Protesters Draw Attention to Ringling's Practice of Forcing Crippled Elephants to Perform Stunts
For Immediate Release:
July 7, 2011
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
Houston -- Three costumed "elephants" will lead PETA's contingent of protesters on Thursday as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus prepares for its opening show at Reliant Park. Holding signs, the "elephants" will represent three lame elephants Sara, Nicole, and Karen who, according to very recent veterinary and inspection reports, are forced to perform grueling and painful tricks in the circus's shows despite suffering from health ailments—including, in the case of Nicole and Karen, arthritis. Local activists will also screen undercover video footage taken behind the scenes at Ringling's shows. The footage reveals how the circus's employees beat animals with spiked, metal bullhooks in order to show them "who's boss."
When: Thursday, July 7, 12 noon
Where: Reliant Park, on the east side of Kirby Drive at Murworth Drive, Houston
"Houston residents would run screaming from the big top if they knew that elephants used by Ringling suffer a lifetime of abuse," says PETA Director Delcianna Winders. "As infants, these elephants are torn away from their mothers and beaten into submission—and older, arthritic elephants like Nicole are still forced to perform painful contortions despite their ill health."
For more information, please visit PETA.org.