As an AU law school grad, I was disappointed to see that The Eagle chose to print an op-ed from a senior vice president of PETA without balancing Mr. Mathews’ unfounded allegations or fact-checking his statements. I know from firsthand experience how much hard work goes into the care of all the animals at Ringling Bros.
Mr. Mathews’ letter is riddled with inaccuracies, falsehoods and comes from the extremist point of view that PETA advocates. “Total animal liberation” and “better dead than in a zoo” are just some of what PETA stands for, though that is not what Mr. Mathews wants anyone to focus on.
Unlike PETA, Ringling Bros. puts its money where its mouth is by devoting significant resources to actually caring for animals, including employing a staff of veterinarians who are experts in their field and having on-call veterinarians in every city we visit.
In addition to our dedicated veterinarians, the animal care staff on all our units and at the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation provide around-the-clock care for all our animals. We also work to advance the conservation of endangered and threatened species, work that I am directly involved in with other serious conservation organizations. For example, Ringling Bros. has contributed nearly half a million dollars to support elephant projects around the world. That is in addition to the work Ringling Bros. is doing directly to help elephants in Sri Lanka and other range countries.
PETA, on the other hand, euthanizes over 90 percent of its animals and does not support conservation issues. Instead it spends its budget on outlandish lawsuits, lobbying, outrageous PR stunts and marketing campaigns, and first and foremost, membership growth.
We at Ringling Bros. have a fundamental difference of opinion with Mr. Mathews and other animal rights activists regarding animals in captivity. We understand that PETA and other activist groups who distribute false and inaccurate information about the animal care at Ringling Bros. will never be satisfied with animals being presented to the public, no matter how humane the care and the appropriate management provided. Regardless, we are proud of our animal care and our commitment to being good animal stewards and, unlike PETA, we think people are entitled to know both sides of the debate.
Tom Albert graduated with honors from the AU Washington College of Law in 1988 and is now vice president of government relations for Feld Entertainment, which owns Ringling Bros. He also serves on the board of the International Elephant Foundation, holding the position of president in 2010.
edpage@theeagleonline.com
