Animal Advocacy Group Says Circus Death Was No Accident

In Defense of Animals sent a letter to the Luzerne County Coroner, asking him to reconsider his determination that last week's death of an elephant handler at the Irem Shrine Circus was "positively an accident."

According to reports of the incident, Dumbo was startled by an electrical wire, causing him to stomp his foot, which delivered a deadly blow to his groomer, Andrew Anderton. IDA, consulting with experts in elephant behavior, came to a very different conclusion. Their letter (pdf) states that Dumbo intentionally kicked his handler and that it had nothing to do with electrical wires.

As I wrote last week, these deaths caused by performing animals aren't really accidents. The word "accident" implies that no one was at fault, but the people who are keeping wild animals in captivity, forcing them to perform, set this in motion. So why does IDA want the coroner to blame the elephant?

Let's look at their arguments. They lay out four main points in their letter. The first is that Dumbo's foot connecting with the handler was entirely intentional. As elephant expert Dr. Joyce Poole explained:

Elephants are extremely careful and rarely do anything by accident. They have superior sense of hearing, an incredible sense of smell and they are able to detect minute vibrations via their feet. Dumbo would have known that Anderton was approaching her from behind; she would have been able to smell, feel, and hear him. Dumbo may not have intended to kill her keeper with her kick, but she certainly intended to kick him very hard.

IDA's second point was that Dumbo's behavior wasn't consistent with that of a startled elephant. The rationalization that the kick must have been because she was "spooked" is based on horse behavior. Elephants tend to shrink away from hot electrical wires (because most have seen them used as barriers), or turn and face any potential danger head-on, adopting a defensive stance.

The next two points are unsurprising. IDA writes that Dumbo's behavior is consistent with life in the circus, inhumane treatment, and cruel training methods. Since the age of three, Dumbo has been deprived of socializing with her own species, freedom to move around, and the mental stimulation of natural behaviors. Repeated exposure to bullhooks and chains would cause any animal stress.

The final point is that these tragedies aren't rare. In the past 20 years, circus elephants have caused 14 deaths and 120 injuries. The number of injuries may actually be significantly higher than that. A recent investigation found that wild animal and marine mammal theme parks underreport animal-related injuries. The standards for calling in the authorities on these incidents are high — hospital stays, injuries to multiple employees, or amputated limbs. And I'm guessing that circuses are at least as poorly regulated as these theme parks.

If Dumbo is blamed for this death, then it means elephants in captivity are dangerous; it means wild animals like Dumbo shouldn't be giving children rides or forced to perform in arenas full of people. IDA's closing remarks to the coroner spoke to the heart of the issue:

The message your office conveyed to the public is that such occurrences are mere accidents, which lulls the public into a false sense of security. In fact, this was not an accident or isolated incident, and it is important the public understands this before deciding to attend circuses that use wild animals to perform or give rides.

It's unlikely that the coroner will change his report, but there is good news. Originally, the investigation into the incident at Shrine Circus was given to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. After being contacted by  People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and Stop Animal Exploitation Now, the USDA has started their own investigation for violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

Photo credit: D'Arcy Norman