For Immediate Release:
March 19, 2008

Contact:
Matt Prescott 757-622-7382

Ringling's animal care record is riddled with animal deaths and U.S. Department of Agriculture noncompliance notices, investigations, warnings, and penalties, including a $20,000 fine for the death of a baby elephant who died after Ringling forced him to enter the ring repeatedly while he was sick and a formal warning for inflicting painful injuries on two baby elephants. Former Ringling employees have reported shocking abuses, including that a chained elephant bled profusely following a violent 30-minute beating with steel-tipped bullhooks, terrified elephants who urinated and defecated in fear at the sound of their trainers' voices, a lion who died in the desert heat in a boxcar, a horse who died without receiving veterinary care, and horses who were tethered and beaten.

Harris Teeter joins Denny's, General Mills, Burger King, Liz Claiborne, MasterCard, Ford Motor Company, and Sears, Roebuck and Co., all of which ended their sponsorships of either Ringling or UniverSoul circuses.

"We salute Harris Teeter for distancing itself from the whips, chains, and loneliness that define circuses like Ringling," says PETA Vice President Bruce Friedrich. "A trail of dead baby elephants is something that any business concerned about its public image can do without."

Broadcast-quality video footage of Ringling's animal abuse is available. For more information, please visit Circuses.com.