Activists take their toll

Published 5:38 pm Wednesday, March 11, 2015

It’s startling to see that elephants will no longer be in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. We can chalk this up to a decades-long harassment campaign from radical animal-rights activists, who alleged elephant mistreatment, taking its toll.

We shouldn’t forget that activists had their day in court to prove their claims – and lost, spectacularly. A judge dismissed their case, finding that animal rights groups had covertly paid their key witness, who lied under oath, nearly $200,000.

Ringling’s parent company sued the activists for racketeering and bribery and collected $25 million in settlement money, including $6 million from the Humane Society of the United States.

It’s nice to hear, however, that the Ringling elephants will retire to a company care center in Florida that has helped breed these animals, which are endangered in the wild. Ironically, this animal care exceeds anything the always-complaining animal-rights activists provide.

– Will Coggin, director of research, Center for Consumer Freedom