Does Ringling Bros. tether elephants?
Ringling Bros. elephants spend most of their day moving about freely in their enclosures and in the arena. While the elephants are tethered at night, during mealtime and during bedtime so they do not disturb one another; most of their waking hours are spent at play, socializing, exercising and learning new routines. Our tethering practices are fully consistent with those prescribed by the US Department of Agriculture under the Animal Welfare Act, as well as those outlined in the Elephant Husbandry Resource Guide published by the International Elephant Foundation (IEF) and endorsed by the AZA (American Zoo and Aquarium Association) and the Elephant Managers Association (EMA).
