founded the nonprofit Endangered Ark Foundation, which is for the conservation, breeding and scientific study of Asian elephants.

Banning the use of the bullhooks does not necessarily mean cities are banning circuses, because elephants can be trained through positive reinforcement to do circus tricks, Smith said.

But there have been cities that have banned circuses completely, including the California cities of Encinitas, Rohnert Park, Huntington Beach and Pasadena.

"There is a movement across the country to address the growing concern that compassionate citizens have about the treatment of animals in circuses," Smith said.

Reader Feedback

trista wrote on Jun 5, 2009 4:28 PM:

" Oh one more, to Dogs4You-thank you for the honorable mention, although I never thought of us as nut-jobs so much as those who injured,abandoned or never fixed the pets we ended up caring for.Its no different than other foster homes-like Animal Friends except with more room and less help.Well looking back we were nuts-for not asking the city's permission to 'legally' foster them-thus paying the high price of fixing,feeding and vaccinating each one ourselves.Anyways thats just my opinion. "

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