PETA Slams Nicole Richie For Having Elephant At Her Reception
Dec. 13 2010, Published 3:47 p.m. ET
Nicole Richie and Joel Madden have been slammed by animal rights group, PETA, after their wedding day guest of honor was a live elephant.
As Breaking Celebrity News first reported, the pair had the giant animal delivered to their big day at Lionel Richie's Beverly Hills mansion on Saturday.
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But The People For Ethical Treatment of Animals is upset about their choice of entertainment and are planning on contacting the newlyweds to express their grievances.
"We know that Nicole is sympathetic to the plight of animals in the circus and is opposed to the way in which baby elephants are slammed to the ground and gouged with steel-tipped bullhooks in order to train them for circuses such as Ringling Bros," PETA said in a statement.
"We're sure she didn't know that Have Trunk Will Travel - the company that likely provided Tai the elephant, who was taken from the wild as a baby more than 40 years ago - trains it's elephants with bullhooks and electric shock prods.