Dear Editor,
World Elephant Day is August 12, and it should stand as a call to give these animals our attention and our action.
Thanks to decades of field research, we know that elephants are keenly intelligent. A herd’s matriarch has learned safe routes and reliable water sources—knowledge that has been passed down for thousands of years. As Ingrid Newkirk points out in her book, Animalkind, elephants will help baby elephants escape from muddy holes, navigate swamps, and avoid electrified fences. They’ve been seen removing tranquilizer darts from downed friends and spreading dust on their wounds to protect against flies.
In roadside zoos and circuses, these complex and multifaceted emotional relationships are left in tatters. Many captive elephants spend their days swaying like mindless automatons to try to cope with the stress and die decades short of their expected lifespans.
There is no better way to honor these remarkable animals than by helping to end the cruelty that robs them of everything that makes them who they are.
Jennifer O’Connor
PETA Foundation
