SIX FLAGS SEVERS TIES WITH ABUSIVE ELEPHANT COMPANY
NOVEMBER 15, 2016, VALLEJO, CA — Six Flags Discovery Kingdom confirmed the elephants are gone, they will no longer contract with the controversial Riverside elephant provider, Have Trunk Will Travel (HTWT), and they will no longer offer elephant rides at their Vallejo, California theme park. Animal Defenders International’s (ADI) undercover investigation of HTWT,, released in 2011, revealed shocking abuse, showing video evidence of elephants being beaten and electric shocked with stun guns during routine husbandry and training.
ADI President, Jan Creamer stated, “The elephants at Have Trunk Will Travel are forced to perform through fear and violence and it is a huge relief to hear that they are not coming back to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. We are proud of the compassionate local citizens who have protested and spoken out alongside ADI, and we have no doubt these efforts made the difference in bringing these abusive rides to an end.”
ADI has contacted Six Flags Discovery Kingdom management for years, presenting our footage and urging them to cancel the elephant rides and other exotic animal attractions. ADI also successfully presented evidence to cancel HTWT contracts at the Santa Ana Zoo; San Diego, Los Angeles, Nevada, Kern, and Orange County Fairs; the California cities of Sierra Madre, Fountain Valley, and Upland; Surprise, Arizona; and Curacao Children’s Fair in Los Angeles.
This news also comes on the heels of the recent announcement that the town of Surprise, Arizona has cancelled an appearance of HTWT after reviewing ADI’s evidence.
Animal Defenders International (ADI) is active worldwide to end the suffering of captive animals in commercial use: animals used in entertainment – film, television, advertising, circuses and sport or leisure such as hunting or for products such as fur. Replacement of animals in scientific research; funding and promotion of non-animal advanced methods. ADI investigates, produces evidence and reports on the scientific, legal and economic issues for each case study, recommending solutions. Information is distributed to the media, public and officials. Where ADI’s evidence has been a catalyst for change, we collaborate with governments to conduct large scale seizures or rescues of wild animals in captivity and relocate them to forever homes – back to their natural habitat wherever possible. www.ad-international.org
