SAN JOSE, Calif., Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Attorneys in San Jose went through a full day of jury selection Tuesday as the trial of a circus elephant trainer charged with abusing one of his animals began.
Mark Gebel of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus faces a misdemeanor charge of elephant abuse that, under a unique California law, could land him in jail for six months.
A parade of potential jurors was questioned Tuesday and the process was to continue Wednesday.
Gebel allegedly smacked a 33-year-old female elephant named Asia with an ankus, a wooden stick with a small hook on the end used as a training tool, hard enough to draw blood during a performance in San Jose on Aug. 25. The alleged incident was witnessed and reported to Santa Clara County authorities by members of the Humane Society of the United States.
The circus has downplayed the severity of the alleged beating, but a Santa Clara County judge Monday refused to dismiss the case.
Although Gebel faces only a misdemeanor, the case is being closely watched by animal rights activists who see it as a test of California's elephant cruelty statute, the only such law in the nation.
"While the inhumane treatment of elephants has often been documented in circuses and zoos around the world, such treatment has rarely been scrutinized in a court of law," said Humane Society spokesman Richard Farinato. "Now, a trainer associated with a circus is on trial for his handling of these animals."
Ringling Brothers has maintained that its employees take excellent care of their animals despite the contentions of animal rights activists.
"The animal care experts at Ringling Bros. care directly for 200 animals daily, and all animal training and handling at Ringling Bros. is based on constant contact between humans and animals, consistent routines and nurturing which reinforces the trust and affection shared by the animals and their handlers," the circus said in a recent news release.
