Animal Defenders USA Summer 2011 by Animal Defenders International

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ISSN: ONLINE 2158-5059

DefenDer

Summer 2011

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Beatings & electric shocks: The real training behind Water for Elephants

Operation Lion Ark Closing down every Bolivian circus, saving every animal! Anne the elephant saved ● Break the Chain ● Victory for NASA monkeys ● News

ANIMAL DEFENDER ISSN: ONLINE 2158-5059 published by Animal Defenders International, Inc.

U.S.A: 6100 Wilshire Blvd., # 1150, LOS ANgELES, CA 90048, U.S.A. Tel: (323) 935 2234 Fax: (323) 935 9234 e-mail: usa@ad-international.org web: www.adiusa.org

Editorial

UK: Millbank Tower, Millbank, LONDON, SW1P 4QP, U.K. Tel: +44 (0)20 7630 3340 Fax: +44 (0)20 7828 2179 e-mail: info@ad-international.org web: www.ad-international.org South America: Apartado Postal 359888 BOgOTÁ, Colombia. e-mail: info@ad-international.org web: www.ad-international.org Editors: Creamer/Phillips Design: Creamer/Phillips/Elson Cartoons: Paul Taylor Contributors: Jan Creamer; Tim Phillips; Helder Constantino; Alexandra Cardenas; Christina Dodkin; Amanda Hudson; Jessamy Korotoga; Lisa Mitchinson; Matt Rossell; Toni Scalera. ©2011 ADI. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced for commercial purposes by any means whatsoever without the written permission of ADI. ANIMAL DEFENDERS INTERNATIONAL: MISSION Founded 1990. To educate, create awareness, and promote the interest of humanity in the cause of justice, and the suppression of all forms of cruelty to animals; wherever possible, to alleviate suffering, and to conserve and protect animals and their environment.

Welcome to the Summer 2011 issue of Animal Defender, with all the news of ADI’s campaigns, investigations and animal rescues. Following hot on the heels of the success of our campaign for a ban on animals in circuses in Bolivia, we were asked by the Bolivian government to relocate the remaining circus animals. Operation Lion Ark was born – the biggest airlift of lions the world has ever seen – 25 lions from Santa Cruz, Bolivia, to Denver, Colorado. And on the way we saved lots of other animals, including Tim the horse – pictured, as I led him away from the circus. See the full story opposite. No sooner had the Lion Ark landed and the lions started settling into their new home, another challenge presented itself. ADI’s long-term investigation into the use of animals in the entertainment industry has been broad and thorough. Those who know us, will know that sometimes our investigations can last years – we finish when we have answered all of our questions. The full project was not finished and we were not ready to release the details, but were incensed by the assurances given to the public by the studio, actors and Have Trunk Will Travel, over the training of Tai for the movie, Water for Elephants. This was a very difficult decision, but it had to be done, and we released our undercover footage of the training of Tai (45), Kitty (45), Dixie (46), Becky (26), Rosie (30) and Tess (30) and the distressing early training of Tess’ baby, Tucker (now 6, and at Houston Zoo). See page 11, to find out how you can help to put pressure on the movie industry, and what you can to do save Tai and all the other animals who have no voice but yours. The ‘Break the Chain’ campaign network for an end to the use of animals in traveling circuses goes from strength to strength with campaigners all over the US participating in public education events, demos, publicity, and putting pressure on their representatives. Now is the time to BREAK THE CHAIN of suffering and servitude of animals in circuses. See page 20. ADI is campaigning and saving animals all over the world – see our roundup of news from across the globe – including the latest success with the NASA primate research campaign and how this can help put pressure on Russia and others.

Please help us to help them! It’s easy to make a donation to help us continue our work. We can’t do it without you! You can call us on the number below, donate online, use the form supplied with this magazine or just put a check in the mail. Thank you. Animal Defenders International, Inc., 6100 Wilshire Blvd., # 1150, Los Angeles, CA 90048

email: usa@ad-international.org

We urgently need your help to spread the word about ADI. Please sign up a new supporter – we’ll send them a copy of this magazine, we are happy to be judged by what we do. We also need your help with fundraising – we are now feeding a lot of animals while running our campaigns and investigations. Jan Creamer, President.

Animal Defenders International saved the following resources by using 1672 pounds of Primavera Gloss (FSC), made with 80% recycled fiber and 60% post-consumer waste, elemental chlorine free and manufactured with electricity that is offset with Green-e¨ certified renewable energy certificates. trees

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The Animal Defender

Summer 2011

ADI

Operation

Lion Ark Moving day at Santa Cruz Airport and the sheer scale of Operation Lion Ark is apparent as crates containing 25 lions are lined up ready to be loaded. Below: ADI’s Jan Creamer and Tim Phillips with one of the lion cubs during the rescue; Campeon and one of his sisters reach their new home.

First we exposed the suffering; then we campaigned and secured a ban; and when the first circus closed we took all the animals to a wonderful new life. It turned out that was just the start..... In November and December we raided every circus in Bolivia and rescued EVERY animal. An entire animal circus industry was closed down in a stroke with the most comprehensive enforcement operation the world has seen. In February, we moved the lions to the US in the biggest airlift of its kind ever. This is the story of Operation Lion Ark.....

ADI

The Animal Defender

Summer 2011

No. 2. The ADI team remove India from the circus in the cage she’s lived in all her life. Despite the deplorable conditions, the circus regards her as a pet – they cry as she is removed.

Circus No. 1. Chitara and Dalila arrive at the ADI compound in the circus cage. The circus ran for it, leaving the two lionesses behind. The operation starts smoothly.

No. 5. Eight lions – Bam Bam, Morena, Campeon, Maria, Marta, Rosa, Rosario, and Rosita – in a stinking cage. The circus owner has threatened to kill them and produces a knife with which he stabs the tires of the truck we are moving them in. There is a confrontation but we rescue the lions and a horse called Tim.

SEARCH & SEIZURE The record-breaking Operation Lion Ark that began in Bolivia last November, ended on February 16 when 25 lucky lions touched down at Denver airport. Operation Lion Ark was the world’s biggest rescue and airlift of lions. It began with dramatic seizures across Bolivia as ADI worked with the Bolivian authorities to enforce their new law banning animal circuses. The ADI team seized 25 lions; some were extremely malnourished, skin and bone, dehydrated, living in overcrowded cages. One family of eight was all in a cage the size of a double bed. They were fighting to survive, taking food out of each others’ mouths. The stories are

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Summer 2011

No. 6. Kenya had been put in this terrible cage as a cub. The circus owner didn’t realize she’d get so big, so she stayed there. Our surveillance reveals the owner has hidden monkeys. We search the circus. They’re informed that ADI will constantly monitor them – the monkeys are handed over two days later.

In the weeks leading up to the operation ADI Field Officers kept the circuses under c heartbreaking. Six monkeys, a coati mundi, a deer and horse were rescued and relocated in Bolivia or returned to the wild. This is the first national circus ban in South America and the world’s first ban on all animal acts. This is a world record for a lion rescue and ultimately a historic victory for animal welfare. It is a landmark in how strong animal protection legislation can be swiftly and effectively enforced. Bolivia has set a shining example to the world and we hope that Operation Lion Ark will have far reaching consequences, and encourage other governments to stand up and act, like Bolivia, to do the right thing for animals

currently languishing in circuses throughout the world. This gargantuan task to end circus suffering in Bolivia started six years ago, when ADI field officers first exposed the cruelty in South American circuses. The shocking footage swept the continent, and in Bolivia the public were horrified by the conditions the animals were forced to endure. The exposé led to an educational and political lobbying campaign that gained early victories with animal circus bans secured in key cities and then after many attempts, the new law was secured on June 17, 2009. The circuses were given a year to relinquish their animal acts. ADI

No. 4. Seizing Colo Colo, Muñuca and Lulu – the lions that hate people and want to attack them (who can blame them). The circus hands them over willingly, probably because they are so aggressive!

No. 3. The circus tries to make a run for it and the local police impound the lions. Above ADI prepare to load Pancho and Temuco.

No 7. A search of another circus secures the rescue of two spider monkeys, two capuchin monkeys and a coati mundi. They were returned to the wild in a safe natural area run by the Santa Cruz governor’s Office.

No. 8. After playing cat and mouse we catch up with the last circus. The owner threatens the ADI team and builds barricades. It doesn’t stop us. Hercules, Panchula, Fida, Kiara and the cubs Bob, Nancy and Percy are all rescued. The last animals to perform in Bolivia. Above the cats on the ADI transporters head for freedom.

constant surveillance. We then rushed in with the authorities to rescue the animals. The battle of the circuses One circus voluntarily gave up their animals, and ADI moved this first family of four handsome lions, Camba, Daktari, Bambek and Simba to the Performing Animal Welfare Sanctuary in California, and a Hamadryas baboon, Tilin, to Lakeview Monkey Sanctuary in England, in 2010. Our South America campaigns team in London and Bolivia began drafting regulations to enforce the new law, 4040. As this progressed it was clear that the remaining circuses planned to defy the law. This would be harder. ADI teams spread out across Bolivia locating circuses and conducting a

ADI

census of all animals. When a lioness had cubs, the number of lions rose to 24 and it became apparent that this would be a huge operation. In November 2010, ADI circus search and seizure operations in Bolivia began. Ensuring an element of surprise we moved rapidly and, with the support of the Bolivian authorities, notably the DGB, Santa Cruz Governor’s office and police, staged raids on circus after circus. Our teams covered hundreds of miles each day; we provided the transport, cages, animal handlers, veterinary supervision, and all other animal care requirements.

