Circus: Pinkett-Smith doesn't know first thing about elephants

A day after Jada Pinkett Smith(Until this moment, I had never heard of Jada Pinkett Smith. That surprises me because I thought I knew most all elephant experts) sent a heartfelt letter to Baltimore's mayor, pleading for her to stand up for circus elephants she believes are being abused, circus officials called the actress "completely misguided."

"She doesn't know the first thing about elephants or about how to take care of them," Stephen Payne,(I also don't recall Mr. Payne being an "elephant expert") the spokesperson for Ringling Bros., told Baltimore Insider Wednesday. "She's completely misguided."

In a letter dated Tuesday, Jada Pinkett Smith wrote to the mayor, "as a mother and proud Baltimore native," asking her to stop the circus from using devices called bullhooks to prod the elephants into performing.

Pinkett Smith reminded Rawlings-Blake of the city's law against any “mechanical, electrical, or manual device that is likely to cause physical injury or suffering” to a performing animal.

"Unlike me and other actors, elephants do not choose to perform," Pinkett Smith wrote. "These endangered elephants will soon be in your jurisdiction. My friends at PETA and I join animal advocates across the state in asking for your leadership in holding Ringling accountable and requiring the circus to comply with Baltimore’s absolute prohibition of the use of devices such as bullhooks."

Payne said, yes, the circus does use bullhooks to move elephants along. And yes these instruments do have pointy, ends. However, he says the preferred term is "guides."(Isn't that just crazy?) And they don't hurt the animals.(That is very, very misleading. In his "expert" opinion I would like Mr. Payne to distinguish between pain, hurt, and discomfort.)

"It's an extension of the elephant handler's arm," he said. "A long established, universally accepted and humane way of managing large elephants."

Payne said the seven elephants that will arrive in Baltimore later this month for the circus are well-treated, with veternarians on call 24 hours a day.

He chalked up the complaint to an attention-grab by PETA and a well-intentioned starlet who took the activist organization's bait.

"In terms of PETA, it's PETA, another shameless attempt for them to exploit a cleebrity and get attention for their cause," he said. "I would say [Pinkett Smith has] been misled by the people of PETA."

Payne invited Pinkett Smith to come see herself how well the circus animals are treated. And the people of Baltimore, too.

If you want to, the show's annual elephant brunch at Lexington Market will be at noon on March 28. The circus arrives in Baltimore March 21 and will stay, elephants, hooks and all, through April 1.

Pinkett Smith's aunt 'taken aback' by SRB's dig

By Jill Rosen The Baltimore Sun

March 9, 2012

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake wasn't exactly jumping when Jada Pinkett Smith asked for her help in protecting elephants earlier this week.

The mayor more or less says she had bigger fish to fry -- that and the actress didn't help her out when the city needed it.

But Friday Pinkett Smith's aunt, who runs the Baltimore-based charity of the actress, said her niece has done quite a bit for the city -- and she's a surprised that the mayor doesn't remember it.

"People listening to what [the mayor] said would think Jada Pinkett hasn't done anything for Baltimore and that's not true," said Karen Evans, "I wanted to set the record straight."

Evans also fired off a letter to City Hall, telling the mayor: "Your response to her letter was disturbing, irresponsible, inflammatory and inaccurate."

Earlier this week, Pinkett Smith, working with the animal activist group peta, sent Rawlings-Blake a letter, writing, she wrote, "as a mother and proud Baltimore native."

Pinkett Smith wanted to make sure no elephants were jabbed with bullhooks during the upcoming performance of Ringling Bros. Circus’ at 1st Mariner Arena. The pointed tools are commonly used to coax the animals into performing at the show.

"Unlike me and other actors, elephants do not choose to perform," Pinkett Smith wrote. "These endangered elephants will soon be in your jurisdiction. My friends at peta and I join animal advocates across the state in asking for your leadership in holding Ringling accountable and requiring the circus to comply with Baltimore’s absolute prohibition of the use of devices such as bullhooks."

But Rawlings-Blake wan't moved, telling WJZ that since the actress hasn't helped with Baltimore's big issues, she wasn't too concerned about the elephant. Plus, she really likes the circus.

“We’ve reached out about homelessness, about school issues,” Rawlings-Blake told WJZ. “I would have loved to gotten some feedback, support or concern about those issues that are very pressing to the city.”

Evans said she was "just really taken aback" by the mayor's undercut.

She pointed out the million dollars Pinkett Smith gave to the Baltimore School for the Arts in 2006. The yearly contributions to Associated Black Charities. Money for the Park Heights Community Health Alliance. Money to help area schools buy books. Money for the James Mosher Little League.

"The mayor should take a little more time in her responses," Evans said. "I just was very disappointed in her."

Meanwhile, Evans also didn't understand why the mayor didn't take Pinkett Smith's concern about the elephants seriously.

"Jada," she said, "is an animal activist and she believes all living things have a right to be treated humanely."

Evans concluded her letter to the mayor: "Jada is a proud Baltimorean who has generously given back to her hometown and will continue to do so. I hope that at the end of your administration you will be able to say that you have made as positive an impact as she has."

Courtesy of John Goodall