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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2013 - 2014
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | April 22, 2014 12:09 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Daylin Leach and Sen. Michael J. Stack |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Banning the use of Bullhooks |
| In the near future, we will be introducing legislation to ban the use of bullhooks in Pennsylvania. Bullhooks are devices used to train elephants by inflicting correctional pain on the animal. Also called an ankus, elephant goad or elephant hook, bullhooks are long, usually wooden handled, with a sharp hook combined with a poker on one end. The sharp hook is used to inflict pain and to make the animal move away from the place where the hook is applied while the poker end is used as a blunt dominance tool. The wooden handle doubles as a cudgel, often used on boney areas of the elephant’s legs. Bullhooks are most often used in the training and showing of elephants in circuses. The animal is trained to do their show tricks using the pain and negative reinforcement provided by the bullhook. In contrast to such brutal training, the Pittsburgh Zoo and their partners at the International Conservation Center, an elephant sanctuary in Somerset County, use positive reinforcement and nurturing to train and care for the elephants. “Through the use of vocal commands, praise, and food rewards, keepers are able to work with the elephants to accomplish necessary grooming, husbandry, enrichment and veterinary procedures. If they choose not to respond to a command during training or a procedure, the keeper simply leaves the area. The elephants are never physically punished for not cooperating.” - InternationalConservationCenter.org Our legislation would ban the use of this cruel method of training in Pennsylvania. Elephants who live in the Commonwealth are treated with respect and care; those that visit our state in a circus or traveling show deserve the same. Please join us in supporting this important legislation. |
Introduced as SB1444