Possible Ban on Bullhooks May End Circus' Tenure in Oakland

The circus may never come to Oakland again if the City Council bans a device.

Oakland next month may become the second city in the nation to ban the use of "bullhooks" used to control circus elephants, according to the Oakland Tribune.

The ban would likely end the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus' 92-year-run in Oakland.

Bullhooks are small batons with sharp, hooked ends trainers use to control elephants and ensure the safety of the public and performers, the newspaper reported. Animal welfare advocates, however, said the device is barbaric and should be banned.

Meanwhile, the circus said that there will be no circus without the hooks.

The Oakland Zoo -- which stopped using bullhooks on its elephants decades ago -- backs the ban, noting that using a bullhook is akin to giving the animals a "stab," the newspaper reported.

Oakland, however, stands to lose out on more than the circus as the performances and other events put on by the same promotion company generates millions in revenue for the city, the Tribune reported.

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