Can’t Help But Think Peta Wouldn’t Be Sorry To See Dead Keepers…

…after all, they don’t mind seeing dead pets, do they?

The Pittsburgh zoo is defending its use of dogs to control its African elephants and protect their handlers, after officials with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) ordered it to stop stressing the animals through this practice.

Better a minor amount of short term stress than a dead keeper, surely?

The report, dated 6 January, said the manager was “clear” that the dogs were being used for protecting staff.

Not an argument that’ll ever wash with this bunch of loons:

“It does not provide any modicum of safety to put a small dog in between an elephant keeper and a 15,000lb animal who could easily kill the dog with a simple kick or a missed step,” said Brittany Peet, deputy director of captive animal law enforcement for Peta.

And how many have been killed? Ah. None.

In a statement released on Monday the Pittsburgh zoo gave no indication it would change its practices.

“The introduction of the dogs has been a valuable tool as we continue to elevate the care and management of our elephant herd,” said the president and chief executive, Dr Barbara Baker.

"The safety of our keepers and animals is a top priority and we provide an additional safety level with the use of trained cattle dogs. The dogs read the behavior of the animals and alert the keepers to any disruption in the herd, preventing potential safety concerns for the staff and elephants. ”

Good for you, Pittsburgh Zoo! Let’s see more organisations giving this ghastly human-loathing pressure group short shrift.