Elephants supplied for rides at this year’s Texas Renaissance Festival in Todd Mission have been filmed by Animal Defenders International (ADI) being beaten by their handler, Mike Swain of Trunks & Humps, during training. ADI is asking the public not to pay for the elephant rides at the festival, which continues every weekend through December 1, as well as on Black Friday (November 29).

Jan Creamer, President of Animal Defenders International, said: “We are appealing to the public not to pay to ride abused elephants. Paying for the rides pays for this appalling and unacceptable cruelty. We believe that once people see how these animals suffer behind the scenes, they will not endorse such behavior, and hope that event organizers will take a responsible position and end the rides.”

ADI previously released a video about the suffering behind the rides, “No Fun for Elephants,” with award-winning TV legend Bob Barker, who observes: “To many, it looks like harmless fun, but elephants pay a heavy price for the few minutes of entertainment they provide when giving rides. Isn’t it especially tragic when animals are suffering and being abused simply to entertain us?”

The video includes shocking scenes of violence during training and handling of elephants supplied for public rides and performances by Trunks & Humps of Conroe, TX, and Have Trunk Will Travel (previously of Perris, CA, and now operating as The Preserve in Fredericksburg, TX).

ADI is urging the Texas Renaissance Festival to cancel the elephant rides at this year’s festival and all future events. Event organizers have been invited to watch the “No Fun for Elephants” online video.

Elephant rides have been abandoned by several events after boards viewed the evidence, including Kansas City Renaissance Festival, the city of Fountain Valley, CA, Santa Ana Zoo, and Orange County, Kern County, San Diego County, Nevada County, and Los Angeles County Fairs. ADI is confident that if event organizers are given the facts and understand the cost to the animals, they will say “no” to the suffering.