The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors last year wisely voted to ban elephant rides from the annual Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival, for reasons of animal welfare and public safety. California State Fair officials, though, are currently negotiating to have elephant rides at the 2005 State Fair. When not giving rides, these Asian elephants (an endangered species) are kept in chains. The travel from Southern California is highly stressful on the animals, and potentially dangerous. Elephant rides serve only to reinforce the idea that animals are here merely for our entertainment, and the animals' welfare is secondary. There's also a public health risk: elephants can carry and transmit tuberculosis to humans and if they manage to escape, can be a serious risk to people.
Read More | Update Feb 1 | Update Feb 15.