OK, this is where this all started:

A hearing was held at the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife in Frankfort on whether or not new regulations should be passed allowing elephant rides in the Commonwealth. 

Both sides spoke at Tuesday’s hearing on the proposed regulation change that would allow elephant rides as part of a circus or other entertainment.

This struck me as a peculiar story because:

elephant ride

We had ridden an elephant at a circus ride a couple of years ago.

Both sides made compelling arguments:

Those who were against the change said elephants kept in captivity are bound to be aggressive at some point. While others who support the idea say dangerous incidents like the one in 1994 at the Louisville Zoological Gardens where a man suffered injuries  after an elephant picked him up and dropped him several times-rarely happens.

My first thought was, “Hmmm, if it hasn’t happened since 1994, then it must be kinda rare?”.  Not so says Carol Buckley:

However animal activists, like Carol Buckley with Elephant Aid International, argue that not all aggressive elephant behavior is tracked.

The reason we don’t hear about people being flung around helplessly by large aggressive elephants in Kentucky is not because it doesn’t happen, it’s because of a CONSPIRACY.  When people were getting injured by raging elephants, apparently they were telling hospitals and insurance companies they were playing with much more docile tame animals, like their pet horse or very large passive dog.  The injuries would be similar wouldn’t ya think?

In the meantime, this kept happening all over the place:

elephant ride

Even international outfits jumped into the fray:

Five years ago elephant rides were banned from circuses and fairs in Kentucky, but now the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources is considering bringing them back.

Personally, I think it would make much more sense, even for the elephant huggers, to educate young children about these animals so that they can feel compelled to protect them.  Reading about animals in books just doesn’t have the same impact as touching them.  In the meantime, compel Fish and Wildlife to monitor these circuses, zoos, and petting zoos to make sure they are treating these animals in as humane a way as possible.  If they simply eliminate all need and exposure to these animals, there will be no emotional bond for the next generations to feel compelled to protect them.

<a href="http://www.sodahead.com/united-states/should-elephant-rides-be-legal/question-2312425/" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.sodahead.com']);" title="Should elephant rides be legal?">Should elephant rides be legal?</a>

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