Dear :
I am very upset to learn that [name of facility] will be using performing elephants.
Making animals do tricks on commend is cruel
and teaches nothing about their natural behavior.
Elephants in their natural habitat are very social
animals. They live in small herds composed of a group
of females, or cows, and their young (calves), who are
led by an older, experienced cow called the matriarch.
The herd works together to take care of the calves and
to watch for danger. These strong social bonds often
extend to members of the herd who are sick or dying.
Elephants have been observed covering the body of a
dead herd member with twigs and leaves and staying at
the gravesite for hours. Elephants choose warm
climates with heavy rainfall. To help protect
themselves from the heat, elephants have large ears,
with prominent veins, that they can flap to cool their
blood. They must stay near water, not only for
drinking, but also for bathing and cooling. In
addition to mud baths, elephants also take dust baths
to try to keep cool and deter insect attacks.
Elephants spend about 16 hours a day roaming hundreds
of miles and foraging for nearly 350 pounds of food.
When animals
cannot satisfy their natural behaviors, they develop
extreme stress, which manifests itself in abnormal
behaviors such as constant pacing, tail biting, eating
excrement, bar chewing and constant wobbling.
Wild animals do not give up their natural behaviors
easily. The trainers beat them to submission to make
them do all these unnatural and often dangerous acts.
The training involves tight collars, electric prods,
bullhooks, whips as well as water and food
depravation.
In addition, performing wild animals pose a real threat to public
safety, precisely because they are wild and therefore unpredictable.
No amount of training or affection can eliminate this danger.
Please, for the sake of the animals and the safety of
the public, implement a formal policy against the use
of animal acts as promotions, and schedule only
cruelty-free events.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
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