|
Elephant rides off event list at fairs
Thursday, June 12, 2008
CAPITAL REGION — There will be no elephant rides at the Saratoga County Fair this summer, nor at any fairs or circuses held in the Capital Region. The state Department of Environmental Conservation is enforcing a clause in its endangered and threatened species licenses that forbids the public from riding or touching African or Asian elephants. Most of the elephants exhibited at amusement parks and fairs in the state are Asian elephants. Richard Rowland, general manager of the Saratoga County Fair, said the new DEC regulation took people in the fair industry by surprise. “We’ve had elephant rides as long as we have had a petting zoo,” Rowland said about his county fair that will be held July 15-20 at the fairgrounds in Ballston Spa. “Elephants tend to have a personality other animals don’t have,” Rowland said. “They have an intelligence in their eyes, a kindness. People like to be around them.” Rowland, and others, said the new no-public-contact regulation regarding elephants “came out of nowhere.” Attorney Scott Ely of Albany, who represents Commerford & Sons Inc. of Connecticut, a popular fair animal attraction that does shows across the state, said DEC changed its licensing permits in 2005. “For 40 years they have had elephant rides,” Ely said on Wednesday. At first no one was aware of the new condition that states “no direct public contact” is allowed with elephants. The issue came to a head last August at the Erie County Fair when one of Commerford’s elephant rides was shut down by DEC officials. The Commerford elephant rides were conducted, as in the past, at the Saratoga County Fair and other fairs in the state earlier in the summer. Ely said Commerford lost about $80,000 when the elephant rides were shut down in New York state. “If there was logic and reason behind it, then it would be easier to accept,” Rowland said about the elephant rides. Maureen Wren, a DEC spokeswoman, said this week that the no direct public contact with elephants is part of the permit condition for those who exhibit Asian or African elephants. She said there have been no injuries caused by elephant rides in New York state in recent times. “This is a preventative measure,” Wren said. She said the rule had been on the license conditions for two years but DEC found elephant attractions still offering rides. This spring the DEC sent letters to those holding an endangered or threatened species license for elephants reminding the people about the no public contact rule. “Animals must be exhibited, held, transported, and housed in a manner which prevents direct contact with the public at all times,” says the letter from Patrick P. Martin, DEC’s supervising biologist. “The licensee must take all reasonable and necessary measures to ensure the welfare and safety of the public and animals, including but not limited to employing the necessary barriers or physical restraints to maintain complete control of the animals at all times, in particular to prevent the animals from biting, clawing or scratching the public,” the April 9 letter says. Bob Johnson, president of the Outdoor Amusement Business Association, the national trade organization for the mobile amusement industry which has 5,000 members, was in Albany on Wednesday talking to legislators about changing the permit regulations. Johnson, whose headquarters are in Florida, said there are six firms that own and exhibit elephants in New York state. “All over the country there has never been a person injured on an elephant,” Johnson said. He said insurance carriers say providing insurance to elephant ride acts is “a very low risk as far as they are concerned.” He said that states all around New York, including New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, allow elephant rides. Georgia and Vermont do not, he said. Johnson said his organization has hired a lobbying firm and wants to explore the possibility of new state legislation that would change the rule as well as other means of changing the state DEC permit conditions. “This [elephant rides] has a wide appeal to the public, to the fair industry,” Johnson said. Get ALL of our news...Click here to subscribe to our online edition, a complete replica of our print edition.
comments
|
Advertisement
| ||||||||
July 4, 2009
1:33 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
IT IS "CRUEL" AND "HUMILIATING" FOR THE ELEPHANT TO BE "FORCED" INTO GIVING STUPID ELEPHANT RIDES TO THE PUBLIC.
I WISH EVERYONE WOULD WAKE UP AND UNDERSTAND THESE ELEPHANTS ARE NOT GETTING THEIR "BASIC NEEDS MET" IN ORDER TO EVEN SURVIVE ON A DAILY BASIS.
