Petition for Truth. ~ Melody Hodges
Elephants are amazing.
Oh, wait. If you’re a fan of elephant journal, you already know this.
You already know that elephants live in cooperative family groups, working together to make decisions, defend themselves, raise their young and find food, water and shelter. You already know that elephants, like people, form complex relationships, often developing friendships that last a lifetime.
photo: Phil Guest
Of course, you already know that elephants have large brains, which enable them to communicate through a range of vocalizations, develop sophisticated social and ecological knowledge and retain detailed memories which make them vulnerable to stress, trauma and long-term psychological consequences.
But that’s us. We know these things.
Maybe we know these things because we love elephants, or maybe we love elephants because we know these things. Either way, elephants are amazing.
Many people, however, don’t know all of these wonderful facts about elephants, nor do they know the not-so-wonderful facts about elephants.
They don’t know that elephants are sometimes abused. They don’t know that elephants are violently captured from the wild, or brutally dragged from their mothers after being bred in captivity.
They don’t know that elephants are bound for great periods of time to break their spirits. They don’t know that elephants are beaten with bull hooks on their sensitive skin to learn unnatural stunts. They don’t know that elephants are forced into cramped containers and transported in extreme temperatures.
They don’t know that elephants do not enjoy performing dangerous tricks for the fleeting entertainment of circus-goers.
photo: dannyk1982
The general public doesn’t know these facts, because Ringling Bros. Circus, and other circuses that use animals for entertainment, don’t want them to know.
They pay massive amounts for advertising and media coverage in the towns they visit. Local news stations not only run glowing stories about the circus shows, but they also hold ticket-give-away contests and other promotions. Special features during midday shows, in newspaper columns and on news broadcasts portray the circus as good, clean family fun. It makes me wonder: do they know?
People deserve to know the truth.
News stations have a responsibility for investigating and reporting with integrity. At the very least, they have the obligation to disclose the source of funding for their bias news segments. That’s why this petition, “Attention News Media: Stop Promoting Ringling Bros. Circus and Start Reporting the Truth,” was created.
We ask you to please sign and widely share this petition to help put our news stations on notice.
http://www.change.org/petitions/attention-news-media-stop-promoting-ringling-bros-circus-and-start-reporting-the-truth
Sources:
“Elephants Are Socially Complex.” Elephant Voices, June 18, 2009, WEB July 5, 2012.
Nelson, Deborah, “The Cruelest Show on Earth.” Mother Jones, November/December 2011 Issue, WEB July 3, 2012.
“The Amazing World of Elephants.” Wildly Wise Adventures, WEB July 5, 2012.
Born and raised in a small town in Wyoming, Melody Hodges moved to Las Vegas, Nevada to complete a Bachelor’s and a Master’s in Education. She currently lives with her husband in Phoenix, Arizona. When Melody is not hiking or working with her gifted students, she is advocating for animals. She is the co-organizer of Peaks for Pigs, an annual fundraiser in support of Ironwood Pig Sanctuary, and she is an active member of Animal Advocates of Arizona.
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Editor: Thaddeus Haas
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Incorrect source, offensive, or found a typo? Or do you want to write for Elephant?
Nice job Melody! It breaks my heart to think of these awesome animals being abused in any way! It's even more disturbing that "news" programs sell their souls to 'report' on how great the circus is, without one shred of journalistic integrity! I am happy to join you any time, any where in educating the public about animal abuse!
Thank you so much for the support! Keep spreading the word!
Great information Melody!! Its heartbreaking to know that these animals are abused and harmed at the expense of entertaining people. Thank you for opening our eyes and helping us recognize that we all need to step up and help make a change.
Thank YOU for reading and sharing.
Such great information in this article. Elephants are truly amazing animals, and the way they are so often treated breaks my heart. Huge kudos, Melody, for writing this article. I am convinced that if more people knew the way these majestic animals are treated animal circuses would be a thing of the past.
Knowledge is power! Thank you, Rachel, for your comments and support!
You're right. The more that the general public knows, the better informed their choices for family fun can be. It seems only right that the news outlets should be covering the whole story.
Thanks for the comment! Hope you had a moment to sign and share the petition!
Sure did. Thank you!
Fantastic!
Such great information in this article. Elephants are truly amazing animals, and the way they are so often treated breaks my heart.
True and true! Hope you had a chance to sign the petition and share!
What a great article by Melody… very heartfelt and informative. Thank you so much for advocating for so many animals, both in Arizona and around the world.
Thank you for reading and sharing, Cathy!
Who is Melody? This looks like someone cut and pasted an article…
Hey, now! Sources were shared, mister!
Thanks for reading!
Be sure you read and sign the petition! It's your homework assignment!
Way to go, Melody! You are always so diligent and compassionate by informing so many people of the conditions and abuse of animals. I have learned so much because of your efforts to pass along your knowledge. Thank you! Keep up the good work. So many of our four-legged friends have you to thank for an improvement in their lives.
Maggie, your comment means the world to me! Thank you for your support, and thank you for sharing!
Thank you for this. Everyone needs to learn and respect these beautiful animals. So many people seem to think that humans are superior to other animals. If that's the case, don't humans have the responsibility to do no harm to them?
Lovely way to state the facts! Thank you, Amanda!
Dear admin, thnx for sharing this blog post. I observed it wonderful. Most effective regards, Victoria…