Party-Supply Superstore Pulls Prop of Elephant Performing Circus Trick
Shindigz Rejects Imagery of Cruelty to Animals After PETA Appeal
For Immediate Release:
November 16, 2016
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
A box of delicious elephant-shaped vegan chocolates is on its way as a thank-you from PETA to South Whitley–based Shindigz, the world’s largest party-supply superstore. The company agreed to stop selling a party prop that showed a baby elephant standing on a striped ball after PETA pointed out that elephants used in circuses are taken away from their mothers as babies, tied down, and shocked with electric prods in order to teach them to obey or else suffer the consequences.
“As a company committed to opposing cruelty to animals, Shindigz was quick to drop the image depicting a suffering baby elephant,” says PETA Director of Corporate Affairs Anne Brainard. “By pulling this party prop from its inventory, the company joins PETA in sending the message that circuses that use and abuse animals will soon be found only in history books.”
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—notes that circuses keep elephants, tigers, and other animals on the road for up to 50 weeks a year. When they aren’t being forced to perform under the threat of punishment, they’re usually shackled in chains or locked inside cramped cages, where they have no choice but to eat, sleep, and defecate all in the same place.
Ringling Bros. circus took elephants off the road this year, acknowledging a “mood shift” among the public. Shindigz—which previously dropped all Ringling Bros.–branded products following discussions with PETA—is part of a long list of companies that have ended circus sponsorships or endorsements, including Denny’s, Ford, Lucky Brand, and American Eagle Outfitters, which stopped selling a shirt that showed an elephant standing on his head. Last month, following discussions with PETA, TripAdvisor—the world’s largest travel site—announced that it will no longer sell tickets for elephant rides.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.
