Do Now:

How would you rank elephants against other animals in terms of intelligence?

Here’s the answer…

According to Jane Goodall, elephants are the third on the list. Why?  Elephants can communicate over great distances using low frequencies only their particular heads can produce. There is a saying that “Elephants Never Forget,” and they have been proven to have a very good memory, which is why they can perform tasks not suited for their bulky bodies.  These animals even have death rituals, where they grieve over their dead companions, showing a surprising amount of empathy for a non-human animal.

http://www.wisegeek.org/what-are-the-smartest-animals.htm

What are the complaints of animal cruelty based on?

·         Physical punishment is a standard training method for animals in circuses. Elephants are sometimes beaten, shocked, and whipped in order for them to perform the routines of circus performances.

·         The Animal Welfare Act (AWA) does not prohibit the use of bullhooks, whips, electrical shock prods, or other such training devices.

·         The elephants are beaten by several people for up to fifteen minutes at a time with bull-hooks. Their skin being as sensitive as a humans', this is viewed as torture by animal rights’ groups.

Now watch the video (GRAPHIC content)

https://archive.org/details/CircusAbuseElephantTraining

What can you do? 

http://www.nyclass.org/tell_groupon_no_more_coupons_for_cruelty?utm_campaign=03_23_15_circ1&utm_medium=email&utm_source=nyclass

Elephants, especially Asian elephants are endangered, with only approximately 30,000 left in the entire world.

For further study…

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-science-is-in-elephants-are-even-smarter-than-we-realized-video/?bcsi-ac-6c2eca9a7b487eec=241BA5C100000005LESVg5bMbXnwxOwdpQ9Qr1ziAbIPAAAABQAAAL5lDQDAqAAAAAAAAGI6AAA=

http://science.time.com/2013/10/10/brainy-elephants-one-more-way-theyre-as-smart-as-humans/

Reflection-as a group…

Even if this were not an animal rights issues, is it wise to take a very powerful and intelligent animal and subject it to abuse, confinement, and boredom?  What could be the consequences? 

   What if they just get fed up?