Mycobacterium Tuberculosis and Ringling Brothers’ Elephants
One thing that few circus patrons worry about is exposure to mycobacterium tuberculosis from elephants at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey's Circus. At least one person at the circus has died of M-TB.
In addition to dangerous aspects of performing animal circuses from possible rampages, it has recently been proven that many circus elephants are positively infected with mycobacterium tuberculosis (often called M-TB) and it is indeed transmissible from elephant to human and vice versa. According to award-winning investigative journalist Kathy Griffith with the San Francisco Chronicle (recipient of two Edward R. Murrow Awards, nine Emmies, 37 other Emmy nominations and other numerous awards) documents exist showing that virtually all of Ringling's Asian elephants have been exposed to m-tuberculosis and dozens of them have been given the drug to treat M-TB, which is the same drug administered to humans.
The Risk of Exposure
Griffith also reports that several former high-level Ringling employees have stated many of the TB-positive elephants are the same ones who have been performing for audiences in closed arenas for the last ten years. Former Ringling Bros. Chief Financial Officer Charles Smith said, "One person at the circus died of this type of TB. Children who rode the elephants at the circus were constantly exposed to it." Another former Ringling employee stated in an affidavit, "They blow moisture from their trunks, hitting people in the face."
Hiding the Truth
Ringling offers no health disclaimer on the use of these elephants, exposes the public to M-TB and refuses to quit using the infected elephants even after positive test results. USDA investigators have introduced investigations to determine if Ringling hired a veterinarian to cover up some aspects of this and other reports including not giving elephants enough water to drink in hopes of decreasing their amount of in-performance urination.
Kenneth Feld, the sole owner of Ringling Bros., desperately wants the public to remain ignorant regarding the deaths of these elephants for which many people feel deeply. In the last few years, four baby elephants have died under the insufficient care of Ringling. Disturbingly, the infant elephants are prominently portrayed in pictorial circus brochures presently handed out today in promotion of the circus. In fact, Griffith reports, "one brochure called 'Babies, Babies, Babies' was printed after three of the babies prominently featured on the front page were already dead. All three died under controversial circumstances".
The head of Los Angeles' Public Health Department says once elephants have been exposed to M-TB they should never be allowed around the public again. But of course they are, and the reason is clear: economics. Ringling is the largest performing-animal act in the world and the circus (despite recent economic declines) takes in almost 100 million dollars a year. Feld was at one time the fourth richest man in America. In even more recent research, Griffith reports, "Every animal on the blue unit now performing in Los Angeles, then heading to San Diego and on to the San Francisco Bay area has either tested positive for tuberculosis, or has had a full blown case of M-TB." And Feld has not been forthcoming with this knowledge of the human contagious disease carried by his elephants. Currently, Ringling's herds are being decimated by M-TB and documents indicate Feld knew of this from as early as 1993. However, Griffith reports "The diseased animals would still be a secret except for health records Ringling was forced to release in discovery after a Federal judge threatened to throw Kenneth Feld in jail if he did not turn the records over."
The Ringling Bros. Trial
Feld is not currently charged with knowingly exposing the public to a very serious and deadly disease for the sake of profit, though perhaps he should be. In fact, Feld has hired a top notch batch of elite lawyers who have been putting off a large case against him for violating the Endangered Species Act for years. Finally, a bold judge has ruled the case will proceed. On February 4, 2009, in Washington D.C., the trial against Feld and his subsidiaries finally began and they will hopefully face the music. They have kept the public in the dark regarding animal abuse and human health risks all for the sake of an economic empire. And lawsuits keep coming in. Feld is also currently involved in a bitter lawsuit in which he is charged with attempting to ruin a freelance reporter's life for attempting to expose the very nefarious and checkered past of his family and their circus.
But times may indeed be changing. As public consciousness increases and concern for the elephants grow, the economic value of forcing elephants to perform will wane.
