Thanks to many, many kind people around the world, PETA's campaigns often reach even farther than the group's "official" campaigners can, as we were reminded when we came across this picture of a mural that someone had created in Szczecin, Poland, based on peta2's "Elephants Never Forget" campaign. In any language, the image of the bullhook and the sad, wounded elephant get the message across that circuses with captive animals abuse and beat them, so they're no place for pachyderms—or people who care about animals. Please join the worldwide movement to end circus cruelty today.

Update: Rather than follow in Rio Rancho's compassionate footsteps, the New Mexico State Fair has decided to allow Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus to perform on the state fairgrounds from June 1 to 3 despite Ringling's long history of animal abuse and the vocal opposition of many citizens. You can express your disagreement with the state fair's decision by calling the general manager of the state fair, Dan Mourning, at 505-222-9739 and politely telling him that Ringling should not be allowed to perform on the state fairgrounds. You can also follow up your call with an e-mail to Mourning.

Ringling just got its bell rung, courtesy of Rio Rancho, New Mexico. The circus was scheduled to perform in the city in June, but because of Ringling's sordid history of violations of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and its recent $270,000 fine from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the city refused to issue Ringling a permit to perform.

James Preston|cc by 2.0

Just last year, Rio Rancho added a provision to its animal ordinance barring any animal shows that had been fined by the USDA in the past five years or cited for violating the AWA in the last three years. Since Ringling just paid the largest fine in circus history last year and racked up 10 violations of the AWA in the past three years, it certainly didn't pass muster. PETA has sent a thank-you letter to the city.

Ringling's Next Move—and How to Stop It

Now Ringling is trying to haul "The Cruelest Show on Earth" to the state fairgrounds in Albuquerque. PETA is appealing to the Tingley Coliseum at the fairgrounds, detailing Ringling's long history of animal abuse and urging the venue to block the circus just as Rio Rancho has.

What You Can Do

Call state fair officials at 505-222-9700 and politely urge them not to allow Ringling to perform. You can follow up your call with an e-mail to the general manager of the state fair, Dan Mourning.

PETA has joined Animal Defenders International in filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) for illegally issuing permits allowing the Ringling Bros. circus to export endangered tigers and elephants for use in its shows anywhere at any time for the next three years!

How Do You Spell 'Rubber Stamp'? F-W-S

FWS has allowed incomplete permit applications from Ringling for far too long. It is illegal to export endangered animals, and the Endangered Species Act includes exceptions to this prohibition only in the most limited of circumstances. To get a permit, an application containing very specific information needs to be submitted to FWS—and as a matter of law, all this information must be made available to the public.

FWS violated this requirement in numerous ways by issuing these latest permits. First, it didn't tell the public about four of the elephants Ringling sought to export, so PETA and the public were illegally deprived of some of the information related to the applications. In addition, the permit applications to which the public was given access lacked extensive information required by law, including details about when, to where, and for how long Ringling intends to export the animals as well as specific data about Ringling's supposed conservation education activities, which it used as justification for the permit.

Because concerned citizens were denied this information—and because FWS must stop illegally rubber-stamping incomplete permit applications—PETA has filed suit.

Big Suffering Behind the Big Top

There's no telling how much these animals will be forced to endure abroad, where, in many countries, animal protection laws are scarce and enforcement is even less common. One of the elephants FWS is allowing Ringling to export is Sarah, who tested positive for tuberculosis and was taken off the road after collapsing last year in Anaheim, California—and after the U.S. Department of Agriculture cited Ringling for failing to treat her adequately for a chronic infection.

At home or abroad, Ringling is bad news for animals, which is why more and more people are speaking out against the circus's inexcusable cruelty. Help the animals abused by Ringling by adding your voice at RinglingBeatsAnimals.com. 

"As a lifelong Democrat, I never thought I'd lead an effort to defend the symbol of the Republican Party," writes Alec Baldwin in a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. Baldwin is sending Vilsack the video he hosted for PETA exposing Ringling Bros.' abuse of animals and asking the USDA to take action.

Despite the fact that many states and cities have animal protection laws in place that prohibit abuse such as beating animals with steel-tipped bullhooks, forcing crippled animals to work, or keeping animals in chains, state and local laws often go unenforced, and circuses like Ringling continue their cruel business as usual. But the USDA has the power to change that.

Under the Animal Welfare Act, the USDA has the power to seize all of Ringling's arthritic elephants who are forced to perform, meaning that these animals, who are beaten day after day to make them to perform painful stunts, could then be retired to sanctuaries. It would be another positive step for the USDA to take toward protecting animals from cruelty, after last year's landmark $270,000 fine levied against Ringling for animal welfare violations.

Join Alec in asking the USDA to step up in behalf of elephants once again.