The circuses were very angry. There was much screaming, shouting, threats, and one circus owner came out with a knife – slashing the tires of the transport vehicle. Others tried to make a run for it. One circus kept moving, and then gave up, leaving their animals behind as they left town. One attempted to conceal monkeys, but we were alert and searched and found the animals. We received threats but stood firm. In the first week we closed 7 circuses. Only one remained, which kept on the move in an attempt to find ways around the ban. The circus continued to take the cubs into the ring and to parks for photos. Later named Bob, Nancy and

The Animal Defender

Summer 2011

Jan Creamer lures Kimba into his ADI travel crate.

Lion Number 25: Kimba looks from his cage in Tariqa zoo. The ADI team had to knock down a wall and cut through the bars.

Hercules in the ADI compound the day after his rescue. His face is a map of the hard life he has lived in the circus, but proud and unbowed.

RESCUE & REHABILITATION Percy, they were the last animals to perform in Bolivia. We caught up with them in a remote town in the rugged mountain area where Ché Guevara once had his hideout. They attempted to barricade the animals’ cages and threatened to assault the ADI team. But in the end there was little resistance: we took the animals. A more daunting prospect was the treacherous 18-hour drive through the mountains back to Santa Cruz! In less than three weeks we had removed all of the animals from every circus in Bolivia. The animal circus industry was shut down in a stroke.

The Animal Defender

Summer 2011

In Santa Cruz, we built temporary holding units for the lions as they arrived. They had hay and toys for the first time and, although small, they had more space than ever before in their lives.

As the lions arrived at the ADI compound in Santa Cruz, new

The ADI reception center Mayor Percy of Santa Cruz donated land to temporarily house the lions. So, during the rescues we established our reception center, constructing security fencing, holding cages, installing running water, electricity, and veterinary facilities. It was here that the lions were nursed back to health, put on weight, built up their strength and had veterinary care. One of the family of eight who were crammed into that cage was poor little Campeon, a young male. His front legs crippled with bone disease, he was too weak to get into the wagon that would take him from the circus. Our vet feared Campeon might not survive, and during the journey to freedom he collapsed; it

was terrifying; we worked desperately to revive him – then, after what felt like an eternity, he got to his feet. Since then, Campeon has grown stronger every day; the joy on his face when he got his first toys, footballs and logs, was something to behold. It will be a long road, but we are all crossing our fingers that this brave little lion will continue to get stronger and stronger. These lions lived in bare cages, with nothing to do, nothing to interest them. When we gave them hay for the first time, their sheer joy at having something to touch, sniff and roll about in was truly amazing – they cuddled the logs and tires we gave them to play with. These animals had endured a horrific ADI

Worming day for the cubs with Bob being held by Tim Phillips.

Kimba heads to Santa Cruz in style, with the ADI team in a C130 Hercules that had seen service in the Vietnam war!

Percy plays with a branch in the ADI compound. Born into misery, his life had just changed forever, he will live free.

Chitara and Dalila - like many of the animals we were saving they only had each other. Now they are in a pride with Pancho, Temuco and India.

homes were built for them, they were given veterinary care and their strength was built up. life, so our veterinary team led by Dr. Mel Richardson, with Jimena Delgado in attendance daily, were regularly dealing with crises. We saved lion number 25, Kimba, in February. Once owned by a circus, he had been dumped in a small zoo due for closure, some eleven years earlier and had been alone since. He was a 48 hour drive away, so we booked space on an old C130 Hercules and flew down for him. We had to smash down a wall and hack through his cage bars, but we quickly lured him into his travel crate. On arrival at the reception center, this grand, old, peaceful lion heard the roars of other lions for the first time in all those years and roared back. ADI

The Lion Ark The most efficient way to move the lions would be all at once and we secured a home for all of them at the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado. With ADI funding, construction began immediately on a huge biosphere to house the lions as they acclimated. Back in Bolivia, travel crates were built, including a special mother and cubs crate. Torrential rain made the roads impassable and the ADI team had to work soaked to the skin, pulling down the rain covers to protect the lions. It began to look like the whole rescue could be washed out. But the sun came out on loading day and spirits rose. Loading 25 lions was a challenge. An

hour per lion was not an unreasonable estimate – but that would mean a lion in a crate for 24 hours before even leaving. We had to do better. Two teams, all well drilled, professional and with great affection for the lions, worked in near silence, coaxing the lions in with food. Loading took just six hours. At midnight we headed to the airport. We had a TAB Airlines DC10 rented at a discount price and crew all had ADI logos on their uniforms for the day. Thanks to the ON Group who helped and were at our side at every step on this final stage. Our meticulous plan to have all the lions in color-coded crates denoting family groups made sure everyone remained calm.

The Animal Defender

Summer 2011

Saved: The baby monkeys that the circus tried to hide.

This is freedom. Within 24 hours of his seizure, the coati mundi who had been snatched from the wild by the circus was free again. Here he is draped over the branch of a tree.

Jan nurses a foal that is desperately ill and has collapsed, the baby was saved. We are still working to rescue a group of horses in Bolivia.

SEARCH & SEIZURE Touchdown There had been continuous media in Bolivia and at Denver International Airport there was more, with Jorja Fox and Bob Barker there too. The video of the doors opening and Jan punching the air before the lions were unloaded raced round the world. The huge extended pride that arrived in Denver are the adorable cubs Percy, Bob and Nancy and their mother Kiara; the beautiful girls India, Chitara, Dalila, Kenya, Muñeca, Lulu, Panchula, Fida, Marta, Maria, Morena; and the naughty youngsters, Rosita, Rosario, and Rosa; and the magnificent males, Temuco, Pancho, ColoColo, Kimba, BamBam, Hercules, and young Campeon.

The Animal Defender

Summer 2011

Lion after lion is unloaded at Denver International Airport.

In the weeks leading up to the operation ADI Field Officers kept the circuses under All the families are now in the speciallydesigned 10-acre biosphere at The Wild Animal Sanctuary (TWAS) near Denver with natural sunlight, grass and trees while they acclimate. When they arrived, they ran and frolicked, they had grass beneath their feet for the first time in their lives, and they loved the pine trees. A thrilling reward for the months of preparation. As summer arrives and the outdoor enclosures are finished, they will have free access to a further 70 acres. At the sanctuaries in Colorado, California and the UK, construction has been paid for by ADI, and all three are receiving payment from us for the lifetime care of the animals.

These lucky lions have been on the journey of their lives, taking them from cages on the back of trucks, being forced to perform demeaning tricks, to an expansive natural enclosure at a state of the art facility near Denver. That is really part one of this immense undertaking, in the next issue we will report in full on the lions’ new life at TWAS, as they are formed into prides and released into their huge enclosures. Now, we need your help. Operation Lion Ark was logistically complex and expensive. Now we need your help to keep our promise of a bright new future to the lions. The suffering and years of neglect these animals have ADI

Actress Jorja Fox and TV presenter Bob Barker greet Bam Bam at Denver Airport with a drink of water. Two substantial donations from Bob Barker enable these ambitious seizure operations in Bolivia.

The Lion Ark arrives in Denver and the lions start to be unloaded.

With the females on contraceptives to prevent pregnancies, Bam Bam rejoins his family in his new home and looks content.

Campeon, the little lion who was sick and almost died, runs and plays on grass for the first time in his life. What a future now awaits!

constant surveillance. We then moved in at speed with the authorities to rescue the animals. endured has taken its toll. We are grateful to the Peter Emily International Veterinary Dental Foundation (PEIVDF) for life saving dental work on several of the lions. It is hard to imagine the pain they had lived with for years. We are urgently calling for donations to support these lions for life – up to 23 years. This is such an important rescue mission because it shows South America and countries all over the world that if they pass strong laws to end cruelty, then ADI will be there to help ensure they are enforced. Too often have there been laws full of promise, heralded as victories, but simply never enforced because of lack of resources. ADI

Not this time. There are no animal circuses in Bolivia. Life is now worth living for these lions. Campeon, the little lion with his twisted legs who almost didn’t make it, now so full of fun running and playing with his boisterous family. Quiet and gentle Kenya, her circus cage was the size of a cupboard with solid walls, put in there as a cub, never to come out. Now she leads a pride of Pancho, Temuco, Chitara and Dalila. Exquisite ColoColo, the angry lion who reacts so aggressively when he sees a shovel or stick, but who can blame him? Now his teeth have been fixed and he can spend his days with his family,

Muñeca and Lulu. Nobody is going to come near him with a stick ever again. Sweet Kiara and her three cubs, safe at last. Her cubs will never be taken from her again. These lucky animals symbolize the work of ADI. The costs of rescuing these animals, including the investigation, the legislation campaign, rescue itself, the sanctuary enclosure and habitat materials, food and veterinary care, have been covered by ADI. We urgently need supporters to adopt some or all of our rescued animals – see page 26 or call (323)935-2234 for details. This was a rescue for life!

