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HBO: An Apology to Elephants: Synopsis
HBO: Documentaries | An Apology to Elephants | Home
I'm very happy to see this documentary on HBO. What we do to elephants in captivity is nothing short of obscene.
The first time I learned that all captive elephants are beaten was when I heard of the Dunda case at the San Diego Zoo in the late 80s. Until then, the routine beating of elephants was unknown, a very well kept secret. They are tied down and beaten, around the clock, usually for four days. Each worker will start with a new axe handle type club and just keep hitting over and over and over until that club breaks or the worker is exhausted. Then the next shift starts and the beating will continue. Non-stop, around the clock, for four days. Because they are not allowed to rest, eat drink or even to stand during the beating, they are brought very close to death. They usually suffer chronic physiological problems for the rest of their lives - kidney damage, among other things. I've read that some beatings these days are "only" for three days because many elephants have actually died of the beatings and that's expensive for the zoo or circus.
A recent issue of National Geographic showed photos of the very same kind of beatings done in Thailand on elephants that are used for work and/or street entertainment. Baby elephants, tied to trees in such a way that they can't move and then beaten and beaten and beaten.
All elephants that are ridden get even worse beatings. Their spirit must be more than broken. The animal's spirit must be shattered and they must live in fear of pain. Even if they are not beaten after the initial beating, they are continuously hit, poked, jabbed in their most tender areas. A favorite is to use the sharp point of the bull hook to jab the anus. There is never a time, never even a single moment in a captive elephant's life when they are not in fear of being struck by the sharp bull hook and/or shocked with a cattle prod.
There are many videos on line of various "training" techniques. They're all very hard to watch but if it helps to make us aware of how horribly these magnificent animals are treated, I hope everyone sees them.
There's a compete different kind of "training" that is used on babies that have been taken fro their mothers, who are usually shot in the wild.
Zoos and circuses are incredibly cruel. There have been so many incidents of elephants going quite literally insane and going on a killing rampage. If they are killed as a result, at least they are finally at peace. Please boycott circuses and zoos. It really is the least we can do for the animals.
There are a very few exceptions, like the Oakland Zoo but its very rare that the animals are kept on a surface that does not cause painful crippling. They are also kept chained for as much as 19 hours a day. That results in insanity, constant rocking back and forth that does not end, even when they are placed in a sanctuary and no longer chained.
A couple of book titles if you're interested -
Elephants on the Edge, Bradshaw. There is a chapter in which a man who participated in these beatings talks about his feelings. The whole description of what he did and the reaction he, and his fellow workers had about it is nothing short of heart breaking.
When Elephants Weep, Masson, which is about the emotional lives of all animals
What is the problem with the elephant in the room?
The room.
HBO: Documentaries | An Apology to Elephants | Home
I'm very happy to see this documentary on HBO. What we do to elephants in captivity is nothing short of obscene.
The first time I learned that all captive elephants are beaten was when I heard of the Dunda case at the San Diego Zoo in the late 80s. Until then, the routine beating of elephants was unknown, a very well kept secret. They are tied down and beaten, around the clock, usually for four days. Each worker will start with a new axe handle type club and just keep hitting over and over and over until that club breaks or the worker is exhausted. Then the next shift starts and the beating will continue. Non-stop, around the clock, for four days. Because they are not allowed to rest, eat drink or even to stand during the beating, they are brought very close to death. They usually suffer chronic physiological problems for the rest of their lives - kidney damage, among other things. I've read that some beatings these days are "only" for three days because many elephants have actually died of the beatings and that's expensive for the zoo or circus.
A recent issue of National Geographic showed photos of the very same kind of beatings done in Thailand on elephants that are used for work and/or street entertainment. Baby elephants, tied to trees in such a way that they can't move and then beaten and beaten and beaten.
All elephants that are ridden get even worse beatings. Their spirit must be more than broken. The animal's spirit must be shattered and they must live in fear of pain. Even if they are not beaten after the initial beating, they are continuously hit, poked, jabbed in their most tender areas. A favorite is to use the sharp point of the bull hook to jab the anus. There is never a time, never even a single moment in a captive elephant's life when they are not in fear of being struck by the sharp bull hook and/or shocked with a cattle prod.
There are many videos on line of various "training" techniques. They're all very hard to watch but if it helps to make us aware of how horribly these magnificent animals are treated, I hope everyone sees them.
There's a compete different kind of "training" that is used on babies that have been taken fro their mothers, who are usually shot in the wild.
Zoos and circuses are incredibly cruel. There have been so many incidents of elephants going quite literally insane and going on a killing rampage. If they are killed as a result, at least they are finally at peace. Please boycott circuses and zoos. It really is the least we can do for the animals.
There are a very few exceptions, like the Oakland Zoo but its very rare that the animals are kept on a surface that does not cause painful crippling. They are also kept chained for as much as 19 hours a day. That results in insanity, constant rocking back and forth that does not end, even when they are placed in a sanctuary and no longer chained.
A couple of book titles if you're interested -
Elephants on the Edge, Bradshaw. There is a chapter in which a man who participated in these beatings talks about his feelings. The whole description of what he did and the reaction he, and his fellow workers had about it is nothing short of heart breaking.
When Elephants Weep, Masson, which is about the emotional lives of all animals
What is the problem with the elephant in the room?
The room.
