Ringling Bros elephant abuse trial begins
Guardian illustration by Danny Hellman
By Steven T. Jones
The long-awaited animal abuse lawsuit against Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus finally gets underway tomorrow morning in a federal district court in Washington DC. As the Guardian reported in August, the case highlights concerns that Ringling routinely abuses its Asian elephants and that federal regulators have turned a blind eye to its violations of the Endangered Species Act.
Plaintiffs American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, three other animal welfare groups, and former Ringling Bros elephant trainer Tom Rider are asking Judge Emmett Sullivan to sanction Ringling and its parent company, Feld Entertainment, and to revoke their ESA permits to use the elephants in their shows, which Ringling spokespersons have said could cripple the company.
“We feel really confident,” attorney Tracy Silverman with the Animal Welfare Institute, one of the plaintiffs, told the Guardian. “We have such strong evidence against Ringling Brothers that they’re violating the Endangered Species Act and we’re looking forward to laying that out in court.”
Since the Guardian first covered the story -- and the related issues of elephants that carry tuberculosis strains that are transmittable to humans and the tactics circus owner Kenneth Feld used to sabotage critics – other media outlets have reported on the case, including The New York Times, something Silverman said it crucial to changing public perceptions that elephants are willing performers.
Meanwhile, sources say Feld and Ringling have settled for an undisclosed amount a lawsuit brought by journalist and author Jan Pottker, who was subjected to an elaborate campaign to smear and distract her from writing about the Feld family, orchestrated by Clair George, the former No. 3 person at the CIA until being ousted for his role in the Iran-Contra Affair.
The elephant abuse case was originally set to be heard in October, but it was bumped back on Judge Sullivan’s docket by the corruption case against Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska). Tomorrow’s witnesses include elephant expert Joyce Poole and activist Pat Cuviello, who secretly filmed elephant abuse over many years.
Guardian calls for comment to Feld Entertainment weren’t immediately returned. Check back here for periodic coverage of the trial, where former KTVU anchor Leslie Griffith, whose long crusade to expose elephant abuse and protect the public from tuberculosis that we discuss in our coverage, is on the scene.
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