Massachusetts is known as one of the most humane states. Yet, despite the death of an ill elephant at the 2019 Big E, “The Circus Bill” is still in the House Ways and Means Committee as the end of this legislative session nears. H. 3245, sponsored by Sen. Adam Gomez of Springfield, would ban the use of elephants, big cats, primates, giraffes and bears in traveling exhibits and shows. It would not affect educational zoo exhibits.
In 26 years of protesting petting zoos with wild animals I have witnessed unimaginable cruelty, seeing firsthand the conditions in which animals are forced to live, lack of veterinary care, and insufficient regulatory oversight. The most horrific case was that of Beulah, the elephant owned by Commerford Petting Zoo who died on day 3 of the 2019 Big E while on exhibit, despite being seriously ill. According to the USDA, she died of septicemia from an extremely painful uterine infection. Beulah’s ill health was obvious to all who saw her, and Commerford knew of her deadly infection. Still, they planned on displaying her for 17 days. No authorities responded to complaints and pictures of her looking sick or after her collapse. This tragedy exposed the incredibly weak government standards for animals in traveling exhibits and their lack of enforcement.
For over three decades, Commerford forced their elephants, Beulah, Karen and Minnie, all stolen from their mothers as babies, to work at events, giving rides and doing tricks 12 hours a day under threat of a bull hook stab. They were carted all over the Northeast in cramped trailers, sometimes for days at a time, in all temperatures and conditions, and chained when not performing.
Commerford has accumulated over 50 violations of the Animal Welfare Act and has had five dangerous incidents, four from an elephant being spooked while giving rides to children, causing hospitalization. At the 2018 Big E, a picture of Minnie looking sick and limping while giving rides went viral, sparking outrage. No agency monitors training sessions where the most violent abuses occur. Lax protective regulations, even when enforced, rarely result in businesses losing their licenses, even those with long histories of violations like Commerford.
Over 154,000 people signed a petition asking the Big E to remove wild animals. Yet, its CEO refuses to address the countless complaints he has received. He admitted in a 2023 legislative hearing that a ban would have no significant economic impact on the Big E. That fact was proven last year when the fair, exhibiting no wild animals for the first time in decades, broke all attendance records.
More than 40 countries worldwide, 10 states, and nearly 150 localities, including 15 Massachusetts towns, have passed legislation addressing the abuse of wild animals in circuses. Please put an end to such archaic cruelty in Massachusetts and contact your state representative, asking them to urge the House Ways and Means Committee to favorably release H. 3245. We must finally make Beulah’s death meaningful and not in vain.
Sheryl Becker
Agawam
The writer is president of Western Mass. Animal Rights Advocates and a board member of Massachusetts for Elephants.
