What is the Bullhook?
The bullhook — also known as an elephant goad, ankus, or elephant hook — is a rod usually made of steel or bronze, fitted with a sharp, metal-tipped hook. In appearance, it closely resembles a fireplace poker.
The bullhook is a weapon.
Why Do Elephant Handlers Use Bullhooks?
Bullhooks are used by circuses and some zoos to inflict pain and fear, for the ultimate purpose of controlling and disciplining elephants.
Elephants are wild animals. They are not domesticated and have their own ideas as to what they want to do, and how they want to live. Bullhooks are used to coerce elephants to do humans’ bidding.
Elephants are vastly larger and more powerful than humans. To dominate elephants, circuses especially exploit fear and learned helplessness to extract obedience out of these beautiful beings.
In this process, elephants, who are autonomous, sentient creatures with intelligence, social lives, and the ability to suffer, are rendered subservient.
AZA zoos now use protected contact with barriers between keepers and elephants
Success! Bullhooks are losing legal status
Three states and nearly 200 localities have banned the use of bullhooks and/or traveling animal acts.
Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) Bans Bullhooks
After years of exposing the cruelty of bookhook abuse, along with campaigns to ban these weapons in several states, including California and Oregon, In Defense of Animals, along with other organizations and activists, has succeeded in helping to bring about the end of the use of bullhooks in AZA’s 63 member zoos with elephants. Although a few private zoos, and zoos in Canada who are regulated by the Canadian Association of Zoos & Aquariums (CAZA), still manage their elephants with bullhooks, AZA zoos do not and are under threat of losing their accreditation if they are found to be using them. That was the case when the Pittsburgh Zoo lost its accreditation in 2015 for allowing free contact between elephants and handlers. In 2024, When it decided to comply with the ban, it regained its accreditation.
The ban started with a phaseout in 2019
As we reported here, the AZA Board adopted a policy stating that by January 1, 2021, bullhooks may not be used in daily care and routine training of elephants. The same policy allowed limited exceptions: if a facility director determines it necessary, a bullhook may be accessible for “specific emergency situations or… non‐routine prescribed medical procedures” for elephants historically trained with a bullhook.
On June 6, 2022, AZA reaffirmed and completed implementation of the policy: it directed AZA staff to revise accreditation standards to prohibit all uses of the bullhook effective January 1 2023.
In Conclusion
Bullhooks are weapons whose sole purpose is the abuse and intimidation of captive animals. Fortunately, they are now banned in the majority of zoos. And many circuses have stopped exploiting animals and are now human-powered.
While this is a huge step for protecting elephants, it is still important to remember that elephants do not belong in zoos or circuses.
What Can YOU Do To Help Elephants?
- Do not visit zoos, aquariums, or circuses, or roadside attractions that use and therefore exploit animals unless you’re there to document abuse.
- Check out our celebrated 10 Worst Zoos for Elephants lists.
- Have a look at the work our Elephants campaign is doing.
- Take action for captive elephants and wild animals by signing our action alerts.
- Donate to In Defense of Animals to assist us in our efforts to free animals from their cages.
