The press has been awash with stories of Anne the elephant this week after covert filming by Animal Defenders International captured footage of her being badly treated by staff at the circus she has called home for several years. The shocking footage touched the hearts of many and I choked back tears when viewing it myself.
Organisations such as the RSPCA sprung into action to do anything that they could to help. We are thrilled that Anne's owner has now agreed that she can be rehomed to a place where she can spend her retirement feeling safe and secure. The team at Longleat Safari Park have agreed to welcome Anne to their venue so she can recieve the veterinary treatment she so desperately needs and her condition can be properly
assessed.
The team involved are going to be moving Anne as soon as it is possible to do so whilst minimising any stress and protecting her welfare and safety. I can't wait to see her happy and healthy in a new home.
The RSPCA has been campaigning for a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses for the past ten years under the Animal Welfare Act.
Wild elephants lead dynamic, socially-complex lives governed by their relationships with family members and the demands of finding and eating huge quantities of vegetation. By contrast, circus elephants’ emotional lives are sterile and their activity restricted by chains and pens except for when required to perform tricks which place unnatural strains on their joints and bodies.
The government is due to make an announcement in the next month or so and we hope this evidence will show that only a ban on wild animals can prevent such acts from happening again. If you feel as strongly about this as we do, you can also play a part by lobbying your MP to ask Defra to bring in a ban. For further information log onto http://www.politicalanimal.org.uk/area/westminster/wild-animals-in-circuses
Organisations such as the RSPCA sprung into action to do anything that they could to help. We are thrilled that Anne's owner has now agreed that she can be rehomed to a place where she can spend her retirement feeling safe and secure. The team at Longleat Safari Park have agreed to welcome Anne to their venue so she can recieve the veterinary treatment she so desperately needs and her condition can be properly
assessed.
The team involved are going to be moving Anne as soon as it is possible to do so whilst minimising any stress and protecting her welfare and safety. I can't wait to see her happy and healthy in a new home.
The RSPCA has been campaigning for a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses for the past ten years under the Animal Welfare Act.
Wild elephants lead dynamic, socially-complex lives governed by their relationships with family members and the demands of finding and eating huge quantities of vegetation. By contrast, circus elephants’ emotional lives are sterile and their activity restricted by chains and pens except for when required to perform tricks which place unnatural strains on their joints and bodies.
The government is due to make an announcement in the next month or so and we hope this evidence will show that only a ban on wild animals can prevent such acts from happening again. If you feel as strongly about this as we do, you can also play a part by lobbying your MP to ask Defra to bring in a ban. For further information log onto http://www.politicalanimal.org.uk/area/westminster/wild-animals-in-circuses
