TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — A report of animal abuse after an organization took to social media to complain that an Oklahoma car dealership had elderly elephants in its parking lot in temperatures near 100 degrees.
KTUL contacted CompassionWorks International, the animal rights organization that says just because the circus that owned the elephants complied doesn’t mean they were safe.
“There’s a car dealership in Tulsa that hosts some sort of birthday party to reduce sales of its business occasion by employing elephants, camels and other animals as a way to attract customers,” said Carrie LeBlanc, executive director of CompassionWorks International.
CompassionWorks International said on social media that a Tulsa dealership had elephants in its parking lot in temperatures near 100 degrees.
The elephants Betty and Janice belong to the Carden International Circus.
KTUL contacted Brett Carden, the operator of the Carden International Circus, who said the elephants were being cared for at the dealership by placing them in the shade and offering them water.
“Brett Carden is an incredibly wealthy individual who continues to exploit elephants for profit while those elephants belong to sanctuaries,” LeBlanc said.
Carden was unwilling to walk in front of the camera, he said the elephants were used to the heat.
“People at the dealership were mistakenly telling other people that, oh, it’s okay if it’s hot because elephants are African. They are in heat all the time. Well, actually, Betty and Janice are Asian elephants, so don’t expose yourself to temperatures above a hundred degrees,” according to LeBlanc.
LeBlanc elephants have lived in the United States for decades.
In a verbal telephone exchange with Carden, he accused LeBlanc of being an animal rights extremist.
“People who fear that their finances will be destroyed like to refer to others in derogatory terms in an attempt to demonize the side,” LeBlanc said.
The runner told KTUL that he had won all the court cases about the elephants and that they had gotten smart attention.
They added that the elephants had since moved to the site.
LeBlanc elephants are based in Missouri and are used in the summer for photographs.