Jordan World Circus to Face PETA Uproar as Fight to Free Abused, Ailing Elephant Comes to Puyallup
For Immediate Release:
March 25, 2026
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
On Friday, PETA supporters will deploy a 20-foot-tall “crying elephant” outside the Jordan World Circus at the Pierce County Arena to demand the release of Viola—“The Most Desperate Elephant in the World”—who has run from her abusers at least four times. PETA supporters have been following the act across the country, with pleas to “Free Viola,” who is suffering from chronically swollen feet and other painful, debilitating ailments—and whowill only be sparedfrom being forced to perform in Puyallup because of a statewide ban on the use of elephants and other wild animals in circuses.
Viola was taken from her home and family in Asia as a baby and has spent five decades in chains under the notorious Carson & Barnes Circus—which supplies elephants to the Jordan World Circus. Other animals forced to perform in the circus include dogs, horses, and ponies—and PETA is calling on the Jordan World Circus to join Ringling Bros. and many other circuses by going animal-free for the animals’ safety and the public’s.
“While some people run away to join the circus, Viola the elephant keeps trying to run away from the circus, where she’s spent a lifetime suffering in chains and servitude,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is calling on Jordan World Circus to end these archaic and cruel animal acts, and for everyone to stay away until they do.”
Where: Outside Pierce County Arena at West Washington Fairgrounds, Green Gate, 131 9th Ave. SE (at the intersection with S. Meridian), Puyallup
When: Friday, March 27, 3:30 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 been cited for more than 100 violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act—instructing trainers to sink sharp, steel-tipped bullhooks into elephants’ flesh and twist them until the animals scream.
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.
