Elephant Permit Violation
Texas GOP convention featured elephant without required permit, sparking animal welfare concerns.
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Texas Republican officials brought a four-ton African elephant named Paige to their state convention in Houston — without the city permit required by law. Public records obtained through open-records requests confirm that neither the Texas GOP nor the exhibitor, Trunks and Humps, ever applied for Houston's mandatory wild animal permit before the June 12 event, according to McClatchy.
The permit violation compounds a growing controversy. Videos of a handler poking Paige with a bullhook — a sharp, fireplace-poker-like tool used to control elephants — went viral in the days after the convention. PETA Foundation Managing Director of Captive Wildlife Debbie Metzler is now demanding Houston law enforcement pursue charges, calling Paige a political "prop" subjected to "physical and psychological abuse."
No Permit, No Insurance, No Safety Plan Filed
Houston's city code requires anyone bringing a wild animal into the city for a public display to first get a temporary wild animal permit. The process is designed to protect the public. Applicants must show proof of liability insurance, a written plan explaining how the animal will be kept from escaping or harming people, and signed consent from the property owner — in this case, the city-owned George R. Brown Convention Center, according to The News Tribune.
None of that paperwork was filed. Skipping the permit is a misdemeanor under Houston ordinance. Each day of violation can carry a fine of up to $500. Because no safety plan was submitted, the city had no verified proof of insurance and no record of any crowd-control measures for an 8,000-pound animal inside a packed convention hall.
Exhibitor Carries a History of Federal Safety Violations
Trunks and Humps, a Montgomery County company also known as East Texas Elephant Experience and owned by Terrence and Becky Lemoine, has been cited multiple times by federal inspectors. A 2011 USDA inspection flagged a repeat violation after Paige was walked through a crowded walkway without enough staff to keep children at a safe distance, according to Miami Herald.
Paige is a 40-year-old African elephant. African savanna elephants are listed as Endangered by the IUCN. During her appearance at the convention, Paige stopped and urinated on the convention floor in front of delegates and press. The bullhook video that followed drew swift condemnation from animal welfare groups, who called for Paige to be retired to a sanctuary.
PETA Demands Charges as Political Fallout Grows
Debbie Metzler of the PETA Foundation said using Paige as a party symbol amounted to treating her as an "animal slave." She called on Houston law enforcement to act on both the permit violation and the bullhook footage. The Animal Rights Coalition echoed that demand, arguing that "forcing an elephant to perform is NOT natural" and that the convention hall appearance was a "recipe for disaster," according to Kansas City Star.
Texas Democrats seized on the footage of the elephant urinating, calling it a "perfect metaphor" for the convention. The permit scandal has shifted media coverage away from the party's legislative platform. The Texas GOP, for its part, framed the display as a celebration of unity and a "treat for delegates," and has not publicly addressed the missing permit, according to Tri-City Herald.
Growing Pressure to Ban Elephants From Political Events
Animal welfare advocates are now pushing Houston City Council to act. They point to Colorado's Traveling Animal Protection Act, passed in 2021, which bans the use of elephants in traveling exhibitions. Advocates argue Houston and other cities should follow that model to close the gaps that allowed Paige's appearance to happen in the first place, according to San Luis Obispo Tribune.
Houston's enforcement agency, BARC Animal Shelter and Adoptions, is responsible for investigating the permit violation. As of late June, no charges had been publicly announced. With PETA's formal demand now on record, pressure is mounting on city attorneys to decide whether to pursue the case — and how seriously to treat the lapse in public safety oversight.
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