Circus's Elephants Kept Out of Maine

When
he learned that Topsy, an elephant used by Piccadilly Circus, tested positive in two
tuberculosis (TB) screening tests, Maine’s state veterinarian, Don Hoenig, barred the circus from taking her into
the state. Since Piccadilly didn’t want its other elephant, Annette, to perform
without Topsy, neither elephant
will be forced to perform in Maine.

Hoenig
is adhering to the 2012 Guidelines for the Control of Tuberculosis in Elephants
recommended by the United States Animal Health Association (USAHA), which aims
to prevent, control, and eliminate disease. The USAHA recommends that elephants who test positive for
TB should be restricted
from all travel or public contact for a year since the disease is highly
transmissible to humans, even without direct contact. PETA has repeatedly urged
state and local health departments to protect the public when circuses are in
town by prohibiting the exhibition of elephants who have reactive TB screening
tests.

Elephants
used by circuses have a heightened risk of developing active TB infections
because their health is compromised by the constant stress of traveling inside filthy, poorly ventilated boxcars. They are also
chained for up to 100 hours at a time and forced to perform unnatural
and sometimes painful tricks. Multiple elephants used by Ringling Bros. and George
Carden Circus have tested positive in TB screening tests but are still being
forced to travel and perform.

Because
of the fragile health of TB-positive elephants and the risk to the public, PETA
has repeatedly asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to make
adherence to the USAHA guidelines a national requirement. The USDA even
announced its intention to
do so, but it has yet to act.

Please
e-mail the USDA and ask it to protect elephants and the public from circus
owners who sacrifice safety for profit.

Read more at The PETA Files