One Elephant Killed and Two Injured in Spain Crash

Per preliminary investigations, the crash happened when the truck tried to pass another vehicle in the right lane.

Photo: Gregorio Serrano (@Gserrano_DGT)

(EUROPE) - Tragedy has struck after a truck transporting five circus elephants from Circo Gottani crashed on the A-30 today near Albacete, Spain; reportedly two elephants have been injured and one animal tragically killed.

The official count of those injured and killed was announced via Twitter by Gregorio Serrano, the director of the General Directorate of Traffic.

He wrote, "The assistance and evacuation of elephants injured in the accident that took place in Albacete is proceeding.

"Of the five pachyderms there is one dead and two injured. Soon traffic will be re-established through the A-30 on pk 22/23." [translated]

According to preliminary investigations, Serrano said via Twitter, the accident happened after trying to pass another vehicle in the right lane.

Whether or not the two injured animals will fully recover is unknown at this time.

The driver of the truck involved in the crash was not injured, officials told Europa Press.

"This terrible incident symbolizes all that is wrong with the use of animals in traveling circuses. Instead of a life in the wild, these incredible animals are being carted around the country, confined and forced to perform," said ADI President Jan Creamer.

"Please don't visit a circus with animals and help stop their suffering today."

In January 2018, four circus elephants were stranded on the highway for hours when the bottom of the truck they were being transported in began to give way during the journey from Oklahoma to Iowa.

Even if there is no crash, these animals suffer for their "show-biz" careers. Studies of the use of wild animals in traveling circuses show that circuses cannot meet the physical or behavioral needs of wild animals.

Animals are confined in small spaces, deprived of physical and social needs, spending excessive amounts of time shut in transporters.

These animals are often seen behaving abnormally; rocking, swaying and pacing, all indicating that they are in distress and not coping with their environment. ADI’s video evidence has shown how these animals are forced to perform tricks through physical violence, fear and intimidation.

In the United States, almost 80 jurisdictions in 31 states have taken action to restrict wild animals from traveling circuses. Hundreds of local ordinances are in place around the world¹, including in the UK, Europe, and South America.

Some of the reasons circuses have changed in the modern world are explained as such:

• Traveling circuses cannot meet the physical, psychological, or behavioral needs of wild animals, due to severe confinement, physical and social deprivation, long periods of time in transporters, brutal control methods, and physical violence.
• It is a myth that wild animals are trained with kindness and reward; the tools of the trade include stun guns and other electric prods, metal bars, whips, bullhooks (a heavy bar with a sharpened point and hook), deprivation of food and water, and intimidation.
• Keeping stressed, large, and dangerous wild animals close to the public in lightweight, temporary enclosures has proven disastrous. Workers and members of the public have been killed and maimed; lions, tigers, and elephants have all escaped.
• It is estimated that around 12% of Asian and 11% of African elephants in North America have tuberculosis (TB), a disease transmissible from elephants to humans.
• Because of the traveling nature of the circus, animal welfare officers have difficulty protecting the animals and making inspections, despite significant associated time and costs. This justifies a restriction, for the protection of the animals and the public.

¹National restrictions on performing animals in travelling circuses have been enacted in 43 countries – Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lebanon, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, Sweden, Taiwan, The Netherlands and Ukraine. Similar laws are under discussion in the UK, USA, Finland and Slovakia.

This report included information from: Animal Defenders International

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