The nominally sane American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals demonstrated ponderously poor judgement a dozen years ago, when it joined with the known animal "rights" nuts in a lawsuit against Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus, alleging elephant abuse (among other things). For twelve long years - although ASPCA has largely remained silent - the nutjobs at Humane Society of the United States, the Fund for Animals, Animal Welfare Institute, Animal Protection Institute United with Born Free USA, and half a dozen other whackos have been peddling their allegations, complete with faked videos, to gullible nutballs around the country.
In addition to pleading for donations to fatten their administrators' bank accounts, they urged the gullible to "act locally" - with predictable results. Even in relatively remote Clatsop County, Oregon, local nutballs there pushed for a County-wide ban on exhibition of elephants and an assortment of other favored species, citing the talking points derived from the litigants' organizations. Those efforts crashed and burned, as well they should have.
It has been my experience, in talking with some of the self-styled "elephant watchers" - who actually have an informal gossip network along the Oregon coast - that facts are irrelevant to them. They're True Believers in the Gospel according to HSUS, or PEtA, or whomever, and nothing will change that.
Even this news will not:
Courts later found that the animal rights activists had paid a former Ringling barn helper involved in the lawsuit at least $190,000, making him "essentially a paid plaintiff" who lacked credibility.
Two courts agreed the former barn helper, Tom Rider, wasn't credible and didn't have a right to sue.
Five years ago, Feld Entertainment, which owns RBB&B among other properties, sued them all right back - including Rider and the various lawyers involved - alleging racketeering, collusion, and litigative abuse, among other charges. Twelve years after first siding with the nutballs, ASPCA has now bailed; noting in their press release that
this litigation has stopped being about the elephants a long time ago. After more than a decade of litigating with Feld Entertainment, the ASPCA concluded that it is in the best interests of the organization to resolve this expensive, protracted litigation.
Well, that's one way to spin it. Curiously, they don't mention that in addition to costs of litigation, ASPCA, while admitting no wrongdoing, nonetheless paid heavily - and it's cash that could have gone toward their avowed purpose for existence. As Feld put it:
VIENNA, Va., Dec. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Feld Entertainment, Inc., the producer of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Circus, announced today that the company has reached a legal settlement with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) in connection with two federal court cases. Under the settlement, ASPCA has paid Feld Entertainment $9.3 million to settle all claims related to its part in more than a decade of manufactured litigation that attempted to outlaw elephants in the company's Ringling Bros.® Circus.
$9.3 million equals one huge nut-cracker. HSUS, Rider, the various lawyers, and the remaining eleven organizations remain vulnerable under claims associated with Feld's RICO suit.
"These defendants attempted to destroy our family-owned business with a hired plaintiff who made statements that the court did not believe. Animal activists have been attacking our family, our company, and our employees for decades because they oppose animals in circuses. This settlement is a vindication not just for the company but also for the dedicated men and women who spend their lives working and caring for all the animals with Ringling Bros. in the face of such targeted, malicious rhetoric," said Kenneth Feld, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Feld Entertainment.
For many years, I've warned against taking these animal "rights activists" seriously; noting that in addition to manufacturing "evidence", their allegations are inarguably false, and in fact contrary to all common sense: when ones' livelihood depends upon animals, what benefit would be derived from mistreating them?
So-called "activists" claim that the elephants are "beaten into submission" and "made to perform tricks". Stop for a moment and consider: there are exactly two things that you can "make" an elephant do. You can make them get away, or you can make them kill you. With psychology and training, you can get them to do many things that are within their physical capabilities. It's done by capturing and extending normal behavior.
As for "beating them into submission": see above, on what you can make an elephant do.
The settlement with ASPCA was announced yesterday; it will be interesting to see how the remaining litigants react.
