Fw: DawnWatch: Dying Ringling Elephant Trainer blows whistle -- Washington Post 12/16/09

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Thursday, December 17, 2009 5:19 AM

DawnWatch: Dying Ringling Elephant Trainer blows whistle -- Washington Post 12/16/09

The Wednesday December 16 Washington Post has an article by David Montgomery titled, "PETA, Ringling Bros. at odds over the treatment of baby circus elephants." (Page C1.) The article shares shocking information given to PETA by a Ringling Brothers elephant trainer shortly before he died, and is accompanied by disturbing photos. We learn that the trainers' wife had, on her deathbed, asked the trainer to do the right thing by the elephants. Just months before he died, two years later, the trainer got in touch with PETA and shared his photos and stories. PETA shared the photos and a taped interview of the trainer with the Washington Post, as well as with the USDA.You'll find the full article on line at http://tinyurl.com/ych7lny and photos of baby elephants being separated by their mothers and trained using ropes and sharp bullhooks at http://tinyurl.com/y8rgt7qPlease check it all out, and forward the story to all of your friends. (Click on "email" in the Toolbox.) You'll be spreading the word about the circus and also be letting the Washington Post know that these stories matter to readers, as the paper takes note of which stories get the most clicks and forwards. Finally, please help keep the story alive in the paper by sending a letter to the editor appreciative of the coverage and against the use of captive wild animals for human entertainment. The Washington Post takes letters at lettersAlways include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a letter to the editor. Remember that shorter letters are more likely to be published. Yours and the animals',Karen Dawn(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line.)Please go to www.ThankingtheMonkey.com for a fun celeb-studded promo video and information on Karen Dawn's book, "Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way we Treat Animals," which was chosen last year by the Washington Post as one of the "Best Books of The Year" And check out Karen's new blog at www.ThankingtheMonkey.com/blog !-------Wed Dec 16 19:56:04 2009