This piece also published in the Huffington Post, February 5th, and the San Francisco Bay Guardian.
Kenneth Feld, the sole owner of Feld Entertainment and Ringling
Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus did not appear in U.S Federal Court
today. Buying his way out of trouble is a way of life for Ken Feld, but
this time, he just may be trapped. These animal rights people are not
clowning around! Many in the courtroom craned their curious necks
to get a glimpse of him, but he ditched the Superior court proceedings.
Feld
stayed true to his reclusive reputation and played the role he always
does: the illusive circus master who calls the moves behind the
scenes.
Still, in true P.T Barnum fashion, the sleight of hand and manipulation
of words got precision delivery on his behalf. In the first few hours
of the trial, some of the most famous and expensive mouthpieces money
can buy sang the praises of Ringling Bros. An entourage of Fulbright and Jaworski
attorneys turned a weapon of torture, "The Bull Hook," used by Ringling
handlers with reckless disregard against the endangered Asian elephants
into a harmless sounding "guide." "Advocate" (one who speaks for those
who often cannot speak for themselves) became a dirty word. A world
renowned elephant expert who testified today was accused of advocating
for the elephants!
As seeds of affirmation were sown by the high powered defendant's attorneys, the plaintiff's attorney scorched the earth with a DVD disc and a finger -- pressing play. The video appearing on the plasma court televisions were in some cases heart-breaking and in others horrifying.
For world renowned elephant expert Dr. Joyce Poole, who was the first expert witness of the trial and has studied elephants her entire life, watching Ringling's handlers seemed to physically cause her pain.
"These animals should not be chained 20 hours a day, beaten with bull hooks and forced to perform these un-natural acts. They are extremely intelligent creatures, they mourn their dead, they use tools, they help their friends up when they are ill, they are extremely social." At one point, while watching a Feld Entertainment video of an Asian elephant "Shirley" giving birth, (Shirley's named after Kenneth Feld's aunt who raise him after his mother died) Dr. Poole choked up.
"In the wild it's a matriarchal system. The women teach the mother how to deliver a baby; they stroke it and talk to it for months. What you saw there is very un-natural."
The Humane Societies attorney, Katherine Meyer, says Ringling immediately takes the baby away from the mother and the bonding process never takes place."Often, they will say the baby would not bond, but they don't want the baby to bond, it causes discipline problems later."
This has been an almost surreal process for me. After 10 years of waiting, Kenneth Feld just a week before this trial, settled an obstruction of justice lawsuit filed by a journalist. It was a strong case and put on display the lengths to which Kenneth Feld resorts in order to protect what he considers his "all American" reputation. That journalist wrote things Feld found offensive. His former chief financial officer turned on him, revealing a plot of deceit and a slew of private investigators paid to ruin the reporter's personal life and her career as well. Her story reads like a John Le Carre spy novel. Feld employed former CIA deputy director of covert operations for the CIA -- Clair George for a little hanky-panky -- really---Clair George worked for the circus! Let the circus act began. Tah-dah!
Kenneth Feld is no fellow we journalists want to piss off. As a fledgling journalist, Finley Peter Dunne once taught us that our job was to "afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted." But, that's not the way the job is allowed to work much anymore. Not if one wants to keep it. The journalist, whose career lay in ruins, asked for dozens of millions in damages and that ( I'm told behind the scenes) is pretty much what she got. But, it took ten years and her health before she got it. Plus, Mr. Feld only settled as this trial was about to begin. Kenneth Feld knows how to keep people quiet.
Beyond all that, I still cannot get over feeling as if the animal rights groups, the plaintiffs in this Federal courtroom are yelling "A tree's on fire, a tree's on fire!" as the forest if burning.The real issue that no one is talking about during this trial...the real elephant in the room is M-TB.
M-Tuberculosis was mentioned just one time during opening arguments in the trial. Most, if not all of Kenneth Feld's performing endangered elephants have had Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. As many as 26 have died over the last 15 years. Necropsies indicate most had tuberculosis when they died. While Kenneth Feld claims he is saving the species, he is systematically destroying it, and hiding the M-TB from circus patrons---putting their lives in danger.
Tah Dah! And on with the show.
for more information on this story, please read "The Elephant in the Room."
