Chained ‘Crying Elephants’ to Descend on D.C., Urge Shriners to End Animal Acts

For Immediate Release:
November 3, 2026

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

PETA supporters wearing large “crying elephant” masks and bound in chains will greet attendees at Shriners International’s Membership & Marketing Conference on Thursday to call on all Shriners to end animal acts in their circuses, where elephants and other animals are forced to perform under the constant threat of punishment.

“Elephants deserve to live in peace with their families, not chained and chided under the big top,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is calling on Shriners International to instruct its member clubs to leave cruel animal acts in the past and for everyone to avoid these Shrine circuses until they do.”

Where:           Capital Hilton, 1001 16th St. NW (at the intersection of 16th and L streets NW), Washington

When:            Thursday, November 5, 9 a.m.

In nature, elephants live in matriarchal herds, share mothering responsibilities for the herds’ babies, and enjoy playing with their families, foraging for fresh vegetation, and bathing in rivers. But those used in Shrine circuses are beaten, whipped, chained, and forced to perform demeaning and stressful tricks. Shrine circuses exploit elephants who were taken from their mothers as babies and condemned to a lifetime of suffering and servitude.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.