PETA Criticizes Zoo For Herding Elephants With Dogs
- 10 years ago
The Pittsburg Zoo and PPG Aquarium is under fire for using Australian cattle dogs to herd elephants.
The Pittsburg Zoo and PPG Aquarium is under fire for using Australian cattle dogs to herd elephants.
PETA has declared that using the smaller animals to contain and direct the significantly larger ones is both problematic and potentially dangerous for all involved.
It’s the group’s feeling that the herding process causes the elephants a great deal of distress and fear.
They say they have video evidence to back up that claim.
Also noted is that the practice puts human caretakers at risk as one of the enormous and unpredictable pachyderms could easily react adversely to the chasing and ankle nipping and turn on the staff.
As each of the dogs weighs only about 25 pounds, it’s unlikely they could be helpful if such a scenario were to unfold.
The animal rights group submitted a complaint about the practice to the USDA, the agency that governs zoos, and an investigation is now underway.
A letter expressing PETA’s concerns was initially sent to the Pennsylvania Fish and Game Commission, but they said that the Pittsburg facility doesn’t fall under their jurisdiction.
While the game commission does oversee state laws that prohibit the use of dogs for pushing hiding animals out into plain view, those are meant to apply to hunting.
The Pittsburg Zoo and PPG Aquarium is under fire for using Australian cattle dogs to herd elephants.
PETA has declared that using the smaller animals to contain and direct the significantly larger ones is both problematic and potentially dangerous for all involved.
It’s the group’s feeling that the herding process causes the elephants a great deal of distress and fear.
They say they have video evidence to back up that claim.
Also noted is that the practice puts human caretakers at risk as one of the enormous and unpredictable pachyderms could easily react adversely to the chasing and ankle nipping and turn on the staff.
As each of the dogs weighs only about 25 pounds, it’s unlikely they could be helpful if such a scenario were to unfold.
The animal rights group submitted a complaint about the practice to the USDA, the agency that governs zoos, and an investigation is now underway.
A letter expressing PETA’s concerns was initially sent to the Pennsylvania Fish and Game Commission, but they said that the Pittsburg facility doesn’t fall under their jurisdiction.
While the game commission does oversee state laws that prohibit the use of dogs for pushing hiding animals out into plain view, those are meant to apply to hunting.