Dear Friend,
Thank you once again for adding your name to the effort to free Betty the elephant from circus life.
Last week, CompassionWorks International filed a formal complaint with the USDA on behalf of Betty and her male companion, Bo, for numerous issues that we believe violate the federal Animal Welfare Act, including failing to provide adequate veterinary care and adequate space, and to demonstrate adequate awareness of how to properly handle elephants.
Are you fed up with the USDA ignoring our petitions and our complaints? We are too! We need your help to shine a light on the cruel conditions that elephants suffer in circus life and to let the USDA know that we expect them to protect animals from harm.
Please contact Dr. Robert Gibbens, Director of Animal Welfare Operations in the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) agency.
You can reach Dr. Gibbens by calling (970) 494-7478 or by email at: robert.m.gibbens@aphis.usda.gov.
Here is some suggested text for your email:
"I write to you with concern for elephants Betty and Bo, currently traveling with Garden Bros Circus and handled by owner Larry Carden, and ask you to review the complaint recently submitted to APHIS by CompassionWorks International.
Betty appears to be compromised. She is exhibiting significant gait issues and chronically drags her trunk along the ground as she moves.
Bo has also been traveling with Garden Bros, but is frequently left out of performance without explanation. He is being kept in chains without the ability to get any measure of needed exercise on days he is not performing.
How many elephants need to die before the USDA prohibits the use of elephants in circuses? Or, at a minimum, requires appropriate and independent health checks, and refuses to re-permit license holders who have numerous AWA violations?
Thank you for your immediate attention to Betty and Bo, whose address of permanent residence is under your jurisdiction."
Please be polite, respectful, factual, and brief in your communication, while letting Dr. Gibbens know that you expect the USDA to do their job and immediately remove Betty and Bo from performing or giving rides until which time they have been carefully examined by an independent veterinarian qualified to assess elephant health and well-being.
Elephants deserve better than circus life. They should not need to endure endless suffering until their death, as elephants Jenny, who was also owned by the Carden family as Betty and Bo are, and Anna Louise both did.
On behalf of all of us at CompassionWorks International and the animals, like Betty and Bo, who we fight for, we thank you for standing with us and being a voice against animal cruelty.
For the animals,
Carrie LeBlanc, M.A.
Executive Director
P.s. In addition to our petition, our call-in campaign, the protests we are supporting with our resources, our social media outreach efforts, and the video footage we are collecting at each performance, we have also mounted an extensive public relations campaign aimed at getting more media attention to Betty and Bo's plight. PR is expensive! So we could truly use your support. Donations of any amount are gratefully accepted at cwint.org/donate.