Town of Phelps

PETA ASKS TOWN TO BAN USE OF ELEPHANT HOOKS:

As the Carson and Barnes Circus makes its way to town for Monday's performance, animal rights activists are trying to shine a spotlight on what they believe is cruel treatment of elephants.

On Tuesday, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals faxed a letter to Town Supervisor Norm Teed, imploring him to enact legislation banning the use of bullhooks and cattle prods that they claim are used to torture the animals into submission. A spokesman for the circus contended that they have a clean record when it comes to dealing with animals. Teed, meanwhile, is caught in the middle.

"How I'm getting involved in all of this, I don't know," he said. "The community center is in charge of putting this on. The town has nothing to do with it."

On Thursday, PETA sent Teed and the entire Town Board informational packets that included what the organization says is documented proof of a Carson and Barnes trainer abusing an elephant. Several press releases refer to Teed by name in asking that the Town Board outlaw the tools.

"We always ask local legislators to ban the use of bullhooks and cattle prods, which are used on circus elephants to train and control the animals by inflicting pain and fear," said Lisa Wathne, a captive exotic animal specialist with PETA.

Even though elephant skin looks tough, she said, it's sensitive enough to feel a mosquito bite. The pain inflicted by bullhooks, used to guide elephants, must be excruciating, Wathne said. Hooks slice into the skin and cause sores, she added.

Ben Trumble, a spokesman for Carson and Barnes, said that PETA appeals are a constant sideshow that haven't worked yet.

"They do this in every town we stop in and no community has ever enacted legislation proposed by PETA," he said.