‘Beaten Elephant’ to Urge Moslah Shrine Circus to End Cruel Animal Acts
For Immediate Release:
November 4, 2026
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
A life-sized “battered elephant” will take center stage outside the NYTEX Sports Centre on Friday as PETA supporters confront the Moslah Shrine Circus over its continued exploitation of elephants, who endure intense confinement, chains, and the constant threat of violence when forced to perform. Animal allies will call on the Moslah Shrine Circus to end the cruel spectacles and go animal-free—just as Ringling Bros. and most other circuses have already done.
“The Moslah Shrine Circus turns elephants’ suffering into a sick sideshow, forcing these abused animals to perform demeaning tricks and give rides under threat of physical punishment,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is calling on the Shrine to relegate these shameful spectacles to the history books and urging families to stay away until it does.”
Where: NYTEX Sports Centre, 8851 Ice House Dr., North Richland Hills
When: Friday, Nov. 6, 4 p.m.
Why: In nature, elephants live in matriarchal herds, protect one another, and share mothering responsibilities for the herds’ babies. Video footage shows the head trainer for Carson & Barnes Circus—which has provided the elephant act for the Moslah Shrine Circus—instructing trainers to sink bullhooks (weapons used to control elephants through pain and fear) into the elephants’ flesh and twist them until they scream. Carson & Barnes Circus has been cited for nearly 150 violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act.
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.
