WASHINGTON, Aug. 24 (UPI) -- A Washington federal judge has rejected an attempt by the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus to avoid trial on elephant abuse charges.
U.S. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan ruled that the circus will face trial on allegations of Asian elephant abuse under the federal Endangered Species Act in court.
A lawsuit brought by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Animal Welfare Institute, The Fund for Animals, the Animal Protection Institute, and former Ringling Bros. employee Tom Rider accuses the circus of violating the act by abusing training and discipline methods, prolonged confinement in chains and by forcibly taking baby elephants from their mothers.
"The ASPCA is delighted with today's ruling, which paves the way for the real case at hand: whether Ringling Brothers violated the Endangered Species Act in its treatment of the elephants," ASPCA Senior Vice President Lisa Weisberg said.
"After five years of legal wrangling, we look forward to unveiling the curtain at trial to expose the suffering and death of elephants at the hands of the so-called 'Greatest Show on Earth,'" said Tracy Silverman, General Counsel for the Animal Welfare Institute. "These magnificent animals will finally have their day in court."
