This past weekend I went to the Maryland Renaissance Festival in Crownsville, MD. It was a beautiful day...temp in the upper 60's, sunny with a cool breeze. Perfect. At least until I went to see the elephant ride exhibit. There, in a small corral, I saw two female elephants--"Essex" and "Sussex," aged 55 and 35 respectively. These poor animals, old and weary-looking, were forced to give rides to people, repeatedly moving in a tight, counter-clockwise circle, prodded by a metal bullhook for over eight mind-numbing hours. It was pathetic and depressing.
As an animal advocate I deplore the use of wild animals for peoples' entertainment. What's so entertaining about seeing such majestic creatures forced to perform? These huge, intelligent beasts are often plucked from the wild while still babies under their mothers' care, sold to circuses and forced to perform tricks and routines that are anything but normal elephant behavior. They spend the rest of their lives chained and confined, wedged into tight railroad boxcars or trucks, treated like nothing more than a commodity, and are often given sub-standard veterinary care, if at all. TB, foot rot and PTSD are huge problems for captive elephants. Yes, they suffer, and when one of them goes rogue, well the consensus is, it must just be a bad elephant. Does anybody ever consider that anger, trauma and depression have taken their toll? When will people learn? When will they appreciate the natural beauty of the world they inhabit, and respect all of life? When will they become proper stewards??
All living things are connected...ALL. Every single one of us is connected to the other, and that includes the animals. They, too, have spirits and are loved just as dearly by their creator as we are. What affects one of us affects ALL of us. Good or bad, kind or cruel. I wonder what it will take to open the eyes of those who believe that somehow we're smarter than the animals, that we have a right to exploit other creatures for our own purposes. For anyone who believes that, I ask you this: if you can name another creature on this planet that chooses to abuse another species for their own selfish gains do let me know...I have a bridge to sell you.
God bless Essex and Sussex...
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