PETA Releases Video of Circus Elephant Abuse

Circus mistreated elephants and tigers, feds say

(NEWSER) - The Ringling Brothers circus—without admitting wrongdoing—has paid $270,000 to settle federal accusations that it mistreated elephants, tigers, zebras, and other exotic animals. Federal inspectors found that a sick elephant was forced to perform, elephants' faces were cut by sharp edges in transport trailers, big cats were kept in rusty cages with splintered floors, and meat was delivered to tigers in the same wheelbarrows that their waste was hauled in, MSNBC reports. More»

Animal rights group ends campaign featuring Michelle Obama

(NEWSER) - PETA has decided to pull the “Fur-Free and Fabulous” campaign that featured Michelle Obama—without her permission. PETA’s president last week confirmed the organization didn’t seek Obama’s consent because she can’t make such an endorsement, but insisted that because the first lady has called herself fur-free, “the world should know that in PETA’s eyes, that makes her pretty fabulous," Us reports. More»

Judge says plaintiff wasn't credible

(NEWSER) - A judge threw out an elephant abuse lawsuit against Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, saying the plaintiff, former Ringling employee Tom Rider, hadn’t demonstrated a close enough attachment to the animals. Rider and the Animal Protection Institute had argued that circus practices like using bull hooks on elephants or chaining them for prolonged periods of times constituted violations of the Endangered Species Act. More»

Qualms about baby elephant treatment leads trainer to PETA

(NEWSER) - The posthumous confessions of a former Ringling Bros. elephant wrangler have given PETA new ammunition in its ongoing fight against the nation’s biggest circus, which it accuses of animal cruelty. Sammy Haddock, who appears to have been seeking absolution, documented what he attested is brutish behavior towards baby elephants in pictures, a statement, and an interview with the rights organization. And the circus is firing back. More»

(NEWSER) - The circus is in town, and in a related development, the New York City Council is considering a ban on the display of "wild or exotic animals" for entertainment, the Times reports. The bill, understood to be aimed at the Ringling Brothers pachyderms, has the support of almost half of the council's 51 members. "There is no wild,” said a lawyer for Ringling Brothers. “There is a dwindling wild in this world." More»