I have taken these photographs on the 24th of September 2008 of a circus in Portugal.
The elephant collapsed and is absolute undernourished.

http://www.portugalresident.com/portugalresident/showstory.asp?ID=29548

http://www.portugalresident.com/portugalresident/showstory.asp?ID=29747

Here the answer of the circus director.

http://www.portugalresident.com/portugalresident/showstory.asp?ID=29871

I hope that there will be a law to stop wild animals in circuses but especially the elephant.

I have worked with elephants in captivity for over 23 years, along with other and various kinds of animals. I was born and raised in a family that trained animals for the movie industry, and so have 45 years of hands on personal experience from THAT end of the spectrum.
I have often seen bad, or abusive behaviour with circus owned elephants. But I also know not all elephant owners are of the same ilk. I for one, would let my ladies loose, be it in the Windham Ski lodge mountains, or in the ocean at Coos Bay, or to play in the snow of Danner's Pass. We maintained a Winter Quarters with a pond, and large area for exercise, plus would weekly take the ladies for walks into the wooded areas around our place. I would often let the ladies loose, to mud bath, scratch on trees, run around and trumpet, and eat fresh fodder. I trusted my Ladies, and they trusted me. My personal Lady was Churchill, a beautiful African. My problem, was in showing others that this can be done. And my biggest problem was the zoos, who treat the elephants as prisoners, deficating and eating off the same area, for years on end. No mental stimulation, no communication, and no change. My Ladies were healthy vibrant and extremely intelligent elephants, investigating their surroundings (and often causing me to practice re-pair skills) and were generally content it seemed. Everyone had their place in the pecking order (I was somewhere below the Lead elephant, Zola) and accepted as a member of the family. So while I agree with your general statement, I do not believe all elephant trainers should be painted with the same brush. True I am retired now, but it does bother me when folks jump on the worst, and think that is all there is to it. Yes I used an ankus. And my Lead Lady taught me to back off, because I had gotten a bit outta hand, pushing. She taught me well, yet surprisingly gently, that respect is always due, and I am only there as a guide, not the head, or lead. But too, she respected me, and trusted me. I never got into the macho ego nonsense that gets people killed. An Ankus is supposed to be used like a leash, not as punishment. But I also know a leash can be abused. We laughed about the leash law in California, about animals on the beach. We used baling twine and wrapped one strand around the elephant's neck, and held it like a leash....ok...and the girls had a blast that day, wallowing in the water. I have often been saddened that other people wouldn't take the time with their ladies, to get to know them, and learn to trust them. We were only with circuses as private contractors, to support our habit. Eatting gets expensive when you are 8-10 thousand pounds of mountain. And we were anywhere from 5-9 mountains.

Yes I support the efforts of keeping elephants in the wild, but I also think any who step out and wish to be a keeper, handler, or trainer of the captive elephants we also have to care for should be 1) educated!, 2) monitor and 3)licence each person, just like for hazardous waste material handlers. 40 hour HAZWOPERS have to go thru an 8 hr refresher course once a year, bring up to date new info, to re-establish old knowledge, and to make sure the care needed is ingrained. I believe having viable new bloodlines, and genetic material should be maintained in a sensitive and stimulating environment, and for this material to be available for the wild cousins is important.

I hope I haven't offended anyone, but again, I repeat. We have to be able to care for, and handle the elephants we have in captivity. As they are an intelligent and communicating animal, we should also respectfully continue to work with them, in an atmosphere generated around the family. Families can be of strangers, with proper care, respect, and understanding, and worked into a cooperative group. No hands handling can and has lead to difficulties, when we are talking about confined areas. And elephants are so intelligent, it would be a shame to no longer interact with them.