public favor turns away from wild animals as entertainment In March 2015, CNN approached Pamela Burns, Hawaiian Humane Society’s President & CEO, to write an editorial about Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s decision to phase out elephant acts. Burns was reminded of Tyke, the African elephant that escaped from the Blaisdell Arena 20 years ago. After going on a rampage down the streets of Kakaako, Tyke was gunned down. The image of this noble and bloodied beast riddled with bullets with a little pink circus hat perched atop her head was hard to forget. A documentary about this tragedy, titled “Tyke Elephant Outlaw,” debuted in 2015 and is making its way across the country in the film festival circuit including Hawaii. This local story has played an important role in driving a national and
international social movement in which public favor has turned away from such acts. For many years, the Hawaiian Humane Society campaigned to educate the public and children, and urge policy makers and entertainment companies to stop the suffering endured by wild animals. It is inhumane to make these animals suffer the blaring lights and loud noises, as well as training abuse – all of which is exacerbated by arduous travel by land and days at sea just to get to Hawaii. In a historic announcement in May 2015, Governor David Ige pledged to no longer grant permits to import wild animals for entertainment. The Hawaiian Humane Society thanks the Governor for his leadership on this bold and progressive promise, which means that Hawaii will join more than 40 U.S. cities and 30 countries that already prohibit the practice. While state leadership works through the process to create this policy change, the Humane Society urges the community to not attend wild animal shows. These extremely intelligent animals are happiest living life as intended in the wild where their natural behaviors can be honored – not in circus environments where they are kept isolated and paraded as spectacles.
18