PORTLAND – Dozens of animal rights advocates are expected to protest outside the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland this weekend when the Shrine Circus comes to town.

“Elephant advocates want people to know the horrific cruelty that elephants suffer in the circus,” said Ann Albano, who is organizing the action.

She said a video will be played for circus-goers to see elephant abuse for themselves. “We are hoping they will make this the last circus they attend that uses elephants.”

The protest is set for 7 p.m. Saturday, April 17, at the Spring Street entrance to the civic center.

“If we did to our cats and dogs what is done to elephants, we would be paying huge fines or be put in jail,” she said.

The advocates are outraged that the Shriners would rehire an animal trainer who was observed, filmed and cited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for abuse with a bull hook while in Portland last spring.

William Morris, an independent contractor from Florida, has been hired to handle the elephants at the circus, said Albano. Morris has been repeatedly cited by the USDA for failure to provide adequate veterinary care and failure to provide a nutritional diet for two undersize elephants, shelter from the elements and adequate ventilation.

When the circus was in Portland last spring, Albano said, she took video footage of Morris “hooking” a cow elephant five times under the trunk, causing the elephant to cry out. Albano sent the tape to USDA animal inspectors and she said Morris received a verbal warning.

“We have nothing against the Shriners,” Albano maintained. “We just want them to eliminate the elephant performance. Elephants are trained with bull hooks and electricity to make them perform tricks. They are chained 23 hours a day by one front foot and one back foot, unable to turn around. Or they are confined in cramped trucks 23 hours a day.”

Albano said that the rocking and head shaking observed in captive elephants is abnormal, stress-related behavior never observed in wild elephants.

Kora Shrine Circus spokesman Pat Penley said Tuesday, “We’ve been working with Bill Morris for years. We’re very aware of the issues some people have with animal acts and we are very careful who we hire.”

Charlie Van Buskirk is the ringmaster of the Kora and Anah Shrine circuses. “I have worked with Bill Morris since 1989 and I’m familiar with his training methods and very comfortable with them,” he said Tuesday. “We have never had any problems with him.”

Buskirk said he reviews all USDA records on Morris and that most of the USDA citations are for minor infractions that do not directly affect animal health or treatment. “He is one of the gentlest trainers I’ve ever seen,” said Buskirk.

State legislators defeated a bill presented three years ago that would have banned performing elephants in Maine. A second bill was amended to remove any language about a ban but rather to adopt the current USDA standards. A public hearing will be held within the next few weeks regarding those standards, which Albano called weak and minimal.

“What Maine passed is just a resolution, not legislation. It has no penalties and is unenforceable,” she said.

Albano said the proposed standards in Maine include providing at least one hour of exercise daily, ventilation and temperature controls, and water.

“One regulation says that while in transit, the driver shall stop every six hours and check the elephants and make sure they have fresh water,” said Albano. “Who is going to enforce this?”

Albano said the Maine legislation was opposed by “fancy lawyers and lobbyists” from circuses, such as Ringling Brothers, which does not perform in Maine. “We were at a major disadvantage. It was a David and Goliath situation.”

She said that in the future, banning legislation will be attempted again and this time she will seek to add penalties to the treatment regulations.