L.A. council takes action to ban bullhooks used on elephants

A video shown by Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz to a packed audience at City Hall shows a trainer using a bullhook on a young elephant hogtied in a corral during training sessions.   (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

City Councilman Paul Koretz displays a bullhook while arguing for a ban on their use in Los Angeles. Koretz says the bullhooks inflict pain on elephants being trained for circus work.   (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Actress Christian Serratos, left, and Michelle Cho, vice president of the Los Angeles office of the Humane Society, celebrate the City Council’s support for a ban on the use of bullhooks in Los Angeles.   (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Los Angeles Councilman Paul Koretz, center, listens to actress and comedian Lily Tomlin, left, as she addresses reporters after the council voted to support a ban on bullhooks. Tomlin, an animal rights activist, has long pushed for a bullhook ban.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)