Elephants are beautiful wild animals that many humans adore. We go to zoo’s [zoos] and circuses to admire the huge graceful animals. While admiring these animals[,] the public is [we are] not told of the severe torture that elephants are put through in capturing them from the wild and when training them for captivity. For my essay, I will research different ways elephants are abused and tortured, something circus and zoo owners try to keep hidden from the public. While doing this I will unveil how detrimental this abuse is to the elephant wildlife, inching them closer [and closer to being extinct] [to extinction]. It is [an] extremely counterintuitive [topic] that we adore and admire the beauty of this endangered animal, but continue to support the abuse by going to circus shows or the zoo.

1. Ringling Bros. – Elephant Child Abusers — Breaking a Baby Elephant

Background: This video is broken down into the different steps it takes to captivate an elephant and turn it into a domestic animal for the pure benefit of the entertainment business. The first step includes acquiring a baby elephant, which is done by importing asian elephants by [bounding] [binding] their legs together. Now that the Endangered Species Act has been passed[,] Ringling Bros has [their] [its] own farm to breed elephants in Florida. [The] second step is to take the babies from the mothers immediately after birth. They “break” [wild] elephants [because they are wild] and [need to be tamed] [tame them] for the circus. The third step is to tie up all four legs of the baby elephant and keep it isolated for 23 hours a day. Step four is teaching the elephant circus tricks using ropes, bull hooks, and electronic prods.

How I Plan On Using It: The circus is a place that most associate with happiness and fun entertainment. Few [of us] [people] know what the process of training the elephants is like and it is hidden [for the sole reason being people will frown upon it] [because it is disgraceful]. I will use this source to expose the Ringling Bros. [circus] for [its] [how they treat and train their] [disgraceful treatment of] elephants.

2. Elephant Tusks

Background: This article explains what elephant tusks are, why they are so crucial to the [elephants] [elephants’] lives, and why and how people are retrieving these tusks. Elephants use their tusks to protect themselves[,] [;] without them their lives are at risk from [other] predators such as lions and tigers. Their tusks are the main reason elephants are being heavily hunted[,] [;] they are used for pianos, billiard balls and sometimes for pride of [possessing them] [possession].

Use It: I will use this specific source as [another view on how] [evidence that] elephants are being abused and hunted. Without their tusks[,] it is difficult for elephants to survive, [in the end creating a more immense] [further endangering an already] endangered species.

3. 6 Ways To Help Elephants

Background: This [cite] [source] provides six easy ways [that] humans can [do to help] protect and save elephants from extinction. [Some] [They] include avoiding circuses and zoos, [and] being aware of where [your] [our] coffee is from because some plantations destroy elephant’s habitat.

Use It: This source will be an excellent way to provide diversity to my paper. It gives hope and allows the reader to see a solution for the argument being posted.

4. Get Elephants Out of Zoos

Background: [Elephant’s] [Elephants’] living conditions in zoos are much more condensed [then] [than] [they are used to living] in the wild. [It talks about the pitiful standards that zoos need to keep][Living standards for] an elephant[,] such as 20 feet by 20 feet of space [for an elephant] [per animal], [are pitiful]. This eliminates the elephant’s nature to roam and walk freely as it does in the wild. It also exposes the forceful way [elephants are bred] [zoos breed elephants,] mostly through artificial insemination, knowing that most [of the outcomes are] [pregnancies will end in] miscarriages or dead baby elephants. Overall, it exposes all the hideous truths [that go into] [about] keeping an elephant at a zoo.

Use It: [Other than] [In addition to] circuses, zoos are also guilty [when it comes to] [of] mistreating their elephants. [Using] This [cite] [source] strengthens my argument [of abusive tendencies towards elephants] [that elephants are abused], [while providing a variety of places] [and identifies where] they get abused.

5. Cruelest Show on Earth

Background: The article revolves around a [young three year old] [three-year-old] elephant named Kenny[. Kenny], [who] became very sick during a show on tour. Sickly elephants require prompt medical care to [make sure that they are able to preform to the best of their abilities][insure their best performance]. [What seems like a safe and intelligent precaution is where it goes south. Kenny was observed and the veterinarian recommended that Kenny skip the evening show that night.] Ringling Bros ignored [this request] [a reasonable suggestion by the veterinarian that Kenny skip one show], and forced Kenny to [preform] [perform] even though he was deathly sick and incredibly [week] [weak]. That night Kenny died [as he was] shackled [to] [in] his suffocatingly small pen.

Use It: This shows the carelessness of the elephant trainers and circus workers. This article provides a story of a specific elephant Kenny which gives a more personal [connect] [connection] with readers and provokes a stronger reaction.

6. Ringling Bros. Eliminating Elephant Acts

Background: Ringling Bros. are phasing out elephants from their acts by 2018. The elephants that are in their shows will be sent to the Center for Elephant Conservation after they are eliminated from the acts.

Use It: This proves that the elephants are being mistreated and that [they] [Ringling Bros.] are finally acknowledging the misuse. For a long time they ignored or hid the fact that they mistreated the elephants and this is proof that they now recognize their wrong doings.

7. Poachers Target African Elephant for Ivory Tusks

Background: This article goes into depth about the rising crisis of ivory smuggling in the past few years. Several tons of ivory tusks are being smuggled and sold[,] [;] poachers do this to make a profit because ivory is rare and pricey. It also discusses that the poachers are killing elephants at “massacre sites” and [only taking] [taking only] their tusks, no meat from the elephant.

Use It: This article strengthens my first source on elephant tusks and provides a more detailed depiction of the actual tons of ivory that [is] [are] being smuggled. This also backs up my argument on elephant abuse because it talks about poachers killing elephants solely for their tusks.

8. Elephant Abuse

Background: It talks about how in most zoos throughout the country elephants are chained up in a confined area and beaten. They explain the reason most zoos beat the elephants is to “keep the elephants in check” and to show that the elephant handler is dominant over the huge animal. This source offers a different perspective because it explains how the Oakland Zoo uses positive reinforcement like treats to train their elephants without abuse, and they also give the animals plenty of space to roam.

Use It: This goes along with my argument [and how] [that] training elephants is more like torturing them, and that there has to be [another way to get the point across] [a better method]. The Oakland Zoo [gives that option of] [uses] positive reinforcement and [treating] [treats] elephants correctly, and still [getting] [gets] them to do what trainers want them to do.

9. Elephant Abuse at Zoo Leads to Lawsuit

Background: This source is about a lawsuit that was filed against Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington. It explains the harsh [realities of][treatment] elephants [go through when living][suffer] in zoos, [including] [The elephants suffer from] chronic pains in their feet and joints from standing on hard cement surfaces all day long. They are also ripped from their mothers and [artificial] [artificially] inseminated multiple times even though most [pregnancies] end [up] in miscarriages.

Use It: I will use this source to shine light on the abuse that goes on in zoos as well as circuses. It provides the proof that zoo owners do not want the public to know about elephants in zoos.

10. The Death of Stony the Elephant

Background: Stony was a circus elephant who was practicing standing on his two hind legs when his hamstring exploded. Stony was then brought to quarters where he was kept laying in his own waste unable to move a whole lot. He then died before they could send him off to an elephant breeding facility

Use It: This is another instance that [makes] [strengthens] my case about elephant abuse in circuses [stronger]. It also shows the [lack of attention designated to elephants that are injured] [neglect of injured elephants], and the strong need to breed as many elephants as possible. [That is shown by wanted to send] [It tells the story of a zoo that sent] an [mobile] [immobile,] injured elephant to [an elephant] [a] breeding farm.