ohmidog!

A lawsuit by a coalition of animal rights’ groups against the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus is scheduled to begin Wednesday.

The complaint — filed by American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Animal Welfare Institute and the Fund for Animals — claims the Asian elephants in the circus sleep and travel in cramped, filthy quarters and are routinely prodded with special clubs or “bull hooks.”

The organizations are seeking a federal injunction barring the circus from engaging in a number of practices they call cruel, including chaining the elephants for long stretches, according to the New York Times. The case will be heard in Washington.

The idea that the animals are happy “and allowed to roam free and to socialize” is an illusion, the plaintiffs say. They plan to introduce videotape documenting mistreatment and will call several experts on elephants, as well as some current or former Ringling Brothers trainers.

The circus say the elephants are “healthy and well cared for” and that they are attended to by veterinarians around the clock. The elephants’ quarters are roomy and well ventilated, heated when necessary, and that  the club or “guide” used by a trainer is no more cruel than a leash on a dog or a bridle on a horse.

“In effect,” the defense says, the plaintiffs “are hoping to put an end to circus elephants.”