Wednesday, February 15, 2012
News Ringling Bros. Circus kicks off tonight, but there's an elephant in the room
Posted by Gwynedd Stuart @gwynnstu on Wed, Feb 15, 2012 at 3:34 PM
The circus pulled into Philips Arena today, and will be in town through Monday. A circus spokesman told WABE that if the ban had held up, the circus wouldn't have come to town: "The guide acts as an extension of the handler's arm and is an invaluable tool in the humane and safe handling of elephants."
PETA, the group that's led the charge against the use of bullhooks, argues that they aren't, in fact, "humane" tools. They've also argued that Judge John Goger's decision is flawed. Judge Goger basically ruled the way he did because for the ban to apply in Atlanta, Atlanta would have had to pass its own ban.
In a release, a PETA spokesman said:
The legislation banning bullhooks was passed because of a serious commitment by the citizens and commissioners of Fulton County to prohibit this sort of animal abuse in their community. The Municipal Code of Atlanta very clearly incorporates all of the Fulton County animal control ordinances—including the bullhook ban.
Judge Goger disagreed that the incorporation of Fulton animal control in the City of Atlanta was quite so "clear." An official "intergovernmental agreement" does not, apparently, exist.
My incessant blogging about baby animals probably serves to reveal that I'm hardly an impartial party in this debate. Personally, I think I'll skip the circus this year. And every year. But, hey, have fun if you're into that kind of thing.
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