In advance of the Ringling Bros. circus' stop in Baltimore later this month, Jada Pinkett Smith, a proud native of Charm City, has written to Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake urging her to make sure that the city's absolute ban on the use of any "mechanical, electrical, or manual device that is likely to cause physical injury or suffering" to induce or encourage an animal to perform is enforced, according to Baltimore City Health Code § 10-407(a), to prohibit Ringling from using bullhooks on elephants.

Calling Bull on Hooks

In her letter, Jada explains, "Unlike me and other actors, elephants do not choose to perform. They are often violently coerced by Ringling's trainers with bullhooks, which are jabbed into the sensitive areas of their bodies."

Using bullhooks on elephants in Baltimore would be against the law—not that the violation would be a first for Ringling, which was slapped with a record $270,000 fine for abuse of animals in circuses, stemming from dozens of violations of the Animal Welfare Act all the way back to 2007.

How You Can Help Ringling's Elephants

Join Jada Pinkett Smith, Cloris Leachman, Chrissie Hynde, and many more kind people in demanding action to protect the elephants abused by Ringling.

Ringling Bros. might have gotten a reprieve from the bullhook ban in Fulton County, Georgia (claiming it can't have elephants without the weapons), for the moment, but The Cruelest Show on Earth couldn't escape the throngs of people who showed up to protest on its opening day.

Armed with a bullhorn, posters, leaflets, a flat-screen TV that showed a video of trainers as they beat elephants with bullhooks, giant inflatable pachyderms, and large, eye-catching pictures of "elephant training," the protesters drew quite a crowd.

The circus … not so much. Word from inside was that it didn't look like many people had bought tickets.

In June, the Board of Commissioners of Fulton County, Georgia, at the urging of PETA, Demi Moore, local citizens, and other animal advocates, banned the use of bullhooks, fireplace poker–like goads that are used to beat and hook elephants in sensitive areas of their bodies in order to make them obey commands. This meant that if Ringling Bros. wanted to bring the Cruelest Show on Earth to Atlanta, it would have to leave behind the torture devices that the elephants fear.

But with its Atlanta shows scheduled to start this week, Ringling, knowing that it can't control the elephants without bullhooks and so would have to leave the pachyderms out of the ring, filed a plea for a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the ban on Monday afternoon, claiming that there was no specific intergovernmental agreement between Fulton County and the city of Atlanta and that the ban did not apply in the city. To everyone's surprise, Ringling got its way, and the TRO was granted.

PETA has issued the following statement:

Fulton County Commissioner Robb Pitts issued a statement saying he believes that there was an implied agreement between Atlanta and Fulton County and that the ban should be upheld.

Compassionate people are making their voices heard, and they will continue until the beatings under the big top stop.  

The town of Molins de Rei has joined more than 60 other Spanish cities that have enacted bans against circuses that use animals.

Our colleagues at Asociación Animalista Libera received overwhelming support from city officials after pointing out that animals in circuses live in cramped cages and are beaten with bullhooks and whips in order to force them to obey. The ban includes all exhibitors that use wild animals.

Contact PETA's Action Team to get a campaign to ban animal acts underway in your own town.

PETA has sent Compassionate Legislator Awards to members of the Margate, Florida, City Commission for unanimously voting to ban bullhooks, electric prods, and other cruel devices specifically designed to inflict pain on animals. The move means that the Cole Bros. Circus, which has visited Margate in the past and whose handlers have been caught on tape beating elephants with bullhooks, should be barred from bringing elephants into the city in the future.

The sharp metal hook and tip on the end of a bullhook can rip elephants' skin and leave bloody wounds and abscesses. The tricks that animals in circuses and traveling shows are forced to perform go against their natural instincts, which is why handlers must beat them into submission. When not performing, animals in circuses spend most of their lives caged or chained in trailers and railroad boxcars while traveling from city to city.

Cities and counties all across the country have enacted bans or restrictions against shows that hurt and exploit animals. You can help by contacting your own local officials to ask them to initiate proceedings to do the same. E-mail our Action Team for help getting started.

Arran_Edmonstone | cc by 2.0

As if being beaten and sodomized at 5 years old weren't enough to endure, Rose-Tu, an elephant at the Oregon Zoo, is facing her second forced pregnancy. 

The Oregon Zoo paid a $10,000 federal fine after authorities found that this youngster had sustained 176 gashes and cuts after being repeatedly struck with a bullhook—a heavy baton with a sharp metal hook on the end—that was also used to sodomize her. It's little wonder that Rose-Tu's first forced pregnancy resulted in the chaining of the confused and frightened mother after she kicked her newborn.

Traumatic, costly elephant-breeding programs are indefensible. The mortality rate for babies is high, and no baby who manages to survive will ever be released into the wild. If Rose-Tu's pregnancy is successful, her baby may eventually be shipped to Have Trunk Will Travel, an outfit caught on tape abusing elephants, including a baby.

Remember: The way that you can make the most difference for animals like Rose-Tu is by never buying a ticket to the zoo.

Written by Jennifer O'Connor