When James Laurita opened Hope Elephants, he assured supporters that funds would be used to help Rosie and Opal, and he vowed to provide sanctuary and veterinary care to elephants who had been retired from the circus.
Sending Rosie and Opal back to the Carson & Barnes Circus compound would turn Laurita’s promise upside down. It seems like the ultimate betrayal.
Carson & Barnes has one of the ugliest histories of mistreating animals and their abuse of elephants in particular has been captured on video. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has repeatedly cited Carson & Barnes for inadequate veterinary care, which is especially concerning given Rosie’s and Opal’s special medical needs.
Rosie and Opal deserve to be sent to an accredited sanctuary where these beautiful girls would have room to roam, swim, play and socialize with other elephants. They don’t deserve to be sent back to the same miserable existence from which Laurita removed them.
Delcianna Winders, PETA Foundation, Washington, D.C.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.