Five babies tied in the north end of the barn. Babies are chained by all four legs for 23 hours each day for several weeks, in order to break their spirit. Painful legions often develop around their legs as they struggle against the ropes.
"Sometimes, from outside of the barn, you could hear one baby start screaming, and then the others would join in. Sometimes they would start crying when they saw their mothers brought in from outside" --Sam Haddock
This baby elephant is learning to fear the bullhook (also known as an ankus) for the first time. It will spend its entire life in fear of this instrument.
"A bullhook is kept in front of the elephant's trunk. More pressure is applied if they pick up the pace.... They are never turned loose outdoors to play; that would defeat the purpose, all of their movements are under control of the staff" --Sam Haddock
After their initial conditioning is complete, the baby elephants are then taken outside for full-fledged training sessions. These sessions last for 1.5 to 2 hours per day, twice per day, until they get it right.
"During these training sessions the baby is screaming and struggling the whole time. It could take up to a year of training before they're ready to go on the road." --Sam Haddock
This baby elephant is being prepped for a training session. Ropes are tied around all four legs, its neck, chest and trunk.
"After the initial training session, the babies fight to resist having the snatch rope out on them, until they eventually give up. The snatch rope goes over their back, under their belly, and is fastened to their left hind leg. We drive stakes into the ground in the ring area. The ropes are tied to the stakes or to bars." --Sam Haddock
This baby is being forced to "stretch out". The sharp point of a bullhook is pushed against the sensitive area behind its head while its legs are pulled out from under it, all of the while having no idea why any of this is happening.
"When I left in 2005, baby elephants were being trained in the same manner shown in these photos. To my knowledge, training procedures have not changed since I left." --Sam Haddock
Gary Jacobson is again shown electrocuting this baby elephant as it lies on the ground, defenseless. The device he's using, a "hot-shot", sends 4,000 volts through the elephant's body.
"The training techniques used by Gary Jacobson include a lot of manpower, brute force, electricity and a savage disposition" --Sam Haddock
This barbaric and violent training process goes on in secret, out of the public view, completely unmonitored by any law enforcement agency
"No one is allowed in the training area and the traing area is fenced in with solid fencing so no one can see. Rock-and-roll music plays loud so nobody can hear what’s coming out of there. Of course they’ll tell you it’s just to let them get used to the loud noises and stuff, but we know better... I know better." --Sam Haddock
"Based on my experience, these violent training methods are the only way an elephant can be trained to perform certain tricks required for a circus act. It's bunk when the circus says that it's showcasing an elephant's natural behaviors." --Sam Haddock
It is so common for Ringling's elephants to have their skin pierced by bullhooks that Ringling uses the term "spot work" to describe the application of a powder to conceal the wounds and stop the bleeding on elephants that have been "hooked" too hard. This “magic dust” as Ringling calls it, prevents the injuries from being visible when the elephants are performing, during the circus.
"During these training sessions the baby is screaming and struggling the whole time. Some photos show the elephants with their mouths open because they are screaming." --Sam Haddock
This baby elephant is being gouged with a bull hook as it is being forced to sit up on a tub. An elephant's skin is tough but is also extremely sensitive; enough to feel a fly on its back. Ringling's elephant handlers use the bull hook to embed into elephants' most sensitive areas, such as around the feet, behind the ears, under the chin, inside the mouth, and other locations around the face. Sometimes it is used to smash them across the face
"The bull hook is designed for one purpose and one purpose only, to inflict pain and punishment. I should know, I used to make them. I built them to where you can't break them, no matter how hard you hit the elephant... I've probably made at least fifty bull hooks throughout my career." --Sam Haddock