The Animal Defender

Summer 2011

Rescued lion cub named after ADI benefactor:

Bob Barker

It was tough seizing the animals from Circus Carioca. The authorities were worried and the circus was constantly moving through the remote mountains. But ADI had a field officer in the circus, monitoring their every move. They threatened to assault ADI people if we set foot in the circus, then barricaded the animals in before we arrived. The raid rescued three 8-week-old cubs – the last animals to ever appear in a Bolivian circus ring. So it seemed fitting to name them after people who made their new life possible – Bob, Nancy and Percy. Percy was named after Mayor Percy Fernandez who donated the land in Santa Cruz that became the Lion Ark holding center. Bob and Nancy after TV personality Bob Barker and Nancy Burnet who works with him. Years of ADI undercover investigations and campaigns led to Bolivia banning all animals in circuses and similar legislation under discussion in Brazil, Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador. In 2009, with the campaign desperately short of funds, Bob Barker stepped in to give the ADI team a massive boost with two donations of $1million which were committed to our operations in South America and the USA respectively, enabling us to launch campaigns, undercover investigations (like the shattering circus tiger abuse exposé in 2010), produce educational materials, and commit to relocating Bolivia’s animals. The rescue of the first four circus lions and a baboon was desperately hard, requiring ADI to fund state of the art lion facilities at ARK2000 in California and baboon facilities at Lakeview Primate Sanctuary in the UK. We built a massive holding facility in Bolivia while they awaited export

The Animal Defender

Summer 2011

permits. Bob Barker learned of the mounting costs through the New York Times and donated another $1million. Operation Lion Ark was now possible. Too much animal protection legislation is passed but not effectively implemented. We were determined that Bob Barker’s support would enable us to actually enforce this ban. This would set an example to countries all over the world that strong animal protection legislation can be vigorously enforced. Over $1million has been poured into the wonderful facilities and care costs at ARK2000, The Wild Animal Sanctuary, Lakeview Monkey Sanctuary and ADI will continue the care for these animals for life – a substantial combined annual bill. This also represents a great investment in sanctuary infra-structure – so ultimately many more animals will benefit. Search and seizure operations,construction of holding facities, veterinary care and feeding, and relocating all the animals accounted for just over a further $1million,

Below: Bob the lion cub, just after being rescued from the circus by ADI.

“lion number one, come on down!” Bob Barker welcomes the Operation Lion Ark lions to their new life.

bearing in mind that this involved three airlifts: four lions to California, a baboon to the UK, 25 lions to Colorado, as well as relocation of horses, dogs, a coati, a deer, and monkeys. An operation of this scale might have paralyzed our organization but the money dontaed by Bob Barker has enabled ADI campaigns and investigations in the USA and South America to develop massively in these past two years – as we believe this magazine shows. It was therefore fitting that Bob Barker was at Denver airport as the the Lion Ark touched down; he appeared on the Geraldo show, and other media. Bob Barker said: “I am pleased and proud to say that a couple of contributions of mine helped ADI in their history making accomplishments in Bolivia. I am so impressed with ADI that I am going to make another investment in their mind-boggling work, and I invite you, in fact, I urge you to ‘man-up’ and join me, too. Believe me, you’ll get your money’s worth.” We urgently need funds to ensure that our work has the ambition and impact that animals deserve. Bob Barker’s support of ADI has made history and changed the world for generations of animals to come. We make this pledge to all our supporters whether you contribute $1 or $1million we will make that donation work as hard and as effectively as possible for animals.

Movie Star Electric Shocked

Water for Elephants.... and electric shocks and bullhooks....

Water for Elephants is a romantic drama set in a 1930s animal circus in the USA, starring Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson. The biggest star of the film is 45-year-old Asian elephant Tai, who plays Rosie, provided by the performing animal supplier Have Trunk Will Travel, of California. In the film the elephant is brutally attacked by the circus owner who beats her with a bull hook. But the producers, stars, and trainers were at pains to stress that Tai was trained with kindness, marshmallows, and positive reinforcement. This was not just big screen romanticizing of the circus – with the exception of those few cruel, bad apples – but a worldwide promotion of elephant training. gary Johnson, co-founder of Have Trunk Will Travel claimed: “Tai was never hit in any way at all.” American Humane observed the animal action during filming and said: “We’re here observing prep on Water for Elephants and so we’re here to make sure that everybody knows that not only the action on set but also the prep is humanely done, all these animals have been treated fairly and humanely throughout the entire course of their training.” As the film opened across the world ADI released undercover footage from inside Have Trunk Will Travel showing the elephants being repeatedly betean and electric shocked. Tai cried out as she was shocked with a stun stun gun to force her to do the very tricks that later would later appear in the film. The horrifying images shot around the world.

ADI puts the behind-the-scenes animal abuse in the spotlight

Left: gary Johnson, cofounder of Have Trunk Will Travel, electric shocks Tai while she performs a headstand. Right: Kari Johnson, the other Have Trunk Will Travel cofounder gives an elephant a taste of a bullhook as opposed to a marshmallow.

Below: ADI President Jan Creamer talks live on television about the exposé.

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Summer 2011

ADI’s shocking video filmed at Have Trunk Will Travel in 2005 shows: ● Elephants including Tai are repeatedly given electric shocks with hand held stun guns. ● Tai cries out when being shocked into performing a headstand. ● Elephants including Tai are beaten about the body and legs with bull hooks. ● A baby elephant is hooked in the lip and cries out. ● An elephant is pinned with bull hooks while her tusks are sawn down, close to the bone. ● Have Trunk Will Travel co-founder Kari Johnson viciously strikes an elephant. ● A baby elephant being hit over the head and dragged by the trunk. ● Elephants being hit and jabbed with bull hooks. ● Elephants chained by the legs barely able to move (the elephants were chained from 6.30pm to 6.30am, 12 hours a day). From the outset, ADI was uncomfortable with the message of this film, but the more we saw the repeated assertions that this

elephant has been treated with love and affection and never been abused, we realized that we had to get the truth out. The public, the stars and the filmmakers have been duped. This poor elephant was trained to do the very tricks you see in the film by being given electric shocks. This undercover footage was actually part of a wider investigation of the the of animals in films and TV and was not due for release until the whole investigation concluded. Those familiar with ADI will know that our investigations can cover years, when the purpose of a study is to show the culture of an industry. However, despite the risk to the rest of the investigation, we decided that the misleading claims about the treatment of Tai being spread around the world during the launch of Water for Elephants could not be allowed to go unchallenged. Our footage shows handling and training for common tricks of Tai(45), Kitty(45), Dixie(46), Becky(26), Rosie(30) and Tess(30) with her baby, Tucker (now 6). Kari Johnson,co-founder of Have Trunk Will Travel had previously stated: “Have Trunk Will Travel has never issued a written endorsement, nor does it condone using electrical devices to discipline and control elephants except in situations

where elephant or human safety is at risk.” However, Gary Johnson and trainer Joanne Smith appear in the video giving the elephants electric shocks. ADI sent copies of the DVD to the film’s stars and makers, but have yet to receive any statements or responses. ADI has contacted the American Humane Association, urging them to re-evaluate their statements which effectively endorse the use of performing animals. The suffering at Have Trunk Will Travel has been receiving universal condemnation around the world from vets, elephant experts, zoo industry insiders, and the public. Dr Mel Richardson, captive wildlife vet: “As a veterinarian with 40 years of expertise caring for elephants and other captive wildlife, I can assure you these videos depict animal cruelty and unnecessary suffering. These people are tormenting their elephants. The aggressiveness and vengeance with which the handlers beat and punish the elephants is unconscionable. There appears to be no purpose other than to torment the elephants. As a veterinarian in 1982-84, I worked for an animal dealer who imported 44 baby African elephants to train for the performing animal industry. I have

ADI

witnessed and treated the wounds of elephants traumatized by severe training techniques. And nothing rivals the cruelty I have witnessed over the last few days from the videos from Have Trunk Will Travel.” Dr. Joyce Poole, world renown elephant biologist, Co-Director of Elephant Voices, lead author of The Elephant Charter, worldrenowned elephant biologist, with 40 years studying elephants: "What we see is systematic abuse of fearful and terrorized elephants. The brutality and aggressive attitude demonstrated by the handlers leaves no doubt in my mind about the trauma that has been inflicted on these poor elephants. The roars of pain and squeaks of alarm heard in the footage all confirm the same - elephants forced with violence to do painful tricks that are unnatural and harmful to them." Pat Derby former TV and movie animal trainer and founder of the Performing Animal Welfare Society, Ark2000 elephant sanctuary: “The actions I viewed on this video could only be characterized as needless suffering and unnecessary cruelty. In the early 70s, when I was working with animals on film sets I hated the way elephants were trained. Elephants bring out a fury in many men as no other creature does, a rage to dominate and to hurt.

