In Defense of Animals (IDA) has been sending out alerts about Nosey the elephant, who has been exhibited around the USA by the Hugo Liebel company.
Nosey is tethered cruelly, has a persistent painful skin complaint for which she has not received proper treatment and the conditions in which she is kept are completely inappropriate. As far back as October 2009, government inspectors found that Liebel “failed to store supplies of food in facilities which adequately protected such supplies against deterioration, molding, or contamination by vermin… ” (sic).
Liebel is in fact charged with numerous substantial, wilful violations of the Animal Welfare Act, including repeated non-compliance with veterinary care, handling, housing, and husbandry requirements over the period 2007 to 2011.
In company with other animal advocacy groups, QCA wrote to the US Attorney General, requesting that if Liebel is found to be in violation on these charges, she should press for the maximum sanctions available. We thanked her for her work on this case to date, particularly the decision to pursue serious charges against this person.
The violations charged in the complaint are, as the AG points out, substantial, and many of them are repeated violations for which Liebel has previously been cited. This person is either unable or unwilling to comply with the laws and regulations put into place to protect exhibited animals and the public.
Apart from imposing the highest possible amount in fines, the significant action would be the termination of Liebel’s licence to exhibit animals. This is the only way of ensuring the safety of Nosey and any other animals Liebel could acquire for exhibition.
UniverSoul Circus is currently on tour and plans to feature Nosey in its Florida appearances February 22 – 27.
Please ask UniverSoul to cancel these appearances and not to affiliate themselves with Liebel.
Read more and sign the petition at:
Also: PETA petition to the Mayor of Tampa: