PETA Offers Glendale Helping Hands to Alter Elephant Parade Float

Photo by angela n. via Flickr

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is famous to some, notorious to others, for their extremist tactics used to combat animal abuse. We enjoy reading and writing about their circus protests, disapproval of the L.A. County Fair's elephant rides and future veganism porn site. We often delight in their missions. But PETA's recent charge attacking Glendale's circus elephant-themed float is perhaps a questionable use of time and resources.

With so many living animals suffering abuse, does it make sense to focus on a parade float?

The Glendale City Council endured much scrutiny for the city's circus elephant float, which serves as Glendale's entry in 2012's Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade. The float features a carriage towed by a circus elephant. Letters from across the nation flooded City Council's inboxes, urging them to rethink their theme.

If Americans are truly outraged by the float, maybe this is a fight worthy of PETA's attention.

PETA's Senior Special Projects Coordinator and Glendale resident Alicia Woempner delivered a plea to City Councilmembers and Mayor Laura Friedman following up on the Mayor's suggestion to select a more positive theme "showing an elephant in a natural setting, with the title 'Elephant Freedom,'" according to a PETA news release. Mayor Friedman proposed the above solution after PETA's August 30 protest of the current float design.

"'Beaten, shackled, lonely, and a long way from home' is what the circus means to elephants," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "By taking the mayor's suggestion and making a few simple changes in the float design, Glendale can send the message that elephants deserve kindness and respect."

PETA's production team created two potential mockups of the Mayor's concept as a starting point. The group also offered to provide artists to help tweak the float.

Float construction is already underway, and PETA claims that the "original design structure wouldn't need to be changed, merely adapted."

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By Lauren Lloyd in News on September 6, 2011 4:30 PM

Comments [rss]

Vet Barnes

This is going overboard and it negates the impact that elephants have had on our society. There is nothing wrong with showing the past and many elephants could care less about this, but only the people who no longer put people first make a big deal out of giving human rights to animals who could care less.

imjeffro

I don't think there's any question that helping reshape an official city art piece that will be viewed by about 75 million people from an image of slavery to an image of positivity is a good use of time and resources. The Tournament of Roses should enthuse and inspire, not depress and frighten or demonstrate backward, ignorant vision. I'm thrilled that the mayor was receptive to the public's plea to change the image before it was broadcast to the world as a representation of the city's vision. Glendale is continuing to show itself to be a progressive, compassionate city.

bo_burger

Generally, PETA will come out against elephants doing "tricks." The trend in recent years, that I have noticed, has been entertainment specifically involving elephants has been going away.