Elephants wash up at Staples Center

Staples Center is used to hosting a media circus, but sometimes they get the real thing.

A few weeks after the Lakers parade came an elephant parade, which happened to be a few hours before Michael Jackson's memorial service. The pachyderms have been there ever since and will be entertaining Southland crowds until August 2 as part of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey.

Emily Nerland and Michelle Phalen caught up with the show's eleven Asian elephants this week, lending a hand during bath time.

Elephant treatment has been a hot-button topic on LAist before. We only spent about an hour with these beautiful animals, but they certainly seemed to be enjoying themselves and well cared for. Since the circus is a traveling show, it means that the elephants live with their trainers full-time and there's a strong bond between them.

Some protesters did come out to Staples this week, but none we spoke with could provide much insight. Ringling Bros. has recently come under fire from groups like PETA, but maintains that they have never been found in violation of the federal Animal Welfare Act. They also claim to spend over $60,000 per year on each of their 54 elephants. Add it up -- that ain't peanuts.