Elephant Abuse VIDEO: Hidden Camera Shows Workers Beating Circus Animal

This is truly despicable.

Animal Defenders International captured this footage of handlers at the UK's "Super Circus" repeatedly beating 58-year-old Annie, the oldest elephant in Europe. The video shows the elephant being hit with clubs and even a pitchfork.

At one point a handler even appears to stab Annie in the face with the tines.

*Scroll down to see the video for yourself.*

The video was secretly taken over the circus' winter break, according to the Daily Mail. During that time she appears to have been beaten 48 times.

Annie was chained to the spot by her legs. According to PETA, she suffers from arthritis, which is common among circus elephants.

The camera also caught footage of other animal abuses, including those against horses, camels, and miniature ponies, according to the Mail.

PETA has apparently tried to get the circus' owner, Bobby Roberts, to retire the aging elephant to a wildlife sanctuary, but he has never responded to their requests.

To see the abuse for yourself, watch the video below.

WATCH:

Comments

[Salim Haddad]

01:27 PM on 04/08/2011

this guy must of felt like a badass beating a elephant chained to the ground... unchain her and see who wins...

[zevs]

05:01 PM on 04/07/2011

Elephants abusers behind bars. Circus exploited voiceless.

[Uzziebaby]

11:05 AM on 04/07/2011

This is so disgusting. It makes me feel ashamed that these people are of the human race. You have to be seriously sadistic to do this to an animal. Period. These people should be doing serious jail time. I mean if they were beating a person like this, they would be put in a maximum security prison where most likely they would get beat down like this. So, why is it alright to beat an animal that cannot talk, who is chained and cannot move to defend itself? I think that is far more heinous. So angered and disgusted by this. I hope that they do ban animals in the circus, that is the only solution.

[WarriorLemming]

05:11 PM on 04/03/2011

I can't watch the video but I'm ready to meet that neandrathal in a one-on-one for 5-10 mins. and let him feel a pitchfork in the face! :(

Please, don't ever attend a circus because this despicable behavior is common and add to that the elephant standing on hot asphalt for hours.

[HLL]

01:06 PM on 04/03/2011

Never, ever, ever go to a circus, zoo or sea park. Animals are not here for our entertainment.

(¯`v´¯)
.`·.¸.·´  There is a happy ending for the beautiful Anne. May she be loved and spoiled rotten all the rest of her days.

Britain's last circus elephant Anne, signed up for a new life at sanctuary as diggers move in to create her home:
"Work has begun on Anne the circus elephant's new home at Longleat Safari Park.

As her owners prepared to sign her over to the care of Longleat and animals welfare groups, workmen and diggers moved in to prepare her new enclosure for her arrival...

Anne will move to her new home within a week and will have three experienced elephant keepers, as well as an elephant specialist, on hand to attend to her every need......"

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1372576/Britains-circus-elephant-Anne-signed-new-life-sanctuary-diggers-create-home.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

[WarriorLemming]

05:13 PM on 04/03/2011

Tears of joy! Thanks, HLL, for sharing that wonderful news. :)

[HLL]

05:58 PM on 04/03/2011

You're so welcome, WL. This story was heartbreaking, soul crushing and made my tears flow for days. Lordy. It still makes me cry. That dear, sweet, intelligent, beautiful creature has been in hard Circus labor all her life. I can't bear it. Happily, now, she will have some peace, quiet, love, friendship and most importantly, protection from m*dmen!! ♥ ☮

[zekleslikpaw]

01:05 PM on 04/03/2011

What's shocking is our human ignorance and arrogance towards these huge animals. In order to inject into them fear of humans (and without this fear they cannot be tamed) they are subjected to most brutal and painful beating imaginable. All of them must be 'broken', and if any one is not learning fast enough it is killed. It happens not only in circus, it happens in places like India where these animals are used for labor..

[JScott]

11:27 AM on 04/03/2011

Jeez their handlers are stupid don't they know that elephants remember and they will probably go postal on em after this kinda treatment.

