Category — Opinion

“Culling of elephants is unwarranted as there is no scientific evidence to demonstrate that the animals are affecting the biodiversity in the Kruger National Park, The Earth Organisation said on Thursday” – IOL

“In South Africa the killing of elephants was outlawed in the 1990s. According to yesterday’s reports, since then the population has soared from 8,000 to 20,000. That’s a lot of elephants. Most of them are in the Kruger National Park.” – Times Online

“Davison seems to indicate that a back-stage pass to the circus would help in some way to inform the issue. This is nonsense, as the cruelty that is at the very heart of the issue itself could have, and likely would have, occurred during the elephants’ training, and not backstage during the circus.” – Star Tribune

“Last Friday, Minneapolis City Council Member Ralph Remington was on his animal rights soapbox, declaring at the council meeting that banning elephant rides was a moral imperative. As inspired orators often do, Remington reached for a prop — an elephant guide, or bull hook — and waved the supposed instrument of punishment about.” – Star Tribune

“But maybe this incident provides an opportunity to re-examine the ethics of confining intelligent, wide-ranging beasts like tigers, elephants and dolphins in zoos, aquariums and circuses. Unquestionably, our treatment of animals in captivity has evolved in humane ways since the days when zoos were little more than rows of squalid cages, an evolution documented in books like “Animal Attractions,” by Elizabeth Hanson, and “A Different Nature,” by David Hancocks.” – ScrippsNews

When I first heard there was such a sport as elephant polo I was taken aback. And when the annual deluge of coverage of this sport happens like it did last month, the questions that came to mind were: ?why?? and ?how?? – Nepali Times

“As a former zoo curator, I have followed the issue of elephant herpes virus in North American zoos with deep interest. The In Defense of Animals report highlights the fact that the disease is virtually an elephant pandemic within the captive elephant population and that zoos continue to ignore it when making recommendations for transferring animals from one institution to another.” – Vallejo Times Herald –

“The last thing the University of Alabama needs is an elephant to lumber around the stadium at home games.” – TuscaloosaNews.com

“How insane would it be if before every home football game we could “Operation Dumbo Drop” a giant elephant onto our own football field? He’d rise up on his hind legs and trumpet ferociously, striking fear into the very hearts of our competitors, shaking them at their cores.” – The Crimson White

“Yet that’s exactly what the Student Government Association is exploring. The SGA Senate endorsed a resolution last month to see what it would take to bring a live elephant mascot to campus.” – TuscaloosaNews.com

“Elephants are one of the most amazing creatures on this planet and one with an emotional intelligence that far exceeds that of many humans, yet people still choose to use them for their own personal reasons. Let’s face it; a circus is purely for entertainment without consideration for the harm being done to all animals used in this way.” – Prince George Citizen

“Please, please stop all consideration of bringing an elephant to campus. Think about the entire concept; the animal is forced to stand or march at a human’s command while hundreds of people shout, scream, rant, run and rail against an opponent.” – The Crimson White

“Prince George City Council has approved in principle, the draft of a new bylaw that would prevent performances that feature exotic animals. ” – Opinion 250

“First, circuses are inherently cruel to exotic animals. It does not take rocket science to figure out wild animals belong in the wild. Elephants, a common animal kidnapped for the circus, roam up to 30 miles a day in large social herds in the wild. They have the freedom to bathe in mud holes, forage for food and live their own lives. In circuses, they spend their lives in confinement being carted around from town to town in all weather extremes. It is very saddening to think they are deprived of everything natural to them just to do a few tricks to entertain us.” – OpEDNews

“Imagine this: You go to the circus at the Target Center, planning to have a good time. You settle into your seat with some popcorn and start people watching. The far ring catches your eye — it has elephants lined up, ready to give rides. You look a little closer and notice the elephants look like the walking dead: thin, depressed, utterly resigned. Walking next to them is a man carrying a sharp hook on the end of a stick.” – Star Tribune

“I am not fully familiar with the history of the elephants at Discovery Kingdom, but I have an opinion about the amount of effort that is being put into their concern.” – Vallejo Times Herald

“It’s time we seriously considered the safety of deploying elephants at public functions and festivals. I say this with particular reference to the recent incident in Kerala, where one of the 13 tuskers on parade at an annual festival, suddenly went out of control and killed the mahout. Over 24 people were injured.” – The Telegraph

“It has been almost six months since the death of ?Anarkali,? who passed away on July17, 2006, and the Karachi Zoo still remains without an elephant, which is considered as a major source of attraction at any zoo. Anarkali the elephant was the heart of the zoo and there has, to-date, been no replacement after her death.” – The News