Angelenos,
Today's, Wednesday February 4, Los Angeles Times includes an article, by Sarah Gantz, headed "Endangered circus species?; Animal welfare groups sue Ringling, alleging abuse of elephants. The circus says it's a larger 'crusade' against animals at attractions." (Pg A10)
It opens:
"Tom Rider, who used to be a 'barn man' for Ringling Bros., said that when he worked there in the late 1990s, he regularly saw handlers of the circus' endangered Asian elephants abusing the giant creatures.
"He said they used long, sharp-hooked poles, 'hitting them in the legs, hooking them behind the ears' and leaving gashes the size of his finger.
"Ringling denies the allegations, saying it has never been cited for animal cruelty. But today, a nearly 9-year-old legal case over the elephants' treatment will come to trial in U.S. District Court."
You'll find the full article on line at:
http://tinyurl.com/ajcbd3
Please respond with a letter to the editor, sent to letters@latimes.com
Always include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a letter to the editor. Remember that shorter letters are more likely to be published. And please be sure not to use any comments or phrases from me or from any other alerts in your letters. Editors are looking for original responses from their readers.
Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn
(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line. If somebody forwards DawnWatch alerts to you, which you enjoy, please help the list grow by signing up. It is free.)
Please go to http://tinyurl.com/9mve9r if you would like to see an NBC news piece on Karen Dawn's new book, "Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way we Treat Animals” or go to www.ThankingtheMonkey.com for reviews and a fun celeb-studded promo video.
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Date: Wed Feb 4 21:07:00 2009
