Elephants Who Starred with Witherspoon and Pattinson Back in the Circus

[News]

[Headline changed because original press release read: "Elephants that..."]

ADI says stars must end their silence on the abuse of animal actors

Footage released by Animal Defenders International (ADI) today shows the stars of Hollywood movies 'Water for elephants' and 'Zookeeper' back in the circus in the United States, appearing with El Zagal Shrine Circus, in Fargo, N.Dakota.

The video shows presenter Joanne Smith, a trainer with animal act supplier Have Trunk Will Travel, confirm that the two elephants giving rides and performing headstands with the circus are Tai, star of Water for Elephants and Rosie, who appeared in Zookeeper.

Jan Creamer, Chief Executive of ADI: "The links between Hollywood and the circus industry are exposed. There was no Hollywood ending for Tai and Rosie. For Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson Water for Elephants was a romantic fantasy. For Tai, it is a nightmare reality. She remains in the hands of those people caught on film beating and electric shocking her. There are no glamorous premieres for Tai, her life is one of pain and fear, inflicted by so-called trainers. It's tragic."

Watch the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqH7JGORBSg&feature=youtu.be

Water for Elephants was met with a storm of controversy last year after ADI released undercover footage of Tai being beaten and electric shocked at Have Trunk Will Travel. ADI released the footage after the film's makers, stars, American Humane, and Have Trunk Will Travel themselves, claimed the elephant had been treated with love and affection and never abused.

ADI sent copies of the video to the studio, producers, director and stars Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon. Pattinson and Witherspoon had previously issued statements expressing how much they cared for the elephant that shared the screen with them. No one replied.

Letters were also sent to the makers of Zookeeper and its star, Kevin James. No response. Jan Creamer: "At the time we genuinely believed that Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon had been duped. We sent them the video and asked them to speak out. Not a word. The abuse of performing animals in movies is not going to stop until the stars speak out."

Today, ADI have posted the latest video on the Facebook pages and Twitter feeds of Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, and Kevin James, and asking that they speak out against the abuse and support the ADI campaign. DVDs are also being mailed to the stars.

The exposé by ADI of Have Trunk Will Travel, suppliers of elephants to almost countless adverts and movies, and the recent halting of TV show Luck, following the deaths of horses, shows that animal suffering and abuse remains a serious problem in film and TV production.

The ADI video of training at Have Trunk Will Travel in Perris, California shows:
. Elephants being repeatedly electric shocked with stun guns to force them to perform tricks.
. Elephants being hooked and beaten with bullhooks.
. A baby elephant being hit, having the air supply through his trunk cut off, and even being hooked inside the mouth

Santa Ana Zoo and the Orange County Fair recently ended elephant rides using animals supplied by Have Trunk Will Travel. In the US ADI are currently urging people to contact members of Congress asking them to sign HR3359 the Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act, launched in November by award-winning TV show host Bob Barker and CSI start Jorja Fox, to restrict the use of wild animals like elephants in traveling circuses.

In the UK, the Government's consultation on the licensing of wild animals in circuses has opened, and is completely at odds with public opinion; advice of animal protection groups, a vote by MPs last year, and calls from celebrities including Sir Paul McCartney, Alexei Sayle, Brian Blessed, Meg Mathews and Ricky Gervais.

ADI has condemned the move and together with other animal groups Four Paws, Animal Aid, PETA, WSPA and the BVA (British Veterinary Association), together with MPs Mark Pritchard (Con), Caroline Lucas (Green), Jeremy Corbyn (Lab), Sir Bob Russell (Lib Dem) and Nic Dakin (Lab) we are urging the Government not to ignore the widespread public and parliamentary support for a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses.

--ENDS--

Animal Defenders International
Millbank Tower, Millbank,
London SW1P 5QP

[Kerry Baker]

Why is this still news?  It has been well known for decades that animals used in 'entertainment' are tortured to get the desired performances out of them.  That's one thing that PeTA has been quite vocal about.  For example, the orangutan who played Clyde in the Clint Eastwood movie ended up dying from a brain haemorrhage after being savagely beaten for taking some donuts from the actors canteen.  He had been trained the same way, electric shocks and an iron bar.  All apes and many other animals presumably are routinely beaten before filming starts to make them quiet.  The statements in movie credits that animals were monitored during filming is a joke, because much of the abuse happens outside of filming hours.  These stories just keep getting printed and nobody seems to do much about them.  There are alternatives and it is not necessary to use any animal in film in the 21st century.