While every Morrissey show is darkly entertaining, every Ringling show, with its behind-the-scenes elephant beatings, is just plain dark. So when Moz played Boston right as Ringling was rolling into town, he gave his bandmates PETA's "Ringling Beats Animals" tees to wear and gave Ringling the big middle drumstick:

© FilmMagic

Morrissey knows that true great shows don't involve beating crippled elephants with sharp metal-tipped bullhooks to force them to act out confusing tricks. PETA just released a new video showing a Ringling trainer striking an elephant, who is already showing signs of arthritis, because she wasn't performing exactly as she was told to.

Moz and his band choose to perform—elephants don't. Tell Ringling that until it stops beating elephants, it can beat it, with your own "Ringling Beats Animals" tee. 

One thing wasn't up for debate last night—PETA's "elephant" turned almost as many heads at the presidential debate as the motorcades did.

President Barack Obama read the elephant's sign and responded with a wave. Mitt Romney likely got the message, too, as he passed by twice. Fox News pundit Juan Williams took our circus leaflet and read over it. And Rudy Giuliani and Tom Brokaw checked us out. In addition, many of the 5,000 members of the media who were there wanted to interview us and take the elephant's picture.

While our elephant's species might seem to suggest that she belongs to the GOP, the only party she's concerned with is the one she'll throw when circuses are no longer allowed to imprison and beat elephants. Help make it a reality for her—go only to circuses that don't use animals.

PETA is dedicated to stopping the abuse of animals and promoting healthy vegan eating. We take no position in support of or opposition to any political party or candidate for public office.

PETA has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) after someone in the audience sent us this video showing a handler with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus' Red Unit hooking and striking an elephant named Luna—who has a history of leg problems—with a bullhook (a weapon used by the circus that resembles a fireplace poker):

Exotic-animal veterinarian Dr. Mel Richardson, observing that Luna was stiff in one of her legs—a sign of painful arthritis, one of the leading reasons why captive elephants are euthanized—determined that Luna was most likely not feeling well and didn't want to perform the trick, which required her to rear up on her hind legs. But the callous trainer continued to hook her in order to force her to perform—actions that Dr. Richardson described as "abusive."

Luna responds to this abuse by cowering.

And this is just what Ringling trainers do in front of the audience. Behind the scenes, they are fond of what they refer to as "tune-ups": screaming at and beating elephants as soon as the show is over as punishment for the animals' failure to do exactly what they were told to do.

We turned this new video evidence over to the USDA and filed a complaint, citing yet more violations of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) by Ringling, which holds the record for the most complaints. We are urging the USDA to investigate all the Red Unit elephants for bullhook wounds and to examine Luna for signs of illness and injury that would preclude her, by law, from performing. How much longer will these vulnerable elephants be forced to endure this abuse?

This abuse is par for the course for Ringling, which has already paid the largest fine in circus history for dozens of violations of the AWA.

Please contact the USDA and ask the agency, on the heels of yet another video showing that Ringling trainers beat elephants, to revoke Ringling's animal exhibitor license and pursue criminal charges against its trainers.