“Although Have Trunk Will Travel states that their elephants are trained with food reward and positive reinforcement, no treats are visible anywhere in this video, and the bull hooks and electricity are used aggressively and angrily." “The elephant actor in Water For Elephants, and the other elephants at Have Trunk Will Travel, have paid a high price for a few mediocre moments of entertainment. If you care about elephants, skip this movie.” Peter Stroud, former curator of elephants at Melbourne Zoo, has said there was little doubt Tai has been subjected to cruel training methods at some point: “Getting an elephant to do what it’s told really requires the elephant to be dominated. If you want to see an elephant behaving in the way this elephant probably does in this movie, where it’s in and around people and performing circus tricks, it’s a near certainty that it’s been trained using punishment, using pain, using very traditional methods that have been with us for a long time but are not at all elephant friendly. They’re basically cruel.” Have Trunk Will Travel has not denied the treatment of the elephants, instead claiming “The video shows heavily edited and very short snippets”, and that they: “…

What You Can Do to Help Prevent the Suffering of Animals like Tai ● If you live in the U.S. or Canada please email usa@ad-international.org and ask for a Water for Elephants Letter Writing Pack; includes DVD and sample letters to actors, movie makers, newspapers. ● Write a letter to your local paper about Tai’s abuse and educate the public that animal suffering is never entertainment. ● Contact the Director, Producer

ADI

and stars; politely ask that they make Water for Elephants the last film they will use live animal actors. (Contacts in our letter writing pack.) ● Spread the word - link to the video on your Facebook and other social networking sites. Visit www.adiusa.org to watch the video and get the facts. ● Boycott this film and tell your family and friends to take a stand to only support films without animal actors.

stand by our care and training methods.” We responded by posting online full length clips (which had been available to the media from the outset), noting that viewers can see what happens before and after the incident while the elephants are still hit and electric shocked in between.

Hollywood must change its act When Tai the elephant cried out as she was electric shocked, it was a long way from the glitzy premieres and movie theatres. Unfortunately, as animal circuses close around the world, performing animals are becoming an all-too casual inclusion in films and TV commercials. Tai is already appearing online in the trailer for ‘Zookeeper’ with Kevin James, with the voices of Adam Sandler, Sylvester Stallone and Cher, which opens this summer. Previously she has appeared alongside Britney Spears, Ellen Degeneres, Jim Carey, Steve Carell and Morgan Freeman. When these animals arrive on set, trained up and ready to perform on command, We believe the actors and the movie makers want to believe they are trained by love and kindness. They like to pet the animals, they see the trainers stroke them and smile, and when they are told its all treats

● Leaflet moviegoers at a theater near

you to educate them about the abuse of Tai and other performing animals. Contact ADI to order leaflets. ● Contact your local theater with a copy of our DVD we can provide you, and politely ask them to make the right choice and stop showing the film.

The Animal Defender

Summer 2011

Above: Joanne Smith was the on-set trainer with Tai during the filming of Water for Elephants. Here she is training back at Have Trunk Will Travel: giving elephants massive electric shocks with a stun gun; hacking at their legswith a bullhook to make them lift them; ccharging after elephants to hit and jab them; and even giving tiny baby Tucker a hit over the head with a bullhook. Tucker is currently on loan to Houston Zoo.

Santa Ana Elephant Rides: It’s not harmless fun

Below: ADI Campaigns Director Matt Rossell presents the ADI video evidence to the Santa Ana City Council.

and positive reinforcement, it is human nature to want to believe it. The reality as the footage showed, is very different. Like animal circuses, there is a huge gap between how the animals are trained out of the public eye and how they are presented in the ring. Elephants from Have Trunk Will Travel, including Tai, appear in: Water For Elephants, Zookeeper, Evan Almighty, Vanity Fair, Larger Than Life, Jungle Book, George of the Jungle, Ace Ventura When Nature Calls, Operation Dumbo Drop, and the Britney Spears music video, “Circus”. TV commercials include Hewlett Packard, Visa, Oreo Cookies and American Express with Ellen Degeneres. In addition, English artist Banksy painted Tai for an art installation in Los Angeles. Some of these animals have the kind of CVs that should give them real star power in Hollywood but they’re not living the good life. Over the years in training centers for movies and TV work, ADI has secured film of lions, chimpanzees and elephants being beaten and getting electric shocks. It’s time to stamp out the suffering. Producers must ask themselves whether their film really needs the lifetime sacrifice paid by a living animal and whether they can genuinely assure audiences of humane treatment. Remember, the actual training goes on in secret. Animal suffering is never romantic and it is never entertainment. Our message is that if you care about animals, don’t go to see films where performing animals appear.

The Animal Defender

Summer 2011

Animals in Entertainment

In public the bullhook is used as a nasty reminder, but the elephant certainly doesn’t forget how it is used in private.

Have Trunk Will Travel hire their elephants out for rides, as well as movies and advertising. Each weekend, elephants are trucked from Perris, California to the Santa Ana Zoo to give rides to visitors (pictured above). It’s the same trainers and elephants that appear in our shocking video (pages 11-14). Previous complaints about abusive training had been dismissed by zoo and city officials; now the evidence is irrefutible. ADI is working with a coalition of grassroots and national groups including Orange County People for Animals, Animal Protection and Rescue League, California Lobby for Animal Welfare and PETA to help end the rides. The new video evidence should convince the zoo director, the Santa Ana Mayor and City Council to halt the elephant rides. No decision has been made as we go to press; however the zoo director, Kent Yamaguchi, has said publicly that he would immediately end the rides if proof of abuse surfaces. He told ADI that the city and zoo are aware of video footage, he had viewed

it, and they are investigating and taking the matter seriously. ADI Campaigns Director, Matt Rossell, recently addressed the Santa Ana City Council and presented them the footage of Tai and other elephants at Have Trunk Will Travel being hit with bullhooks and shocked during training sessions. He urged them to review the evidence and make the right decision to shut down these rides. ADI has approached Mayor Pulido and members of the city council for a meeting and we are awaiting a response. Please help us end the rides. Contact the Santa Ana Zoo Director and Mayor today and politely ask them to immediately end the elephant rides. Kent Yamaguchi Santa Ana Zoo Manager KYamaguchi@santa-ana.org Santa Ana Zoo 1801 East Chestnut Avenue Santa Ana, CA 92701 Miguel A. Pulido Santa Ana Mayor mpulido@santa-ana.org Santa Ana City Council 20 Civic Center Plaza P.O. Box 1988, M31 Santa Ana, CA 92701 Fax: 714-647-6954

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Campaign News

Victory for NASA monkeys

“This is close enough for me ...”

The Brookhaven National Laboratory, where the monkey experiments were to take place, announced that “NASA has informed Brookhaven that a proposal involving primate research at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory on the Brookhaven Lab site should be removed from consideration for experimental time at the facility.” Additionally, NASA stated that it is “going to undertake a comprehensive review of the agency's current research and technology development plans to see how they align with the president's plan for human spaceflight, as outlined in the U.S. National Space Policy and the 2010 NASA Authorization Act.” In September, we launched our new video ‘Space Experiments on Monkeys – One Giant Leap Backwards’ revealing the horrific nature of the monkey experiments which would have included: Burns, weakness, hair loss, organ failure and nausea. We underlined how the tests were scientifically flawed and included quotes condemning the experiments from the European

Our global campaign to end space experiments has been given a massive boost with NASA halting its proposed experiments on squirrel monkeys. The announcement followed distribution to every member of Congress our new space experiments DVD and campaign activity in the US, Europe, Russia and Brazil.

Space Agency, Cosmonaut Valentin Lebedev, who set a world record for time in space, Jim Bates, NASA retiree, former Co-Chairman of the JSC Space Radiation Environment Group, and Ex-ESA astronaut and former MEP, Umberto Guidoni. There was also an extensive interview with aerospace engineer April Evans who resigned from NASA in protest over the tests. The video was distributed to every member of the US Congress. Those in the space program often talk in lofty terms that this is about making advances for all humankind. We wanted the world to make it clear that this cruelty is not in our name, and there are plenty of people in the space research community who agree with us. Under the banner ‘Not in our name’ supporters all over the world were urged to contact the US and Russian Embassies.

