14 DAY TRIAL // Just recently, animal rights supporters working with PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) were glad to hear that the Cole Bros. Circus was fined $15,000 (€12,220) for animal cruelty.
More precisely, said circus was accused of abusing two elephants it used for its shows. According to PETA representatives, Tina and Jewel were underweight, lacked appropriate veterinary care and were often beaten by their handlers.
In order to put an end to these animals' suffering, conservationists filed a complaint with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), hoping that high officials will take immediate action and push for the reinforcement of the Animal Welfare Act, whose end goal is that of keeping animals safe from abuses.
Their complaint was given due consideration and formal charges were issued against the circus. As well as this, Tina and Jewel were confiscated. However, Cole Bros. soon got its hands on other elephants, and the abuses continued.
Once again, PETA informed authorities and the circus was brought to court under animal cruelty charges.
In order to settle these charges, Cole Bros. agreed to pay the $15,000, most likely in order to be able to carry on with its activities undisturbed.
Thus, at the beginning of August, the circus is expected to perform in Forked River and Seaside Heights.
However, PETA explains that, “We hope that the USDA's action against Cole Bros. puts all animal circuses on notice that, sooner or later, they must pay for animal abuse.”
Furthermore, the green-oriented organization asks for the public support in order to put an end to such violations of animal rights.
In an official press-release, Delcianna Winders from PETA states that, “We are appealing to parents and grandparents not to take children to animal circuses because every ticket purchased supports suffering.”
Interestingly enough, the fine that the Cole Bros. Circus was made to pay also targeted abuses committed against tigers, which apparently were also treated with cruelty when trained and made to perform.