# Are circus elephants abused? How sensitive are elephants to pain?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-circus-elephants-abused-how-sensitive-are-elephants-to-pain/601590>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [November 2, 2011, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-circus-elephants-abused-how-sensitive-are-elephants-to-pain/601590 "2011-11-02T04:22:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 5

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-circus-elephants-abused-how-sensitive-are-elephants-to-pain/601590/81 "2011-11-21T21:12:36Z")

</div>

Of course, they’d need rather large ears to fly . . . Dumbo-sized just wouldn’t have enough lift . . .

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2011, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-circus-elephants-abused-how-sensitive-are-elephants-to-pain/601590/82 "2011-11-22T03:16:41Z")

</div>

The best I can do are some [swimming elephants](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpD40ewOyC4&feature=related).

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-circus-elephants-abused-how-sensitive-are-elephants-to-pain/601590/83 "2011-11-23T14:39:30Z")

</div>

> [@Siam\_Sam](#):
>
> The best I can do are some [swimming elephants](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpD40ewOyC4&feature=related).

I saw a clip of an elephant on huge water-skis once.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-circus-elephants-abused-how-sensitive-are-elephants-to-pain/601590.md?page=4)