Ringling Bros. paying big fine over animal case

Ringling Bros. paying big fine over animal case - Ringling circus paying big fine over animal case. The parent company of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus said Monday that it had agreed to settle U.S. government claims that its handlers had mistreated animals. Feld Entertainment, which for years has been criticized by animal activists for its treatment of elephants, is not admitting any wrong doing but will pay a $270,000 civil penalty, the largest ever slapped against an exhibitor under the federal Animal Welfare Act.

"This settlement sends a direct message to the public and to those who exhibit animals that USDA will take all necessary steps to protect animals regulated under the Animal Welfare Act," Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement. "The civil penalty and other stipulations in the settlement agreement will promote a better understanding of the rights and responsibilities of all exhibitors in maintaining and caring for animals under their care."

Feld also "agreed to develop and implement annual AWA compliance training for all employees who work with and handle animals, including trainers, handlers, attendants and veterinarians," the USDA statement said.

The settlement follows federal inspections over several years that found what inspectors said were violations of the law, especially when it came to how Ringling's 54 elephants were treated.

The Associated Press noted that one inspection report said a 35-year-old Asian elephant was forced to perform despite a diagnosis of sand colic and apparent abdominal discomfort. Circus officials told the inspectors that separating her from the other performing elephants would have been even more distressing to her.

Other inspection reports cited:

Splintered floors and rusted cages used to contain big cats such as tigers;

Handlers using the same wheelbarrows to feed meat to tigers and haul away their waste;

A 2008 incident where two zebras briefly got loose from their enclosure at a Baltimore arena;

A 2010 incident where another zebra escaped its enclosure in Atlanta and had to be captured by area law enforcement.

Feld stated it stands behind its staff and that it "decided it was more important to focus on the future of its business by continuing to provide the best animal care possible instead of engaging in costly and protracted litigation."

The circus has seen more inspections not only by the USDA but also by state and local regulators, noted Feld spokesman Steve Payne. From June to September, one of the circus' traveling units was inspected 82 times by 18 different agencies, he said.

"We're highly regulated. We accept that regulation. We embrace it," Payne said.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, one of the groups that has battled Ringling, took some credit for the settlement.

"PETA's complaints against Ringling Bros. with regard to crippled elephants, the death of a baby elephant, the beating of other elephants, and the killing of a lion, going back several years, have resulted in the biggest fine in circus history," spokeswoman Colleen O'Brien told msnbc.com.

Payne countered that PETA was never involved in the settlement talks or other legal action. "It's a shameless attempt to grab publicity for itself," he told msnbc.com.

PETA added that the Obama administration should crack down even harder. "The government has taken a first step," O'Brien said, "and now it must confiscate the elephants."

The USDA made no indication that it planned to do so.

In October, a federal appeals court backed Feld against animal rights groups that had sued over Ringling's treatment of elephants. The allegations included that circus staff use hooks and shock treatment to get baby elephants to learn tricks.

Feld is now countersuing, Payne said, alleging that the plaintiffs and their lawyers were in a "conspiracy to pay a witness for his testimony."

via: msn