From the outset the scientific validity of the experiments had been questioned but NASA seemingly pressed on regardless. The project grant proposal noted “We understand that in these initial studies, monkeys will be exposed to particle radiation that does not fully mimic the chronic low dose situation in a mixed radiation field.” A Freedom of Information Act request revealed how NASA braced itself for public opposition. Francis Cucinotta of NASA’s Johnson’s Space Center, had informed Jack Bergman the researcher who was to carry out the experiments, via email that “one topic came up is to be prepared [sic] for any public relations issues that could arise with upper NASA management or the public. NASA has funded primate research in the past but not in the last few years.” At one point, Bergman complained; “This primate issue is annoying but we are fully committed to the concept and work of the

The Animal Defender Summer 2011

Above: Our NASA DVD. Left: April Evans the NASA engineer who resigned over the tests, speaks at Congressional reception

Campaign News

The Animal Defender

Summer 2011

UK circus name once synonymous with animal cruelty goes animal-free In October, something once unthinkable occurred in the UK: Chipperfield’s Circus appeared with no animals. Chipperfield’s was once the biggest UK animal circus and was a supplier of circus lions and tigers to European circuses as well as to Ringling Bros. October was the first time that Chipperfield’s Circus had appeared since being exposed by ADI for animal cruelty in 1998. Between 1996 and 1998, ADI field officers worked undercover inside three circus establishments run by different members of the Chipperfield family: Dicky Chipperfield’s Chipperfield Enterprises, lion and tiger breeders and suppliers to Ringlings and Chipperfield’s Circus and Mary Chipperfield Promotions, huge training and animal dealing operation, suppliers to European circuses and Disney. The ADI investigation of 18 traveling circuses and winter quarters in the UK and Europe is credited with bringing the UK’s animal circus industry to its knees. Within six months of its release, half of the UK’s animal circuses had closed. The investigation led to successful cruelty convictions of Mary Chipperfield and her husband Roger, jail for their elephant keeper Michael Gills, and subsequent closure of all three Chipperfield circus enterprises in the UK. The news that Chipperfield’s Circus was animal-free was greeted with delight by ADI and with fury by several circus people – including members of the Chipperfield family.

Make no mistake it’s fake In recent years there has been a blurring of the line between fake and real fur, with designers dying and trimming real fur so that it can look more fake than fake. We are therefore pleased that the European Parliament has passed a regulation on textile labelling stating that any garment made from real fur must be clearly labelled stating that it contains non-textile parts of “animal origin”. Last year ADI launched a horrifying undercover investigation of 30 fur farms in Finland – the world’s largest producer of fox fur. A detailed report and video were produced in English, French, Italian, Finnish and Hebrew. The findings were presented to the European Parliament, Israel’s parliament (the Knessett), and released with events at the London, Paris, and Milan fashion weeks. To watch our Fur Stop campaign video, read our report and find out what you can do visit http://furstop.com/ © Animal Defenders International

Below: Tim Phillips, ADI Campaigns Director arrives at Congress on the day of the vote.

project. I don’t understand how folks expect space research to progress otherwise.” Bergman had also noted; “The subjects we will use will live out their natural lives and be available to NASA for further study, should that be desired. Indeed, that is a notable strength of the project design.” So experimentation without end had been planned for these poor monkeys. On the same day, a Johnson Space Center employee reassured Bergman about the funding for his project; “know that you have HUGE NASA support…But being NASA, HQ wants to proceed as cautiously and politically correct [sic] as possible – comes with the territory of a federal agency…So know that we are doing everything we can to get the award out to you.” In September ADI joined in a reception at the US Congress organized by Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine with April Evans calling for NASA funding to be redirected from the monkey tests. That night the NASA Authorization Act of 2010 passed the House of Representatives, disappointingly, without the original House language requiring “justification and rationale for human primates". Despite this setback, we pressed on, and NASA finally decided to halt the tests. This leaves Russia the last holdout in its use of monkeys in space experiments. Supporters will recall the horrific photographs we obtained from inside the laboratory in Abkhazia showing the monkeys restrained during the experiments and living in tiny, barren cages. Like the NASA tests, the Roscosmos experiments are aimed at enabling a mission to Mars. In October we launched the campaign in Russia with VITA, a non-profit animal protection organization based in Moscow, urging the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) not to perform the experiments. We continue to press the space agencies around the world to abandon all animal experiments.

ADI

Campaign News

Missouri: Voters support puppy mill law; then the Governor re-writes it In November, voters in Missouri passed Proposition B, the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act, which established minimum standards in Missouri, a place regarded as America’s puppy mill capital due to the fact that there are about 3,000 puppy mills in the state. Five months later the Governor ignored the voters and re-wrote the rules. Every year countless dogs are bred for sale in factory farm conditions. Puppy mill dogs often live in small cages in absolute squalor, with females repeatedly made to produce litters. ADI joined other groups such as the coalition Missourians for the Protection of Dogs, who drove this law forward. ADI contacted all supporters in Missouri and ran an online promotional campaign. Former TV presenter Bob Barker, an alumnus of Drury University in Missouri also urged voters to support Prop B. The combined efforts paid off, resulting in the monumental passage of the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act. Upon hearing news of the historic victory, Mr. Barker said, "With the passage of Proposition B, the wonderful people of Missouri have taken a major step in erasing the dubious distinction of being the puppy mill capital of the U.S.A." ADI Vice President Tim Phillips said, “We are delighted that compassion has won the day in Missouri. ADI applauds all voters who cast their vote for those who cannot speak for themselves. This is a step towards ending the suffering of countless dogs crammed into small, dirty cages across the state and we look forward to these measures being implemented.” This legislation would have brought fundamental changes in how dogs are kept in large-scale breeding establishments in Missouri. Unfortunately, as of April 27th 2011, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon signed into law new legislation which rewrites the voterapproved Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act. The original legislation would have banned conditions such as wire flooring and stacked cages, and required breeders to provide each dog in their care with sufficient food, clean water, improved housing and space, necessary veterinary care, regular exercise and rest between breeding cycles. However, the new law signed by Governor Nixon eliminated the limit to the number of breeding dogs per business, modified the requirement for outdoor exercise and changed the specific square footage requirements for cages. The new bill also extended the length of time which existing dog breeders have to comply with the minimal changes remaining in the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act.

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Another SeaWorld whale, Kalina, has died. The young female orca’s death in Orlando follows that of another young orca, Sumar, at SeaWorld’s San Diego facility. It has been reported that SeaWorld is planning to allow trainers back in the water with orcas, and may spend millions of dollars installing pool floors that can be quickly raised in an emergency. They are also considering using remote controlled underwater vehicles, emergency air supplies for trainers and ways to pry open an orca's jaws. African vulture numbers have declined dramatically due to poisoning by farmers, who leave dead goats laced with pesticides to kill hyenas and lions. The Performing Animal Welfare Society has offered free lifetime care, relocation and transportation expenses for Toronto Zoo's 3 African elephants. Elephant intelligence is on a par with that of great apes and dolphins according to a study in which they cooperated to solve a problem. British firms are selling wood products from countries where illegal logging is devastating the environment. A new report found that wood sold in the UK originates in parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Congo Basin where illegal deforestation is threatening animals, plants & humans. The total population of California condors, a species once nearly extinct, is expected to reach 400 by summer 2011, the largest number on record since the 1920s. This is due in part to captive breeding in zoos, however, a large number of the birds have been reintroduced into the wild, making the wild population 181.

The Animal Defender

Summer 2011

Campaign News One year after the catastrophic BP oil spill in the gulf of Mexico, studies show that the mortality rate for dolphins, whales, narwhals, and turtles are still about 50% higher than normal, as evidenced by the bodies of animals found on shore. A restaurant in Los Angeles painted a donkey pink as a publicity stunt to gain business for Cinco de Mayo; instead of receiving more business, protesters organized a boycott. Circus lions seriously mauled a trainer and almost escaped from the ring during a performance in Ukraine. One lion attacked the trainer and another joined in. Circus workers tried to beat back the animals and sprayed them with water. “Knut” a 4 year old polar bear has died in the Berlin Zoo. Knut was a major attraction; in 2007, the zoo even registered his name as a trademark. ADI will participate in the Animal Rights National Conference which is the “world’s largest and oldest animal rights gathering, attracting thousands of participants”. The conference will take place July 21-25 in Los Angeles. Displaced pets are crowding animal shelters across the Midwest and south eastern United States as the Mississippi and other rivers overflow their banks and flood waters push people from their homes. Wild animals are also being displaced; authorities recommend allowing wild species to move unhindered through flooded areas as they seek higher ground.

