‘Free Okha!’ PETA ‘Crying Elephants’ to Demand Freedom for Ailing Elephant at Circus in Starke
For Immediate Release:
November 4, 2026
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
On Friday, PETA supporters wearing “crying elephant” masks and holding signs will gather outside the Loomis Bros. Circus at the Bradford County Fairgrounds to demand freedom for Okha, a 56-year-old, morbidly obese elephant who struggles to move but is still being forced to perform and give rides.
“For more than 50 years, Okha has been denied freedom, companionship of others of her own kind, or opportunity to live as an elephant should, and now she staggers about in pain,” says PETA Foundation Managing Director of Captive Wildlife Debbie Metzler. “PETA is calling on Loomis Bros. to stop the cruelty and allow this ailing, elderly elephant to retire to a reputable sanctuary where she can finally live in peace and urges everyone to stay away from circuses that still use animals.”
Where: Bradford County Fairgrounds, 2302 N Temple Ave., Starke (near the intersection with NE 179th Street)
When: Friday, November 6, 7 p.m.
Credit: PETA
Why: Okha was stolen from her home and family in India as a baby and has been kept in isolation since 2022, even though elephants naturally live in close-knit family herds. She is morbidly obese, putting strain on her aging joints and back, and struggles to lie down, rise, or even move about. Yet exhibitor Brian Franzen—who has previously been charged with felony cruelty to animals and was caught on camera yanking and striking an elephant in the face with a bullhook—continues to haul her from town to town for circus shows.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any other way”—points out that when it comes to the ability to feel pain, hunger, and thirst, an elephant is a dog is a boy. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
