Council Joins Bellevue University in Rejecting Circus After Local Citizens Condemn Chronic Violator of Federal Law
For Immediate Release:
April 10, 2012
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
Bellevue, Neb. -- After Bellevue citizens responded to PETA's action alert and appealed to the City Council to vote against Carson & Barnes Circus' application for a permit to hold shows at Bellevue University, councilmembers denied the circus' special use permit application. The university also canceled the circus's appearance, telling PETA that it had been unaware of the long history of cruelty to animals and the recent government citations issued to Carson & Barnes.
Carson & Barnes has been cited for multiple violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA) just in the last year, including for using excessive force on an elephant and for failing to protect members of the public—including small children—from abused elephants who were forced to give rides.
"Bellevue councilmembers and Bellevue University are to be commended for giving the boot to a circus that routinely violates the most basic animal protection laws," says PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Delcianna Winders. "Bellevue citizens made it clear that they don't want elephants beaten with bullhooks in Bellevue."
Carson & Barnes has a long history of animal abuse, including paying a fine to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) after its animal care director, Tim Frisco, was caught on camera viciously attacking terrified elephants with bullhooks and shocking them with electric prods. Last summer, the USDA cited the circus for using a bullhook with excessive force on an elephant named Viola, who was forced to give people rides despite her history of bolting from handlers. The USDA also cited the circus for multiple instances in which elephants forced to give rides were not under the direct supervision of handlers, including one time when a handler answered his cell phone and walked away from an elephant while she had six children and an adult on her back.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.
