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Editor,
The recent killing of a whale trainer by a killer whale opens our eyes to the fact that wild animals should not be held in captivity, whether a whale in sea world, lions in side shows, tigers in carnival shows or elephants in circuses.
Ray Ryan, a former elephant trainer at San Diego Wild Animal park revealed, “There are two different ways to train elephants, you can starve them or you can beat them. You either starve them to the point where they are so weak, they will do what you say because they are working for food. “
According to Ryan, “Trainers use sharp metal bullhooks, whips, and shocks to get the animal to do those tricks. Trainers chain them up on four chains, and stretch them out and beat them, almost to the point where they die, and then they start rewarding them with some food, and they get them to train. And if they don’t do it, they get beaten.”
When circuses or animal shows come to town, patronize those that don’t use animals.
For more information go to peta.org/circus.
Silvie Pomicter
Chinchilla