The Animal Defender

Summer 2011

European Commission urged to uphold cosmetics testing ban We continue to work to ensure that the cosmetics testing ban timetable remains in place. With clear resistance to the ban coming from certain sectors of the cosmetics industry, we recently met with the European Commission and Members of the European Parliament to discuss the issue. In 2003 the EU introduced a phase-out of cosmetics testing on animals and a ban on the sale of cosmetic products that contain ingredients tested on animals (regardless of where in the world the testing occurred.) Although the ban on ingredients tested on animals has been in place since March 2009, the deadline for replacement of some tests under the marketing ban was extended to March 2013 to allow the development and approval of alternatives. In our last issue we reviewed the European Commission’s draft technical report on alternatives to animal testing for cosmetics, which gave a pessimistic view of the replacement of the remaining animal tests by the 2013 deadline. It is clear that, instead of investing in alternatives, some cosmetic companies that use animals for testing have been dragging their feet and are lobbying in Brussels to be allowed to continue their horrific tests. The European Commission has recently stated that they have “not yet taken a decision as to whether or not to postpone the implementation date.” There is speculation that there could be a proposal to postpone the ban by at least 5 years, a terrifying prospect. In January, we had a series of meetings at the Commission and European Parliament to ensure that a strong stand was taken on the deadlines. In general, MEPs agreed to stand firm on the March 2013 deadline. However, the Commission confirmed that the official position remains that a decision has not yet been taken. The Commission also stressed that they will be hearing the concerns of the cosmetics industry regarding the deadline as well as our concerns. They say that an assessment of postponing the deadline or not “will need to take into account the potential economic, social and environmental of these options.” ADI is fighting to uphold the 2013 deadline. Educate your federal representatives about this upcoming cosmetic testing ban in the EU, and encourage them to introduce a similar ban here in the US.

ADI

Campaign News

Alternatives to animal experiments presented in Cuba The Lord Dowding Fund for Humane Research (LDF - ADI’s humane research wing) was invited by Dr. Mario Landys Chovel, organizer of the 4th Cuban International Congress of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, to present our work to at Havana City from the 13th to the 16th December 2010. Dr. Stephen D. Hall, LDF grantholder and researcher at the Neurophysiology and Clinical Neuroimaging Research Group of the School of Life and Health Sciences at the University of Aston, UK, delivered a well-attended plenary lecture on “The application of novel pharmacological neuroimaging methods in the investigation of drug action in heath and disease”. Dr. Hall’s research involves the use of magnetoencephalography (MEG) and Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to better understand the action of drugs in the brain. The use of MEG and fMRI techniques replaces the use of animals, and the data obtained is directly relevant to humans. The lecture was followed by a lively Q&A session, which reflected the highlevel of worldwide interest for this novel advanced technique. Helder Constantino also attended the Conference as a spokesperson for the LDF and presented its work at the Symposium on Alternative Methods. It was attended by several leading experts in the field including Pr. Thomas Hartung from the Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing of the John Hopkins University and Pr. Coenraad Hendriksen from the Netherlands Vaccine Institute.

Worldfest, Los Angeles ADI’s Los Angeles office team had a successful day at the 2011 Worldfest Earth Day Festival in May in Van Nuys, CA. Worldfest is a 100% vegan and solar powered event filled with entertainment, education and enlightenment, with exhibits from over 100 environmental, humanitarian and animal welfare non-profit groups. ADI had a great reception, making personal connections with supporters and reaching out to hundreds of others. Over 350 people picked up leaflets from our table and nearly 100 people signed up for our mailing list! After the successful turnout at Worldfest, we’re already looking forward to participating in similar upcoming events! ADI will have a table at the Animal Rights 2011 National Conference which will take place July 21st-25th 2011 in Los Angeles.

ADI

guinness World Records has dropped elephant polo statistics from the record books, “in line with our policy not to accept or recognize any records based on the killing or harming of animals, this includes fox hunting and bull fighting”. The work of The Lord Dowding Fund for Humane Research was showcased at the British Science Festival held in Birmingham last year, and was a great success. This year’s event, themed "Exploring New Worlds" will be in Bradford. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) quotas published. The CITES 2011 national export quotas have been published. DRC, Togo and Tanzania have all established quotas for trade in live Appendix II primates. An international treaty will set the first-ever limit on the number of polar bears that native people in Northwest Alaska can harvest, and also make polar bear hunting legal in Russia for the first time since it was outlawed in 1957. The Russia-U.S. commission agreed to let native subsistence hunters in each country kill 29 bears per year. Chimp meat has been discovered on the menu in restaurants in the UK after raids by trading standards. Backstreet restaurants and market stalls in the Midlands are believed to be selling chimpanzee meat. Canada’s fight against a European ban on seal products has moved to a new level. Canada’s Federal Fisheries Minister says the government will take action through the World Trade Organization over the European Union's ban on seal products.

The Animal Defender

Summer 2011

Photos oppsite from the top: Dr. Hall giving his lecture; the audience listens intently to Dr Hall; Pr. Hendriksen presents "Alternatives for Potency and Toxicity for acellular and wP vaccines"; the conference venue. Pr. Hartung presents “Toxicology for the 21st century";

Stop Circus Suffering If you are looking for a sign, an animal totem to inspire, or a harbinger to mark the right moment to help us launch a full-scale initiative to end the suffering of animals being forced to perform in circuses in the United States—what, or who, might you be looking for? Perhaps a 9000-pound, 45-year old Asian female elephant named Tai. And if so, the campaign she will symbolically lead, to mobilize the grassroots and create lasting legislative change for circus animals is called ‘Break the Chain.’ ‘Break the Chain’ is an ADI initiative to drive forward the demand for legislation on animal circuses. ADI is partnering with local animal advocates in this grassroots network, organizing publicity events and public education outreach across the US. ADI believes that together we can break the chain and end the suffering of these animals once and for all.

ADI recently set into motion what may end up being the animal rights news story of the year (see p.11), releasing shocking video footage of Tai—star of the movie Water for Elephants—being hit with bull hooks and electric shocked during training. The irony is that Tai’s character in the film, ‘Rosie’, is an abused circus elephant and the fictionalized Hollywood violence mirrors her real-life abuse and illustrates the harsh truth that performing animal training involves pain, punishment and fear. Have Trunk will Travel almost pulled off an incredible bluff, standing in the public spotlight denouncing the fictional cruelty of the film, saying how they used marshmallows and affection to train their elephants. ADI called the bluff. The Animal Defender

Tai’s story is stirring emotions and invigorating activists. Volunteers with the ‘Break the Chain’ campaign are taking Tai’s story to the streets, and our Los Angeles office has been flooded with requests to help. We sent out over two hundred action packs in the US alone during the first week since the news broke!

Break the Chain network Last October, ADI launched the ‘Break the Chain’ campaign in the US, to drive forward the demand for legislation on animal circuses. ADI is partnering with local animal advocates in this grassroots network, organizing publicity events and public education outreach across the US, and this recent avalanche of news about Tai's abuse is bringing more momentum.

'Break The Chain' is building on the success of ADI's international ‘Stop Circus Suffering’ campaign which has created unprecedented awareness about animal circuses, reduced audiences and prompted local and national governments around the world to ban the use of animals in circuses. Since 1992, ADI field officers have worked inside the circus industry in country after country, gathering the evidence needed to push forward change. National bans on the use of wild animals, or selected species, have been adopted in: Austria, Bolivia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Malta, Slovakia, Sweden, Portugal, Taiwan, Singapore, Bolivia, Costa Rica, India and Israel. Similar laws are being discussed in: United Kingdom, Netherlands, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Norway, Ecuador and Peru.

Summer 2011

Local town and city bans are in place in the US, UK (over 200), Brazil, Greece, and many others in Europe and South America. This campaign is breaking down barriers, generating public and political awareness in diverse countries and cultures, and succeeding with evidence-led campaigns. It can be a long, hard fight but this is a battle we can win. Operation Lion Ark (p3) represented a culmination of a remarkable campaign. A team of ADI field officers in South America gathered evidence for two years, moving from circus to circus, country to country, catching shocking cruelty on

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BAY AR film. The findings, scientific reports, videos, and campaign that followed created public support. In Bolivia, local city bans were secured and tested when Las Vegas act the Fercos Brothers arranged shows with their lions and tigers. Legal action ensured the bans held firm and the wild animal acts did not come to Bolivia. A series of national legislative initiatives were put forward; failing at first but then succeeding after a determined lobbying campaign. Bolivia banned animal circuses. The first circus handed over its animals; the rest said they would fight the ban. So with the Bolivian authorities, ADI raided every animal circus and rescued

LOS ANGELES

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Stop Circus Suffering

ALBANY

every animal. The circus industry was shut down in a stroke with ADI saving all the animals. In their hearts, no one would believe that it is easier to campaign for animals in Bolivia than the US. Different yes, but then so are Austria, Sweden, Brazil, the UK, and others. Indeed it is indicative of US caring that here public generosity has ensured some of the finest sanctuaries in the world, so perhaps little surprise that the Bolivian lions found their safe haven here.

