Elephants don't belong in traveling circuses

Copyright © 2005 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

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What's the reality behind the photograph of the Shrine Circus elephant peeking out of the back of her semi-trailer in Friday's (April 22) paper?

Elephants in traveling circuses are usually chained in their trailers, alone, with limited range of motion, and are allowed out only for their performances. They are standing on a hard surface, which over time causes them to develop crippling foot problems. This is for our entertainment?

Contrast this with elephants in the wild, who walk many miles each day and live in matriarchal herds in a tight-knit society.

The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee has provided a home for elephants rescued from traveling circuses, giving them a natural habitat refuge where they live much the way they would in the wild. The stories of these elephants (http://www.elephants.com) will help you and your children understand why elephants don't belong in traveling circuses -- in Maine or anywhere.

Jennifer Bunting

Whitefield