‘Everybody loves an elephant’: Circus features more animals despite continued objections

By Tony Gonzalez
Published: September 10, 2008

Two elephants weighing in at nearly 10,000 pounds each — Nina and Viola — curled feed into their mouths while greeting circus goers at the big top entrance at Augusta Expoland on Wednesday.
“Everybody loves an elephant,” said Chris Connors, ringmaster of the Cole Bros. Circus. “It’s not a real circus without the animals.”
But animal rights groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals oppose the use of animals in circus.
“An elephant in the circus spends most of her time shackled,” said RaeLeann Smith, PETA circus and government affairs specialist. “If people really saw what went on behind the scenes, you’d have to drag them kicking and screaming to the circus”
Unlike recent summer tours, Cole organizers are reporting better business and fewer animal rights protesters as they trek across the country.
Not even a public service announcement about circus animal abuse released this week by PETA has fazed the circus, which this year features more animals than ever. Cole, which bills itself as “the world’s largest circus under the big top,” has added camels, horses and ponies to its acts.
Despite its popularity, Cole has been dogged for decades by animal-rights groups.
Between 1983 and 2007, the United States Department of Agriculture cited and fined Cole Bros. dozens of times, according to a fact sheet published online by PETA. Inspections found insufficient elephant security, hook marks in elephants, inadequate veterinary care (including malnourishment) and failure to provide adequately trained employees.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which inspects circus animals, fined Cole $10,000 in 2000 and $2,750 in 2003. The USDA temporarily barred two Cole elephants, Tina and Jewel, from traveling last year because of a lack of veterinary care. That ban was lifted after the animals received care.
Activists don’t have sufficient information about elephant care, which is a 24-hour-a-day job, said third-generation trainer Del Moral.
“I see them out my window when I wake up,” said Moral, who has 30 years of experience with elephants and is a contract trainer with Cole. “I know they’re well-cared for.”
Moral also described another side of the animal cruelty debate, one in which activists become “terrorists.” Moral said his truck has been spray-painted, his tires have been slashed and his life has been threatened.
But there have been fewer protesters this year, said Elvin Bale, Cole’s vice president of operations.
“It’s kind of weird that we haven’t seen as many,” Bale said. “I think they’re bored with coming out here and never finding anything.”
Connors said Cole Bros. toured without animals four years ago, but that attendee surveys called for the return of animals.
“If [protest] groups had their way, [children] would never get a chance to see this. It’d be a shame,” Connors said, pointing to a young boy marveling at Viola. “I think the people should judge on their own.”
Danielle and Cliff Kardell brought their children Carter and Kaden to their first big top show this week.
The main attraction? No hesitation: “the elephants,” Danielle Kardell