PEORIA -- A trio of advocates for animals was harassed then kicked out of the Heart of Illinois Fair on Saturday, July 12 for videotaping and photographing tigers and elephants confined in small cages.
Two elephants "were confined under an awning secured by a small mobile home," and five "large big cats" were "in a mobile holding cage," advocate Dorris Muller wrote.
They were scheduled to perform at certain times, and a sign states elephant rides were available.
In the photo below, a tiger is visible in the small cage while a couple and a child listen to someone's pitch about the show.
In her account of the incident, Muller wrote that the exhibitors harassed one of their group taping the animals and called security. "Security called the (Peoria) police who ushered us off the fair grounds. One of the police officers "was appropriate in his actions and duty," but the other "threatened (one of the group) with arrest because she was videotaping."
When the animal advocates "told the officer he did not have the right to intimidate her with such a threat" he backed down. No names were taken and nobody was arrested.
Photosof the exhibit show how the animals are being exploited for money. The elephant below did not voluntarily stand on that platform. In fact, it could be called animal torture.
An advocate reported seeing an elephant "eat a plastic bag and also try desperately to eat a plastic flower. Very sad. The elephant on the platform did a lot of swaying when it went under a small awning for shade."
What on earth is the Heart of Illinois Fair Board thinking to allow such a sorry exhibit?
It sends terrible messages to the public, namely that exploitation, even torture of animals is OK.
And why would these animal advocates be evicted from the fair for videotaping and photographing this exhibit? Are other people who are not animal advocates being evicted for videotaping and photographing?
And what of the elephant rides? Elephants elsewhere have been known to go nuts when performing. Peoria does not allow public contact with dangerous animals, but are elephants not in that category?
This stinks, and I don't mean the animals and their advocates!
-- Elaine Hopkins
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