Group Also Urges City Never Again to Host an Animal Circus After Camel Escapes Into City Streets, Endangering Herself and the Public
For Immediate Release:
November 29, 2012
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
Glendale, Calif. --Today, PETA dispatched an urgent letter to Glendale Mayor Frank Quintero and other city officials urging them to immediately revoke the permit allowing the Ramos Bros. Circus to perform in the city. The letter follows a November 23 incident, in which a camel used by the circus escaped and ran toward a busy intersection, causing traffic to screech to a halt and alarming children and other residents. In the letter, PETA points out that the city's circus permit ordinance bestows Glendale officials with the authority to revoke the circus's permit in response to this incident, which unlawfully jeopardized public safety. PETA also informs the mayor of the circus's abysmal history, including operating without a required federal license, and reports that the circus has forced animals to live in their own waste and has restrained animals so that they couldn't even stand up. PETA is urging the mayor to push for a law banning the use of all exotic animals for exhibitions in the city.
"Ramos Bros. Circus has repeatedly demonstrated its indifference to animal suffering and its contempt for the laws meant to protect those animals and the public," says PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Delcianna Winders. "The potentially fatal escape of a camel should serve as the straw that breaks the back of the Ramos Bros.' welcome in Glendale."
In June, Ramos Bros. unlawfully displayed zebras in Corona, Calif., in violation of a city ordinance prohibiting the exhibition of wild or exotic animals, expressly including zebras. After PETA reported the violation, the city took immediate action to enforce the ordinance.
PETA has also submitted a formal complaint to the U.S. Department of Agriculture requesting an investigation into the camel-escape incident.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.
PETA's letter to Glendale Mayor Frank Quintero follows.
November 29, 2012
Frank Quintero, Mayor
Scott Ochoa, City Manager
Jess Duran, Director, Community Services & Parks
Parks, Recreation & Community Services Commission Members
Glendale City Hall
613 E. Broadway
Glendale, CA 91206
Re: Ramos Bros. Circus in Glendale, Calif.
Dear Mayor Quintero, Mr. Ochoa, Mr. Duran, and Commission Members:
I am writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and its more than 3 million members and supporters—many of whom live in the Glendale area—regarding the Ramos Bros. Circus ("Ramos Bros."), which is currently performing in Glendale. As you are likely aware, last week a camel escaped from Ramos Bros. and galloped down Glendale Boulevard toward a busy intersection, causing a traffic jam and endangering both herself and the public. We strongly urge to the city to exercise its authority to immediately revoke Ramos Bros.' permit since the circus has clearly constituted "a nuisance," has disturbed "the peace of the persons in the vicinity," and has been "deleterious to the public peace … [and] welfare." See Glendale City Code § 5.48.070.
Ramos Bros. has demonstrated a persistent and flagrant disregard for applicable federal and local laws that pertain to animal welfare and public safety. In addition to this most recent incident of public endangerment, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently cited Ramos Bros. for operating without a required federal license. PETA has received numerous complaints from concerned members of the public that Ramos Bros. regularly abuses animals, including tying them up so tightly that they cannot stand, forcing them to live in urine- and feces-filled enclosures, and failing to provide them with water. Just this past June, Ramos Bros. unlawfully exhibited zebras in Corona, Calif., in clear violation of a city prohibition on the display of wild or exotic animals. When PETA notified Corona officials, they took immediate action and ordered Ramos Bros. to remove the prohibited animals from the city.
In accordance with the Glendale City Code, I strongly urge you to take proactive steps to protect public safety, peace, and welfare by immediately revoking Ramos Bros.' permit and prevent further endangerment to the lives of humans and animals by ensuring that this is the last time that Glendale hosts a circus that uses animals. May I please hear of your decision by the end of the day?
Very truly yours,
Carney Anne Chester, Esq.
Counsel
Captive Animal Law Enforcement