Outlaw the Use of Brutal Bullhooks to Train Elephants
By Shilpa AgarwalTarget: Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack
Goal: To outlaw the use of bullhooks to train elephants in circuses.
Many zoos and circuses today use inhumane techniques to train their elephants. The methods often involve the use of a bullhook, or a tool used to poke and punish the animals. The handle is made of wood or metal and the hook is made of steel and is sharp, like a fireplace poker. Both ends are used to inflict pain on elephants.
An elephant’s skin ranges in thickness from one inch across its back to paper-thin around its mouth, eyes, ears, and anus. The skin may appear tough, but in many places, elephants can even feel the bite of an insect. Trainers typically embed the hook in the elephant’s most sensitive areas such as the soft tissue behind its ears; inside its ears or mouth; in and around the anus; and in tender spots under the chin and around its feet.
The bullhook is used to establish dominance over the elephant through negative reinforcement in the form of corporal punishment. Elephants are conditioned through violent training sessions and know that refusal to obey a bullhook-wielding trainer’s commands will result in severe punishment.
When pressure is applied to an elephant’s sensitive areas, the elephant is reminded of the force the trainer can inflict with that device. Trainers and industry spokespersons call this “guiding” the elephant, but the reality is that the bullhook is a tool of intimidation. The circus industry claims that the elephants perform tricks that they would normally perform in the wild. However, in the wild, an adult elephant would lie down in slow, gradual movements no more than once or twice per day and would not lie down and rise very quickly several times, as in a single circus show. In addition, elephants would not play with balls, do headstands, crawl, or twirl.
The use of bullhooks and other training methods that utilize pain or force are inhumane and simply should not be permitted for use anywhere. Though captive, these elephants still have the right to live healthy and comfortable lives without humans torturing them.
Sign the petition asking Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to prohibit the use of bullhooks along with other force-based techniques when it comes to training circus and zoo animals.
PETITION LETTER
Dear Secretary Vilsack,
As a concerned advocate for animal welfare, I am writing to voice my opinions on the use of bullhooks in zoos and circuses for the purpose of training animals. Most frequently, elephants are the victims of this method because they are so large and require a great deal of energy to train. However, there is no need to exert pain upon these poor creatures in the name of entertainment.
If we are going to remove wild animals from their natural habitats and place them in smaller, domesticated environments, we must ensure their quality of life is protected. Using objects such as bullhooks and other force-based techniques is cruel and inhumane. Human enjoyment isn’t worth another creature having to suffer.
The elephants deserve to live in peace without being treated as slaves. Please implement a ban on the use of bullhooks as well as force-based training methods altogether.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
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16 Comments
This is too much for any animal to handle, this has to stop.
This is sick. It’s an elephant not a toy!!! I simply hate people.
Elephants are not meant to be entertainment yet that is what human’s seem to want to do with them. These animals are sensitive and need to be handled gently so they can move with ease. The elephant is a huge animal that can be injured easily and bull hooks are not appropriate to use on these animals. This form of torture must stop. It is appropriate to send all performance or circus or zooed elephants to sanctuaries where they can live lives in freedom.
Mans inhumanity to animals is appalling and needs to stop.
This barbaric training has got to stop. I would like to see elephants and lions and tigers banned from the circus. Let the clowns entertain by shooting each other out of a cannon. I have been to many circuses in the past when my children were small, and looking back on them, we would have been just as entertained without the animals. Horrific! This practice needs to be banned!
The elephants should never need more ‘guidance’ than can be given with a light padded stick. They are more than capable of working for food treats and similar enticements; elephant goads are likely the main problem when elephants turn on their trainers. They’re smarter than some humans…
AM SO ANGRY WITH THIS. WITH ALL OF IT . THE WAY ANIMALS ARE BEING TREATED. This poor animal doesnt want to perform tricks!. He meant to be FREE and live in the jungle. …. Thisis so cruel,inhumane. A man woudent like it being prodded and poked, to do tricks becos he has a MOUTH to speak and tell.
AM AGREEING WIV ALL ON HERE
How sad that the individuals that do these practices have been raised in a way that has shut off their compassion and common sense for the animals.
This picture broke my heart and made me cry. I hate people!!!
Animals should not be trained to be in circuses just to amuse people and especially wild animals such as elephants. The use of bullhooks used to train elephants is extremely cruel.
Elephants should be left in the wild. Why not use brutal bullhooks to train their tormentors? It seems absolutely unfair to me: the victims will be victims all their lives. Such magnificent creatures reduced to obey like small dogs. This makes their tormenters feel proud, I suppose. But I find that absolutely shameful.
How many times must an elephant get a bullhook to learn tricks, then learn the routine of several numbers, then learn not to be high maintanence…so that man can make millions off of them? If we allow abuse and slow death of animals, how can we want more for ourselves? We will all be old one day, and people we don’t know may be taking care of us. If we want good care for ourselves, we must continually demand it for others.
cruelty, even if it is unintentional, has to be paid for eventually.
Penetrating or abusing sensitive orifices isn’t entertaining.
Inflicting pain on any living creature is NOT entertainment in my opinion. The train through pain mentality is insane and inhumane and should be outlawed!
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