Breaking the chain Following ADI’s investigation of the use of animals in US circuses, and publication of our 2008 report, ‘Animals in Traveling Circuses: the science on suffering’, we have worked with the Performing Animal Welfare Sanctuary (PAWS) on options for US legislation. Meanwhile, the 'Break the Chain' campaign in the US continues to gather support, with our database of participating local groups at over 200-strong and growing. This campaign is reaching out to local communities and governments to educate them about circus cruelty, with ADI supplying reports, DVDs, leaflets, posters and other resources. Recent 'Break the Chain' activities include leafleting and demos at circus shows; lobbying for city bans on animal circuses; presenting detailed reports and evidence to legislators; and publicity events. It is early in the 2011 circus season and there have already been several successful outreach events. Here are a few highlights: In February, advocates from groups including ADI-partner Animal ACTivists of Philly lined the sidewalk outside at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia for the Ringling’s shows, holding signs and handing out leaflets to circus-goers. An elephant

PHILADELPHIA

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costumed volunteer was a big hit with the kids. Cheryl Biren, of OpEdNews.com wrote a compelling and sympathetic fourpage article about the opening night demonstration. Many of the same Philly activists traveled to nearby Trenton, New Jersey when Ringling returned to the area. A Trenton paper published a great letter to the editor that spread the word even further. In April, the Los Angeles ADI team joined the efforts of Orange County People for Animals and other national groups to educate circus-goers at every performance of the Shrine Circus at the Al Malaikah Shrine Temple. Hundreds of Stop Circus Suffering leaflets were distributed to a receptive audience, many saying this would be their last visit to an animal circus. Bay Area advocates scheduled events at nearby towns when Carson and Barnes Circus was traveling past San Francisco. And in May, advocates demonstrated against Ringling in Albany, New York. It was heartwarming to see the dedication of one elder ADI volunteer, who describes herself as a "survivor" and despite her health challenges, mobilized a dozen friends and did outreach at all eight Ringling performances! She reported back enthusiastically that they are ready to work for a county-wide circus ban, and organize outreach in the school districts. Afterwards a columnist at the Albany Times Union wrote a scathing critique of the show titled, “Ringling Circus Mostly a Waste.” ADI is hearing from new advocates all the time. Just last week a rural Iowa resident called us after seeing the horrible conditions for caged tigers and chained elephants at Circus Pages. Before even contacting us, she had already videotaped the conditions and gave us a full report. Another activist is born! Later this month dedicated advocates in Alberta, Canada are going to be on a local radio program talking about the plight of animals in circuses. ADI is assisting citizen advocates campaigning for a ban in Irvine California. And the list goes on! We’re sorry if we have missed your events!

You can be the next advocate or local organization to join ‘Break the Chain’! ADI wants to make sure, no matter what city large or small, if any circus shows up, and they are traveling with animals, compassionate people will be there to expose the suffering. We want to ensure

that no circus animal performances go unquestioned and that there is no Congressional

district where awareness is not being generated about this suffering.

Help us Break the Chain We need to hear from you if you can help, no matter how distributing leaflets, letters to editors or Congress, proposing bans in your area, being part of it when we launch an exposé like Water for Elephants. Please help email us at usa@adinternational.org or call 323-935-2234.

The Animal Defender

Summer 2011

Tai was taught this trick with electric shocks and blows from a bull hook. She needs you to stand up for her.

In March, a daring ADI investigation exposed the sickening abuse of Anne the elephant and other animals at Bobby Roberts’ Super Circus winter quarters in the UK. The horrific images that ADI caught on film of Anne, chained and being beaten sent shock waves around the world. Within two weeks Anne was removed from the circus. A month later the circus gave up Monty the camel. Anne was born in the wild in Sri Lanka in 1954 and has been with the Roberts family since she was a baby. ADI has monitored Anne’s life for over twenty years – until

She was chained, unable to

SAVED!

Anne, Europe’s oldest elephant, removed from the circus after devastating ADI exposé. 22

The Animal Defender

Summer 2011

2001 she had elephants Janie and Beverly for company; then they both died suddenly at the winter quarters, leaving Anne alone. In 2002 we became concerned by her condition and secured a veterinary inspection of Anne and our vet discussed improvements in her care with the Roberts. However they were unwilling to negotiate her release. It seemed that Annie was destined to die alone, crippled with arthritis, living in chains. Until ADI placed a camera in the winter quarters where Anne and the other animals were stored between November and March each year. Over a period of three and a half weeks in January and February 2011, our field officers recorded activity inside the barn. Incidents captured on film include Anne being hit with a metal pitchfork and kicked around the face and body 48 times; workers hitting and kicking miniature ponies and horses; and spitting in the face

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Stop Circus Suffering of Monty the camel. The disturbing footage also shows Anne constantly chained for the entire period; often by her front and arthritic back legs only able to take one step forward or backwards. Her chains were only changed to different legs twice. In the past, Bobby Roberts had claimed, “We take good care of her, she is a family pet,” and responded to criticism from ADI and other animal protection groups: “How can they know better than us what is best for her?” Roberts himself was captured on camera kicking Anne on the trunk during the undercover investigation. The footage and media pressure, which swept around the world and opened the eyes of millions to hidden circus suffering, finally compelled Mr & Mrs Roberts to hand Anne over for retirement.

veterinary and skin care – about 30 minutes a day. ADI has visited her at Longleat and have witnessed that Anne’s life has changed immeasurably since she was removed from the circus. It was acknowledged from the outset that facilities at Longleat were rudimentary – they have not held elephants for over a decade and the building is outdated. Anne has a basic paddock and night quarters shared with a rhino. Since the relocation, Anne has become a huge attraction at Longleat, with long lines of visitors. The public has donated $565,000 to Longleat so far to Anne’s lifetime care and there has been talk in the media of Longleat becoming a sanctuary for elephants. This would be welcome, but at this time there is a long way to go.

Longleat is not the best short term/emergency location and might, with new facilities and other rescued elephants, provide a good home. At this time, the ideal location would be ARK2000 in California (home of the first Bolivian lions we rescued) which specializes in the care of rescued circus elephants and which immediately offered ADI a home for Anne for life when we exposed her suffering. Here, she would have the best possible climate for her arthritis, wonderful facilities and space, staff with experience of elephants with her problems, and importantly a chance to have the companionship of other experforming elephants. However, it’s a long journey involving road travel and a flight of 12 hours or more, so we would have to be

Main picture: Anne shortly after being removed from the circus.

o escape and beaten and kicked repeatedly. She is almost 60 years old.

Anne & Monty Saved! ADI backed a proposal for Anne to be handed over on a temporary basis to Longleat Safari Park, with the goal of her going to the best place possible for her care, once her health was assessed. It was important to move Anne to a place of safety as quickly as possible. Anne’s condition has improved enormously in just a few weeks. Her arthritis medication has improved her ability to walk and her activity around the enclosure is getting better and better. She plays in the water in the small pool and dustbathes in a heap of sand, which, together with regular brushing and bathing by keepers, has improved her skin enormously. Anne also now plays with a soccer ball, a tractor tire and pushes a log around. Whereas she was chained to one spot 24 hours a day in the winter quarters, we have been assured that Anne is now only chained for

ADI

Longleat remains a commercial exhibitor of animals. Plans for a new elephant facility have not been published yet and it is unclear whether this will phase out the use of bull hooks to control elephants – the leading sanctuaries (and several zoos) have moved to protected contact because this removes the habit of physical control and intimidation of the animals. It is also agreed that Anne needs to be assessed and that her future may be best served elsewhere. That is not to say

sure that an elderly lady like Anne would be fit for the journey. However, on the positive side, she is a complete survivor and has traveled all of her life. We will do our best to ensure Anne’s best welfare is secured for the long term, monitoring the options inside and outside Longleat. For now, the sun on her back, a few logs, a shallow pool, a sandpit, and freedom to move must be paradise for her. A storm of protests has followed the circus on its UK tour, as well as ADI’s circus billboard; Roberts claims his business is down by 99%. In May, Roberts handed over Monty the camel to a UK wildlife park. This means that Bobby Roberts’ Super Circus is now wild animal free but the ponies remain. Meanwhile, our legal team is currently working on potential criminal prosecutions under the UK’s Animal Welfare Act 2006. ADI is urgently appealing for funds for the prosecution.

The Animal Defender

Summer 2011

They thought no one was watching but ADI caught the evidence on video. How many times must we expose scenes like these?

Left: ADI President Jan Creamer with Anne at Longleat.

Stop Circus Suffering ADI’s mobile billboard is joined by a young protestor outside Bobby Roberts Super Circus shortly after our exposé broke in the news. The billboard toured the UK raising awareness.

ADI exposes misinformation used to block British ban

Right: ADI Campaigns Manager Alexandra Cardenas delivers a special message to Defra (Department of Environment Food & Rural Affairs). Elephant smashed in the face by a trainer at the great British Circus. Members of the British Parliament pose with ADI’s inflatable elephant.

