[UPDATED BELOW] The Joplin, Missouri tornado story just got a little bit more depressing. The below video shows an elephant, handled by a half dozen men or so, dragging out cars from the wreckage. According to the Atlantic Wire, the Picadilly Circus was in town for a scheduled date—when the show was canceled, the elephants were repurposed.
While some see it as a publicity stunt, one man told a local news network, "If you're unappreciative of the work and you don't work here or live here, maybe you should go somewhere else to help where you're not going to sit here and complain." But what does PETA think?? We've contacted the organization for a comment, and will update when we hear back.
UPDATE: A PETA rep tells us, "We know all too well what goes into forcing elephants to perform unnatural feats, whether doing painful and confusing tricks in the ring or being forced to haul heavy freight. The Piccadilly Circus, whose owner has been fined or barred from operating in at least six states, uses bullhooks to train its elephants―a standard for the cruel circus industry. Elephants are beaten with the bullhook (a rod with a sharp metal hook and tip on the end, resembling a fireplace poker) on the most sensitive parts of their body―on the ears, between their toes, and on their trunks―in order to force them to perform. They don't balance on their heads or haul cars without being either beaten or threatened with a beating."
