Community notices

Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza expansion bids high again, board to meet next week on project

&#8220;Methinks thou dost protest too much,&#8221; Shakespeare wrote, meaning that someone who is overly persistent about something is probably at the point where the opposite of what is being said is true.Case in point: The <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/opinion/columns/505001/stephen-payne-ringling-bros-animals-are-well-cared-for-despite-columnists-unsupported-claims" target="_blank">Jan. 20 opinion piece</a> in the Times Leader by the vice president for corporate communications for Feld Entertainment, which owns Ringling Brothers and Barnum &amp; Bailey, attacking <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/opinion/columns/503261/bob-quarteroni-circus-to-discontinue-elephant-act-and-thats-good-news-worth-trumpeting" target="_blank">my column</a> condemning the brutal treatment of elephants by the circus.He said that I &#8220;tirelessly tried to demonize&#8221; the training and handling of their elephants. Yes, I certainly did, especially with the use of bullhooks.He admits: &#8220;Yes, we do use bullhooks, but not in the way the author would have you believe.&#8221;No?Well, here&#8217;s what the <a href="http://www.wildlifeadvocacy.org/" target="_blank">Wildlife Advocacy Project</a> has to say about them: &#8220;A &#8216;bullhook,&#8217; or &#8216;ankus,&#8217; is a 2-3 foot long club or stick with a sharp metal hook attached at the top. It is used repeatedly to beat, hit, and poke the animals, especially when they are young, to &#8216;train&#8217; and &#8216;break&#8217; them, and to make sure that they perform as required.&#8220;Although elephants are thought to have strong hides, in reality their skin is extremely sensitive, particularly behind the ears, on the trunk, and on the head &#8211; places where they are most often struck with the bullhook. The elephants&#8217; skin is so sensitive that the animals often throw dust or mud on their backs to protect their skin from sunburn. Once the animals have been hit repeatedly throughout their lives, just showing them the bullhook will often instill enough fear to get them to act as demanded.&#8221;He even denies that the move to drop the elephant act 18 months earlier than planned was not caused by the &#8220;tsunami of public outrage&#8221; as I charged in my essay, but rather &#8220;it was done to give families the opportunity to see our magnificent Asian elephants one last time.&#8221;Yes, and the check is in the mail.His is a pitiful effort to defend the indefensible: the brutal treatment of highly intelligent, highly social animals, just to make a buck.It&#8217;s pathetic and shows just how far &#8220;The Greatest Show on Earth&#8221; has fallen. And no amount of printed protest will be able to change that sad fact.Bob QuarteroniSwoyersville

Letter to the Editor: Elephant training by bullhook not acceptable, no matter what circus says