News on May 12th doomed lions, tigers, camels and elephants to lives of misery with UK circuses, but again ADI stepped in and animals have a fighting chance. Never before has a country seen such overhwleming opposition to animal circuses (now 95% opposed) yet faced such difficulties securing protection. The wild animal ban promised in 2006 was floundering by 2009. But an ADI investigation of abuse of elephants at the Great British Circus put it back on the agenda. The elephants were being beaten and the circus had lied to Parliament claiming they weren’t chained – we showed they were chained daily for 11 hours. In 2010, the resulting Government public consultation revealed 94.5% backed a ban. The Minister met ADI and the same day announced there would be a ban. But an election was called and the Government changed hands. A coalition government of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats was formed. The Lib Dems had promised a ban on wild animals prior to the election and an ADI poll of members of parliament (MPs) in 2011 showed 63% support a ban. ADI stepped up the campaign. A series of presentations were made to MPs and the

The Animal Defender

Summer 2011

Government, a public awareness drive saw our inflatable elephant visiting town centers across the country, a new video of all the circus violence ADI had captured on film ridiculed the idea of self-regulation, and the ADI Special Investigations Department masterminded an operation to secure video inside Bobby Roberts Circus (p.22). In March, ADI released the footage of Anne the elephant and the other animals being beaten and it sent shock waves through the UK and across the world. A ban seemed inevitable. Taking no chances, we commissioned an opinion poll which found 72% of the British public want a ban – almost 3 out of 4 people; just 8% oppose a ban. A motion before the UK Parliament, drafted by ADI and tabled by former Minister Jim Fitzpatrick, calling for a ban on wild animal acts, has been signed by almost 200 MPs. In defiance of the evidence and public and parliamentary opinion, hopes were dashed by a Government statement that regulation would be introduced. This is believed to be due to direct intervention by Prime Minister, David Cameron. It was claimed that the UK was prevented from banning wild animal acts because the Austrian ban was currently being challenged in the

European court – and so a ban might be illegal. Within days, an ADI team accompanied by two senior members of the Conservative Party met the Minister responsible. We presented a legal dossier including statements from the Austrian court saying that there was no such challenge and from the European Ombudsman saying that such a challenge was ruled inadmissable in July 2006 and that despite a further complaint in late 2006, the case had been closed in March 2010. The European Commission had stated as early as 2002, that banning animals in circuses is solely the responsibility of individual member states. We also briefed numerous MPs. The following day the UK Houses of Parliament erupted in one of the most heated debates ever, with the Minister accused of misleading parliament and derided for citing a non-existent court case. A new parliamentary motion has been tabled by MPs attacking the decision not to ban wild animal acts and calling for a ban. Needless to say, ADI will continue to keep up the pressure.

ADI

Stop Circus Suffering

Colombia We co-organized the ‘March for the Animals 2010’ in Bogotá (above). During December we also carried out a Christmas Vigil for Circus Animals in the Plaza de Bolivar with an ADI information stand. We continue to lobby Congress to include the ban on the use of animals in circuses in the revision of the animal welfare law. We started the year attending meetings at the city council of Medellin and Caldas. The city council of Pereira has declared itself a national hub on animal protection and wildlife conservation following a screening of our Unnatural Acts DVD. We supported Councilor Juan Pablo Gallo by presenting the findings of our investigation on the use of animals in circuses in Colombia as well as providing legal, evidential and scientific arguments in support of the motion. The agreement strictly regulates wild animals in public shows in the city and will effectively phase out the use of wild animals in circuses in the heart of Colombia’s coffee region. It will set a standard for other cities to follow.

Brazil In November 2010 we got an emergency vote on Bill 7291 – 2006 aimed at banning all animals in circuses in Brazil. Signed by 12 out of 16 Party Leaders in the Chamber, representing more than 400 deputies out of 513, this request has changed the legislative procedure for this bill from a

ADI

“priority” to an “emergency” and will effectively speed up the ban. Once the bill is adopted in the Chamber of Deputies it goes to the Senate, where it will be reviewed by the relevant Commissions. We are calling on the President of the Chamber to include the bill in the agenda of the Plenary as soon as possible.

visited in February and screened ADI’s Stop Circus Suffering Ireland video.

Above: A sea of ADI circus posters ad banners at the Bogotá “March for the Animals 2010.”

Greece The Ministry of agriculture has promised to bring forward a ban on animal circuses in Greece.

Bolivia: There are no

Ireland

longer any animal circuses in Bolivia (see p3)!

Our Irish partners, ARAN (Animal Rights Action Network) staged lively and peaceful demonstrations in Waterford and Galway as part of Stop Circus Suffering in Ireland. ARAN have also been visiting schools to educate the next generation of animal defenders about circus suffering. They were met with a warm reception from Wesley College, Dublin when they

Peru After the launch of our ‘Unnatural Acts’ video in the Peruvian Congress, the circuses fought back with their own lobbying campaign. We quickly responded with a new video focusing on domestic animals and the confinement, deprivation and abuse that they suffer. A detailed response and new congressional briefings were distributed to members of Congress. Several Peruvian celebrities, including Julio Andrade, Miki Gonzalez, William Luna and Tóxico, backed the campaign in our video ‘Cruelty is not Culture’. The Grammy Award winning

band, Aterciopelados also recorded a video supporting the campaign. Before the end of the congressional session we led a series of public awareness events touring the main plazas of Lima. This included our 3 meter high inflatable lion and an exhibition of photographs showing the Peruvian public the reality of the circus. A candlelit vigil was also held in Lima in support of the bill. It is hoped that the bill will have its final vote this year, but we must sustain this important campaign.

The Animal Defender

Summer 2011

Campaign News

Animal Adoptions more important than ever ADI now has over 40 animals in our care: 31 lions (29 in the US; 2 in South Africa), 1 chimpanzee (Zambia), 1 Hamadryas baboon (UK) and 3 Macaque monkeys (UK) as well as a number of horses in Bolivia. When we rescue animals in distress we take care of them for life. We funded the construction of the facilities for the US lions, and Tilin the baboon and the laboratory monkeys in the UK. We have also paid the significant costs of transporting these animals. We remain committed and involved, we support them financially and keep them healthy. They are all in specialized sanctuaries and receive the highest quality care. We continually liaise and visit with the sanctuaries and even help out by providing ‘manpower’ on weekends.

Help our rescued animals. Adopt now!

How you can help Our Animal Adoption program is vital for the long term care of the animals we have saved from such terrible suffering, and for ensuring we can save more animals in the future. You can make a one-off annual payment or set up monthly payments. You can adopt a single animal for as little as $96 per year or groups of animals for more (less than 66cents per day).

What you receive when you adopt A beautiful certificate with a drawing of your animal(s), Toto News our adoption newsletter - three times a year, a Rescue DVD – about your rescued animal and, of course you continue to receive this magazine! To adopt, please complete the enclosed form or contact us at (323) 935-2234 or usa@ad-international.org for more information. Thank you.

The Animal Defender

Summer 2011

Betty, Baloo and Boo go free Quarantine is over for our rescued laboratory monkeys and as they step into the great outdoors of their new enclosure it’s a new life and new names. The laboratory called them: Bacil, Bacilusk and Baloo. We put the “vivisection humor” behind them, they are now Betty, Boo and Baloo. Their wonderful new enclosure at Lakeview, in the UK, has lots of enrichment, trees, swings, and plenty of space to play. Photo: Baloo.

ADI

Rescue News

Welcome Home Tilin!

Left, from top: Tilin looks out from his circus beastwagon in Bolivia. At the ADI compound shortly after his rescue ADI’s Alexandra Cardenas is interviewed, while Tilin watches. The journey to Santa Cruz airport. Tilin is loaded onto the airplane. A snack on arrival in the UK. Flash Gordon star Brian Blessed welcomes Tilin to the UK.

comfy straw bed on a raised platform, and a tire swing. Late at night he reached his new ADI home at Lakeview, striding out of his travel crate to climb and explore.

Tilin was handed to ADI with the lions we moved to California in summer 2010, by the first circus to close following Bolivia’s ban. The magnificent baboon arrived in the UK in September with ADI’s Alexandra Cardenas, Ricardo Farjado, and vet Simon Adams. Everyone who meets him is amazed by this wise and calm primate who took the journey in his stride.

He is in quarantine, due to UK regulations. It is still an exciting new world for him and we are searching for a rescued Hamadryas baboon companion to join him.

Our team in the UK had spent weeks preparing for Tilin’s arrival, and his new quarantine house was filled with branches, a

Another animal’s life transformed with your support – how about adopting Tilin? Call (323) 935-2234 for details.

The Animal Defender

Summer 2011

! D E V SA

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Animal Defenders International U.S: 6100 Wilshire Blvd., # 1150, LOS ANGELES, CA 90048, U.S.A. Toll-free: 1-800-978-ADII (2344) Local: +1 323 935-2234 e-mail: usa@ad-international.org UK: Millbank Tower, Millbank, LONDON, SW1P 4QP, UK. Tel: +44 (0)20 7630 3340 e-mail: info@ad-international.org South America: Apartado Postal 359888 BOgOTÁ, Colombia.

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