Jumbo stressed, protesters say

Jumbo the elephant stood swaying in the car park of The Kensington pub, in Dunedin, yesterday, as a small group of protesters, circus management and police played out an ongoing dispute just metres away.

It was the 35-year-old four-tonne African elephant's tendency to sway from side to side that is part of the dispute - the Save Animals From Exploitation (Safe) campaign group says it is evidence the animal is exhibiting signs of psychological distress, while the circus says it is normal behaviour.

Jumbo was to have arrived at the Oval with the travelling Loritz Circus for shows during Easter after being granted an exemption by the Dunedin City Council from rules banning exotic animals from council-owned reserves.

But lobbying by Safe changed councillors' minds, forcing Loritz Circus management to strike a deal with the nearby Kensington, allowing her to reside on land at the rear of the car park, just metres away from where the circus was set up.

Protesters turned up at the site at 12.45pm yesterday, prompting circus management to call police.

Safe Dunedin co-ordinator Genevieve Robinson said the group had been handing out pamphlets when the elephant's handler, Tony Ratcliffe, began "remonstrating" with them.

She repeated the group's asssertion Jumbo was tethered by a chain around her foot which did not have a full plastic covering between the chain and the animal's skin.

Safe wants the animal retired to a sanctuary, with a zoo in Dubbo, Australia, suggested as a possibility.

Circus operations manager Markus Loritz said Safe had "no knowledge" of the elephant, and the Dubbo zoo was not interested in footing the bill for Jumbo to go there.

- david.loughrey@odt.co.nz