State: Circus elephants who visit Tennessee must be chained when not preforming
JACKSON, Tenn.-One of the big draws of any circus is the elephants. Wednesday, Engine Company 13 of the Jackson Fire Department helped wash the elephants in the Carson and Barnes Circus. Circus officials said Tennessee is the only state in the country that requires them to keep the pachyderms chained when they are not performing.
Handlers said it is confusing and difficult for the gentle giants.
“They’re used to coming over and seeing the children and playing with the firemen and the police and the children and families. They don’t understand what’s happened to them,” said Jaque Hollander, with Carson and Barnes Circus.
Due to the requirement, the circus said when in Tennessee, they keep the elephants in a secluded area when they are not performing so no one has to see them with their feet chained.
