HELP BAN THE USE OF CRUEL WEAPONS - BULLHOOKS - ON AMAZING, ENDANGERED AND THREATENED ELEPHANTS!
The bullhook is a device used to train and control elephants. It is also called an ankus, elephant goad, or elephant hook. The handle is made of wood, metal, or other substantial material. At one end is a sharp steel hook and poker, similar to the shape of a fireplace poker.
The bullhook is used to establish human dominance over the elephant through negative reinforcement in the form of corporal punishment. Elephants are conditioned through violent training sessions and know that refusal to obey a bullhook-wielding trainer’s commands will result in severe punishment.
No federal or state laws prohibit the use of the bullhook. Because a dispirited elephant submits to a dominant trainer toting a bullhook, circuses mislead the public with spurious claims that a bullhook is akin to a leash of a dog. If an owner of a dog were to use a bullhook to control his/her dog it would be considered animal abuse in every state.
Get the facts to help end the exploitation of elephants by educating both the public and key decision-makers about how elephants suffer under the big top, and by pushing for legislation and policy changes that help stop circus cruelty.
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