Confessions of a Shriner

Published October 20, 2010 by PETA Staff. Last Updated November 30, 2022.

< 1 min read

“For over 100 years, the Shriners have sponsored this World Famous event with proceeds going to a great cause—helping less fortunate children in your community.” That quote was lifted from the Shrine Circus website.

But a Shriner in Fort Worth, Texas, was determined to let Animal Connection Texas members who were protesting the Moslah Shrine Circus know that “we [Shriners] don’t use one penny of this [circus revenue] for our kids.” Watch as he makes this point over and over.

Surprised? We’re not—after all, in addition to recounting numerous tiger and elephant attacks (both animal-on-trainer and vice versa), PETA’s lengthy factsheet on the Shrine Circus notes that various articles from The New York Times, the Edmonton Sun, and other newspapers have raised concerns about Shriners’ misrepresentations about funds coming in and going out.

So if, as the representative in the video insists, the Shriners don’t use money from circus performances featuring beaten elephants and whipped tigers to help children, what is all that money being spent on?

Written by Christine Becknell