THEY "SURVIVE" BY BEING IN A FAMILY UNIT.
THEY "SURVIVE" BY BEING "FREE" TO ROAM EVERY DAY.
NOT IN CHAINS, NOT BEING BEATEN TO PERFORM STUPID TRICKS FOR THE PUBLIC
NOT BEING LOCKED IN BARNS IN TOO COLD OF CLIMATES
NOT BEING TRANSPORTED IN HOT AND COLD RAILWAY CARS FROM CITY TO CITY OR LOADED IN TRUCKS SQUASHED AND NOT BEING ABLE TO EVEN TURN AROUND FOR HOURS AND DAYS AT A TIME
WAKE UP AMERICA PLEASE
THEY ARE LIVING AND DYING A CRUEL EXISTENCE BECAUSE OF YOU.
YOU WANT TO LEARN HOW AN ELEPHANT SHOULD BE TREATED
THEN VISIT WWW.ELEPHANTS.COM
(THE ELEPHANT SANCTUARY IN TENNESSEE)
5:43 a.m. [ Suggest removal ]
To Linshr10: Man and elephants have been working and living together for centuries. They are not locked in barns and most are not chained anymore . When they are transported it is for a very short time ,not hours and days.
Do not listen to what the animal rights terriosts organizations feed you. They are after your money only. If it is wrong to teach elephants to perform than next you will not want dog, horse and cat shows. Is it not cruel to keep our pets,dogs chained? How about when you work and leave your pets home alone for hours in a hot house?
One animal group that takes in cats and dogs has the highest kill rate instead of finding homes for them. Yet they take in millions on the guise of helping animals.
I truly belive that those in charge in NY State may have been swayed by these animal terriost gropus to enforce a bill that is not needed.
I encourage all who love these beautiful animals to conact there state representatives to get this bill changed.
11:07 a.m. [ Suggest removal ]
My comments are focused on EXOTIC animals, especially elephants. Domesticated animals have their own issues... caused by humans too (which is a whole other topic). But this article deals with only elephants... so my comments focus on the same. I think Charlie tried to MIX topics by commenting on domestic animals.
I don't think that it's right that an 'endangered species' is exploited -- anywhere in the world -- and ESPECIALLY in the U.S. This animal isn't even indigenous to this country! Yet, many elephants are USED in the U.S, to make money... and the elephants suffer because of this.
The article states Commerford lost $80K because of the 'no ele ride' policy enforcement. What's more important to them: MONEY or PUBLIC (and animal) SAFETY?
It's wrong to hold exotic animals captive especially when the animals' instincts are severely compromised. Elephants must have space... lots of space... to exercise their bodies to maintain good physical health and psychological good health. Circus routines are NOT EXERCISE. In between performances, elephants are returned to gang lines (chains) or held in spaces with electrified wires to keep them 'contained'. This is their 'spot' until the next performance or the circus is ready to travel again. The travel is even more restrictive and even dirtier than the other.
Elephants are held in check inside trucks and box cars... IN CHAINS once again. If elephants move too much during transport, the load becomes unbalanced creating risk for accidents. AGAIN... another safety issue for animals and the public!
The USDA has confirmed that elephants can carry a form of transmissible TB ... from elephant to human... and back again. Do you realize what a risk you take if your child rides an infected elephant? Is your health or your child's health worth the risk? How do you know if the elephant in front of you is free from disease?
My opposition to elephants in circuses is this: they are captive ... forever captive... and must do what the humans want them to do.. and must learn and perform unnatural behaviors. Elephants never stand with all their weight on only their back legs. Elephants don't naturally do head stands or "sit" on pedestals. These behaviors are 'forced' upon them... they must learn the 'tricks of the trade' to bring you entertainment.
I protest this... exotics are not there for our USE... nor should they be held captive and FORCED to learn routines that make their captors money!
It is wrong... and captivity in the circus stinks!
Thanks for reading my comments.
-- bigfanx --
Midwest USA