Get elephants out of the circus

While I was delighted to learn that Ringling Bros. has taken a first step by eliminating lions and tigers from the circus, I look forward to the day when the public will become enlightened enough to realize that it is cruel to make elephants perform for our entertainment [“Circus Glam and Glitz,” July 13]. Elephants dressed in tutus, balancing on a drum or doing any of the ridiculous things they are forced to do is not something we should enjoy watching.

Elephants are not trained like dogs where a treat will get them to do what we want them to. They are only trained through dominance, coercion and brutal treatment. In addition, they are restricted in chains in one place for most of the time when they are not performing. These are animals that travel up to 50 miles a day in the wild. The methods of transport are also inhumane, as they spend a great amount of time riding in a van with very little space to move through all kinds of weather and temperatures.

I look forward to the day when all animals are eliminated from the circus. What will it take for the public to wake up?

ARLENE COHEN

Los Angeles