It's a win! The Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana, Calif. cancelled their planned elephant-in-a-bubble publicity stunt after IDA supporters sent over 2,000 emails and made more than 75 phone calls saying that it was the wrong way to treat an elephant. Thanks to everyone who responded to IDA's alert last week by emailing and calling the Center -- you helped us stop an abused elephant from being put on display for the sole purpose of amusement. The victory also sends a powerful message that elephants must be treated with dignity and respect, and that subjecting them to demeaning publicity stunts will not be tolerated.

Bubble "artist" Fan Yang wanted to encase a 7-foot-6, 8,800-pound Asian elephant in a bubble to win the Guinness Book of World Records title for placing the Earth's largest living land mammal in a bubble. IDA charged that this was not only frivolous but cruel, considering that Tai, the elephant to be used, was captured in her native Thailand as an infant, taken to the U.S., and most likely beaten into submission so she could "work" for Have Trunk Will Travel, a business that rents elephants out for public events. Her life mainly consists of being trucked from place to place, coerced with a bullhook to make her move or stand still, and exhibited for people to gawk at.

Displaying an appalling ignorance of elephant biology and behavior (especially for supposed "scientists"), the Center actually claimed that the bubble trick would provide "enrichment" for Tai. Center spokesperson Julie Smith cited the public's overwhelming response as the reason for the cancellation, but also claimed that subjecting Tai to the bubble stunt would not have been cruel, and that Tai's appearance was called off because they feared animal rights protesters would have provoked the elephant into becoming a danger to spectators. The Center's stubborn denial of elephant ethology is compounded by their insulting and inaccurate portrayal of animal advocates as unlawful saboteurs -- when in fact it was the Center that was planning an event that would have endangered Tai's welfare and the public's safety.

While bubble "artist" Yang did perform as scheduled at the Center's annual "Bubblefest" this past weekend, he continues plans to debase elephants in pursuit of the world's record, stating that he will instead go to India and put a bubble around an elephant there. What Yang and the Center still do not understand is that while encasing an elephant in a bubble for a few seconds may not seem inhumane on the surface, everything else about her life as an indentured performer is, and she could not be brought to that point without considerable preceding cruelty. Using an elephant like a sideshow attraction also hampers conservation efforts by sending the wrong message about endangered species. 

But thanks to you this ridiculous stunt was stopped! Your actions truly made a difference.

Please Take Action to thank the Discovery Science Center for leaving Tai out of the bubble exhibit and remind them that, as an institution of education and learning, they have a responsibility to promote conservation of endangered species by refusing to support the exploitation of animals like Tai.

Learn more about IDA's efforts to help captive elephants.