Petition: Demand Elephants Not Be Forced to Pull People Around on Sleds!

Many people go to circuses for a few hours of fun and entertainment. There, they have the opportunity to marvel at tricks and acts that are unlike anything they could witness in daily life. However, circuses are anything but enjoyable for the animals that are involved.

Circus animals suffer horrible abuse at the hands of their trainers. Baby elephants are taken from their mothers and spend most of their time chained up, so they lose all of their natural instincts and are “broken.” Then, trainers use bullhooks, ropes, electric prods, and fireplace pokers to force the elephants to bow, lie down on command, and balance on their hind legs. They even use starvation and dehydration to keep the animals submissive.

At Reutlinger Weihnachtscircus, a circus in Germany, the treatment of elephants is no different. This video from the circus shows an elephant that is forced to pull humans around in sleds. The man at the front holds a rod, which is one of the tools that is used in breaking an elephant’s spirit so that it submits to humans.

Circus animals suffer debilitating health issues and have shorter lifespans as a result of their training and unnatural life at the circus. Countless videos have shown not only cases of abuse, such as that at Reutlinger Weihnachtscircus, but also the disturbing effects of abuse on elephants’ mental and physical health.

Sign this petition to demand that this circus close down and surrender their elephants to a sanctuary so that the elephants can live out the rest of their lives in peace.

To continue speaking up, sign these other petitions as well:

• Ban Ownership of Elephants in Sri Lanka and Send Captive Elephants to Sanctuaries
• Justice for Kanakota. The Elephant That Was Worked to Death.
• Help The Abused Elephant at The Bellanwila Temple in Sri Lanka
• Save Elephants from Cruel and Exploitative Guruvayur Temple!

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