PETA Releases Video of Circus Elephant Abuse

PETA has released video it says shows cruelty to circus elephants, the Orange County Register reports. The tape shows Ringling Bros. handlers swatting elephants with “bull hooks,” and one pachyderm exhibiting signs of “severe psychological distress.” “This video again shows what we have been saying for years,” PETA charges. “These animals are routinely abused to perform in ways that they don’t naturally perform.”

“The question I ask moms coming to the circus is, ‘Would you want your children treated like these elephants are?’” said a protester outside a Ringling show in Southern California. The circus denies any wrongdoing. “It is no surprise that PETA would once again release misinformation,” it says in a statement. “We encourage people to come see for themselves that the animals are thriving in our care.” (More Ringling Brothers stories.)