Animal rights lawyers based at the University of Denver are threatening to sue Colorado Parks and Wildlife if the agency issues another permit for an elephant show at the annual Renaissance Festival in Larkspur.
In a letter to Parks and Wildlife, the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project said the agency is violating Colorado law by issuing permits to Trunks and Humps, the exhibitor that puts on the “Elephant Experience” show at the fair.
State law prohibits elephants being used in traveling animal acts, attorney Chris Carraway and director and DU law professor Justin Marceau wrote. The group is demanding Parks and Wildlife revoke all permits issued to Trunks and Humps, notify it that the performances are forbidden and take steps to make sure permits aren’t issued for traveling elephant acts in the future.
A spokesperson for Parks and Wildlife said the agency is reviewing the permit application and does not comment on pending litigation. Festival organizers could not immediately be reached for comment.
According to the festival’s website, the elephant show is “an educational experience” that teaches attendees about animals’ care and conservation.
But an elephant behavior expert from Cornell University told the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project that the show forces the animals to participate in unnatural behaviors, the group said. That which would disqualify the show as an educational program under Colorado law.
“Issuing a permit to display elephants at the Renaissance Festival would be a blatant violation of a law that was enacted to prevent that very thing,” Marceau said in a statement. “We will not hesitate to take legal action to protect these animals.”
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