Dozens of Kids to Lead Protest Against Ringling Bros.’ Cruelty to Animals

Young PETA Supporters and Their Parents Will Draw Attention to Ringling’s Violent Treatment of Baby Elephants

For Immediate Release:
July 8, 2014

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382

PETA protesters—including nearly 50 children and their families—will gather outside the STAPLES Center on Wednesday afternoon as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus prepares for its show. The protesters will display compelling photos, taken inside Ringling’s training compound, that expose how baby elephants used by Ringling are stretched out, slammed to the ground, gouged with steel-tipped bullhooks—weapons that resemble fireplace pokers with a sharp steel hook on one end—and shocked with electric prods. These abusive sessions go on for several hours a day in order to force the baby elephants to obey out of fear of punishment. Actor Edie Falco has narrated a video exposé that focuses on how circuses abuse elephants.

When:   Wednesday, July 9, noon

Where:  STAPLES Center, 1111 S. Figueroa St. (near the intersection with 12^th Street), Los Angeles

“For animals, there’s nothing fun about the circus—only misery, pain, and fear,” says 6-year-old PETA protester Genesis Palacio. “I’m asking my friends, classmates, neighbors, and everyone else to be kind to animals by staying far away from Ringling’s shows.”

In late 2011, Ringling Bros. paid the largest fine in circus history—$270,000—for violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

For more information, please visit PETA’s website RinglingBeatsAnimals.com.