[baba2nde]

02:31 PM on 04/02/2011

her lifetime care in a good home would probably cost less than 1 cruise missile, not 112 a night, a clear indictment of the conscience of the human species

[Evil Twin Rove]

01:19 PM on 04/01/2011

DO NOT ATTEND THE CIRCUS... IT IS THE ONLY WAY TO GET THIS ABUSE TO STOP... if no one goes then the circus can no longer exist and the animals are not needed


On a side note, there is a link below which shows that the story has a happy ending.. thank god

[Balzac]

04:16 AM on 04/01/2011

They clearly treat that elephant very badly.

[MANGO K]

04:14 AM on 04/03/2011

Duh?

[Balzac]

04:16 AM on 04/01/2011

Banning circus animals isn't the answer, it's a question of staffing the circus animal handlers with people who are capable yet not cruel.

[BebeLush]

02:15 PM on 04/01/2011

Uh, no. Boycotting the circus is the answer. How many times have we "trusted" human beings to do the right thing when the safety of animals are at stake?

[MaggieNYS]

07:47 PM on 04/01/2011

Sorry, that won't work. Circus elephants are cruelly confined. In the "off" season, they are kept on chains, standing on concrete, anywhere from 21 to 24 hours a day. In the traveling season, they are chained inside box cars to travel all over the country, only being let out for shows. Sometimes they are held in those boxcars for up to 78 hours straight. Breeding bulls are kept on 4 chains, standing on concrete, 24/7/365. This is abusive, no matter how well they are otherwise treated.

Not to mention, I wonder why Ringling refuses to publicize their training of baby elephants. Oh, I know why. It came out during the Ringling trial - they know the public would not stand for it.

[Siren Song]

02:16 AM on 04/01/2011

I confess I am crying too hard to formulate a coherent response to this atrocity. It shouldn't bother so deeply, as I have been involved in animal welfare work for many years and have seen everything. But this really seems to be open season on elephants week, doesn't it?

[MaggieNYS]

05:42 PM on 03/31/2011

Remember, folks, Ringling does the same thing to their eles. Transcript from the Ringling trial:

THE COURT: What amount of force is excessive, in your view?
THE WITNESS: More than is needed to have the elephant do what you're asking it to do.
THE COURT: So whatever amount of force gets the job done is appropriate, is that a fair statement?
THE WITNESS: You never --
THE COURT: Is that a fair statement?
THE WITNESS: No.
THE COURT: Well, what's wrong with that statement?
THE WITNESS: Because there's points --
THE COURT: You told me the amount of force necessary to do something, correct, to get elephant to react; is that right?
THE WITNESS: To get attention, yes.
THE COURT: So then whatever amount of force is utilized to get the elephant to perform a behavior is appropriate, is that a fair statement?
THE WITNESS: But there are sometimes where we don't--
THE COURT: Is that a fair statement?
THE WITNESS: Yes, sir, that's a fair statement.

Brian French, senior elephant handler for the Blue Unit of Ringling Bros., Trial Tr. 54:6-55:2 March 12, 2009 am.

[dayala]

03:39 PM on 03/31/2011

here's Anne's send off to her new home, there's a video of Anne's good-bye and boat-load of bananas for her to enjoy.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3501022/Sun-saves-beaten-circus-elephant.html

[feaupaw123]

07:09 PM on 03/31/2011

Thank goodness for the people who have the courage to film these things and get them to the public. If it were not for them, alot of these happenings would not get caught. Thanks for the update on Annie.

[Siren Song]

02:17 AM on 04/01/2011

Amen.

[HLL]

08:57 PM on 03/31/2011

That is such great news, dayala. My tears just won't stop flowing over this. Bless Annie. May she only know happiness and love the rest of her days ♥

[davaocityforever]

02:18 PM on 03/31/2011

I will top dollar to have 5 minutes alone with each of these parasitic subhumans.