It has come to my attention that a facility in Hope, Me is going to be taking in two retired circus elephants, (Rosie and Opal) both with crippling health problems. The facility, again in MAINE, you know where it is freezing cold for about six months of the year, was not even large enough to house one elephant much less two; one barn of average size (1200sq ft) and one acre of land.

The gentleman that is the head of this project, Jim Laurita is a veterinarian who as a young man apparently worked with one of these elephants while in the employ of the circus. He says his motivation is to develop new therapies that will help to alleviate the arthritis from which these two animals suffer; arthritis caused by captivity in inappropriate conditions.

The two elephants now reside at the Carson and Barnes Circus facility Endangered Ark Foundation for retired elephants in OK. Mr Laurita will have an agreement with the circus to house and care for the animals as the circus will not release them. He will be, in effect experimenting on them with his as yet untried therapies. They will by necessity be confined to the small barn for a long periods of time every year and even in good weather will not have an outside area large enough for them.

Another concern is that there are no properly trained elephant handlers at the facility. It will be staffed my Mr and Mrs Laurita and volunteers.

I would urge you to contact the USDA and the State of Maine to please revoke the approval of this facility before the animals are further traumatized by being taken away from their "herd", home and people they know by moving them to what will be in truth a prison.

I cannot begin to understand why approval was ever granted in the first place. There is absolutely nothing that should have qualified this facility other than perhaps Mr Laurita's alleged good intention.