This past weekend, my husband, Ed, and I set our sights on traveling to the south coast of New Jersey to see the current unnatural-looking tropic waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The turquoise-blue water is a phenomenon due to a phytoplankton bloom and the Northeast suffering from a drought. As the Atlantic Ocean’s cooler, deeper water was pushed to the surface via an upwelling, the phytoplankton appeared causing the water to look as if you were visiting the Bahamas. No one knows how long this occurrence will last and I wanted to see it firsthand. It was breathtaking when we viewed the ocean in Margate, New Jersey.
The “tropical” Atlantic Ocean in Margate, New Jersey photo by Tina Evangelista-Eppenstein
I also wasn’t going to pass on the opportunity to see a National Historic Landmark located in the heart of Margate – Lucy the Elephant. Lucy is a 9o ton, six-story statue with a 36 ft. long trunk. She was originally built in 1881 to lure potential property buyers to the area. Her original home was Atlantic City but she was moved to Margate where she is a popular tourist attraction.
Today is Lucy’s 135th birthday with a public celebration this Saturday. Lucy has been home to a tavern, a summer cottage for rental, and a home to another. She is considered one of the more unique sites to see in the nation which is why I wanted to see her.
Looking out at the Atlantic Ocean from Lucy’s howdah photo by Tina Evangelista-Eppenstein
Last year, Lucy needed repairs to her howdah – the platform on her back. The cost was $58,000. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals ) reached out to the Saving Lucy Committee offering to make a donation toward the construction/painting project at the National Historic Landmark in exchange “for allowing the iconic elephant to be used as a vehicle to promote awareness of the treatment of circus elephants.”
In exchange for the donation, PETA wanted to use Lucy to promote awareness of circus elephants by hanging a banner on the iconic statue. PETA also wanted to attach a foam shackle to one of Lucy’s legs depicting what circus elephants endure. The last request was to add a teardrop below one of Lucy’s eyes. This request was troublesome for Lucy CEO, Richard Helfant, because he said, “Lucy is a happy place. We must always insure that children who visit Lucy have a happy experience and leave with smiles on their faces. Anything that could sadden a child is not acceptable here at Lucy”. He added, “While every donation is important to an almost completely self-funded non-profit organization, this one comes with too many conditions. Lucy is a National Historic Landmark whose mission is historic preservation.”
While what I’m writing is old news, it’s important to understand how PETA works. Before the CEO of the Save Lucy Committee was contacted by PETA about their request, the animal rights group sent out a (premature) press release to the media leading the public to believe they were offering to pay for the total restoration when in reality they were willing to make a $2,000 donation, not $58.000. This is all they offered in order to promote their cause.
PETA uses tactics that aren’t considered acceptable by many. PETA believes in killing animals, especially “pit-bull” type dogs. They argue that pit bulls have no place in modern society and the only manner in which to solve all types of bites and maulings by the “breed” is to ban and destroy them. They have teamed up with an anti-bully group to further their cause.
PETA also believes feral/community cats should be killed no matter how young or how healthy they are. They don’t believe feral cats should exist. They’re known to round up a group of cats and take them to local shelters to be destroyed.
Then there’s the case of Maya, the Chihuahua, who was taken off of her own front porch by a PETA worker and euthanized shortly after that. PETA had claimed they had permission to go onto the property by the owners to get rid of the feral cats. PETA acknowledged taking Maya was a tragic mistake. Tragic mistake?! They had no right to kill Maya! The family of Maya is suing PETA for $9 million for trespassing and emotional distress. The day Maya was stolen, the daughter went shopping with her family to purchase a pillow for the small dog. It was only due to surveillance video that they saw it was a PETA van who stopped and took Maya. PETA says Maya wasn’t worth anything.
Then there’s their own shelter in Norfolk, Virginia where they destroy most of the animals that enter their doors. Very few animals find homes. Out of 2,000 animals PETA had at its shelter in 2015, approximately 500 found their way out of the place with some placed in other shelters. PETA defends its high rate of euthanasia by saying the animals are unadoptable.
Save Lucy Committee board member, Robert McGuigan, stated “Cruelty to animals is abhorrent, but given the divisive nature of some of PETA’s campaigns, Lucy is much better off seeking ‘no strings attached’ donations”.
Ingrid Newkirk, Founder and president of PETA had this to say:
PETA’s offer would have gone a little way toward helping fund much-needed renovations of this historic tourist attraction while educating visitors about the plight of Lucy’s sisters in circuses, where elephants are chained and beaten into performing. PETA’s Ella the Elephant statue in Washington, D.C., is hugely popular with passersby, including children, who see Ella’s tearful face and understand that circuses like Ringling Bros. are no fun for animals.
Before you support any animal organization, please do you your homework to understand their beliefs.
Tina Evangelista-Eppenstein is a television talk show host, speaker, writer and animal advocate. She hosts the show, ” A Close-Up Look at Animal Welfare Issues.” Have a story, please email Tina at tevangelistaepp@yahoo. Like my tv page at https://www.facebook.com/ACloseUpLookAtAnimalWelfareIssues and check out AnimalWelfareIssues.com for all the tv shows you may have missed!
I thought Peta helped animals. I’m so disappointed and dismayed by their actions. It’s shocking to read this. I gave money to them but never knowing the truth. Never again.
The truth is shocking.
PETA kills! They rarely help animals. They’d rather see them dead than alive. They don’t think we should have pets. They want pit bulls dead. They aren’t right in the head with their way of thinking. They kill most of their pets in their shelter. No more PETA! Newkirk is proud of killing animals. Why the hell is she in charge of a “pro” animal group is beyond my thinking.
Katie Ann, PETA does euthanize most of the animals In the Virginia shelter. They claim the animals are unadoptable. It’s sad that a leading animal organization would consider so many animals unadoptable. I don’t agree with many of PETA’s positions either but they are effective at many campaigns and creating awareness of animal issues.
Thanks.
I’ve seen Lucy the elephant when I was visiting friends in Margate. She is big. I didn’t go in but she sticks out when you’re at the beach and she is a landmark you can’t miss. I don’t see why taking money from PETA was wrong for them. It could’ve educated people on the terrible conditions elephants endure in circuses.
The committee for Lucy the Elephant finds PETA too divisive and didn’t want problems because Lucy is meant to represent a happy place. Putting a shackle on Lucy and a teardrop under her eye along with a banner explaining what happens to elephants at circuses didn’t seem to fit their criteria to showcase a happy elephant. Thanks.
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PETA is full of hypocrisy. They’d rather kill animals than keeping them as pets. They’re insane.
Thank you for the effort, keep up the great work Great work.