Huntsville, AL—
The Greatest Show on Earth is fighting a legal battle of elephantine proportions over its pachyderm performers.WHNT NewsChannel 19 began tracking this story as Ringling Bros. And Barnum & Bailey Circus and the nation's leading animal welfare groups prepared to square off in federal court.
It took nine years for the plaintiffs to haul Ringling Bros. into court. The federal trial lasted six weeks. But a decision is still hanging in the balance. And that decision could change the American Institution for good.
Here's a wrap up of how the plaintiffs and the defendant feel about their case.
The Asian elephant's in the Ringling Bros. Circus are at the center of the trial.
At issue is the use of bullhooks and chains on the pachyderm performers.
The plaintiffs are The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, The Animal Welfare Institute, The Fund for Animals, The Animal Protection Institute and Tom Rider a former Ringling Bros. employee have been battling it out in court alleging Ringling Bros. Is mistreating an endangered species.
In February, Tom Rider came to the WHNT NewsChannel 19 studios for an interview before the trial began.
He told us, "If an elephant didn't do something right it would get hit with a bull hook."
He went on to say, it was an everyday occurrence, "It's what I call daily systematic abuse. And it was just constant," says Rider.
During a press teleconference call Katherine Meyer, an attorney for the plaintiffs said the evidence is overwhelming.
She says especially after present and former Ringling Bros. employees testified.
"They all tell the same story, which is the that yes, the bullhook is used on a routine basis every single day of these elephants lives to keep them under control.
To punish them when they don't do what they're told to do, to push to prod to jab to stab to strike. It's just a constant presence in their lives.
As a result these animals have lots of wounds on their body, bloody wounds on their body which we were able to show the court not only with photographic
evidence and videotape but also through the medical records that we were able to obtain in discovery in this case," Meyers replied.
In a statement issued to WHNT NewsChannel ,19 Ringling Bros. says after six weeks of trial, the evidence presented to the court demonstrates that the Ringling Bros. elephants are healthy, alert, and well-cared for.
It goes on to say, during the trial the court was presented with expert testimony showing the use of elephant husbandry tools such as guides (also known as bullhooks) are appropriate and commonly used by trained professionals.
Also at issue is the use of chains on the elephants when they're being transported from city to city on rail cars.
The plaintiffs say transportation orders from rail companies reveal a different story than what Ringling claims.
Katherine Meyer says, "Sometimes its 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 hours in a row for these animals to be chained in a dark cramped railroad car. So we had basically a lot of evidence to support both of our claims."
Ringling Bros. In its statement says the plaintiffs are making an unusual claim under the Federal Endangered Species Act, despite the fact that there is no evidence that Congress ever envisioned the statute to be used to ban elephants from circuses, zoos and other facilities.
The plaintiffs say otherwise.
"We think we put on a pretty strong case that both these practices the bullhook practice and the chain practice that we're complaining about are wounding, harming and harassing these endangered species. Obviously now it's up to the judge to see if we will prevail," says attorney Katherine Meyer.
The plaintiffs say the most surprising element of the trial was when circus CEO Kenneth Feld testified that all of his elephant handlers strike the elephants with bullhooks.
U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan will rule in this case.
A decision is expected near the end of May or the beginning of June.
If the plaintiffs prevail, Ringling Bros. will have to stop using bullhooks and chains on its elephants.
That's something Ringling says it cannot do and will mean an end to elephants in its circus.
