Rhode Island has become the first state in the nation to enact a ban on the use of cruel bullhooks on elephants in traveling shows and circuses.

The bullhook is a weapon resembling a fireplace poker, with a sharpened steel tip and hook at the end. Handlers use the bullhook to forcefully strike, prod, and hook elephants on sensitive parts of their bodies, controlling these highly intelligent and sensitive animals through pain and fear.

Today, progressive elephant keepers use positive reinforcement training, food treats and praise to train and manage elephants. With this method, elephants are provided a full range of husbandry and veterinary care, without the use of intimidation and painful punishment.

The Rhode Island bill exempts the Roger Williams Park Zoo, which continues to use bullhooks, despite a resolution passed by the state legislature in 2014 that recognized "the use of the bullhook causes pain to elephants." The zoo - which proudly claims to use bullhooks every day - believes that without the bullhook zookeepers and other animal handlers would not be able to manage elephants or keep them in captivity. In California, where a bullhook ban is slated for a vote before the full Assembly in August (if passed, it will be sent to the governor to sign into law), no AZA-accredited zoo uses bullhooks. These zoos and PAWS prove that bullhooks are completely unnecessary, as evidenced in the exemplary keeper and veterinary care they provide to their elephants.

Thank you to Governor Gina Raimondo, who signed the bullhook ban into law and sent a loud and clear message that the use of this inhumane and archaic weapon to train and manage elephants is coming to an end. The times are rapidly changing as the public becomes increasingly concerned about the use and treatment of these incredible animals, and elephant professionals acknowledge that bullhook-based management endangers keepers and the public, and is in direct conflict with conservation goals to preserve and protect these iconic animals.