‘Lion’ and ‘Tiger’ to Roar in Protest at Ringling’s Last-Ever Opening Night

PETA Members Will Rally Outside Cruelest Show on Earth, Send Message That There's Still Work to Be Done

For Immediate Release:
May 12, 2017

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Long Island, N.Y.What:    A lively “lion” and a triumphant “tiger” will lead members of a coalition of local animal rights groups—including PETA, Long Island Orchestrating for Nature, and CompassionWorks International—in a victory rally outside Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Friday, when Ringling Bros. circus will hold its final opening-night show. Demonstrators will celebrate the demise of the saddest show on Earth with signs reading, “Bye, Bye, Animal Abusers” and “Animal Entertainment Is a Dying Industry,” and will continue to protest Ringling throughout its final week of shows.

When:    Friday, May 12, 6 p.m.

Where:    Outside Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 1255 Hempstead Turnpike (near the intersection with Glenn Curtiss Boulevard), Uniondale

“After 36 years of PETA protests, the curtain is finally dropping on what has been a relentless nightmare for wonderful wild animals,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA urges families to build on this momentum by never buying a ticket to any of the archaic circuses that still use animals.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—ran a relentless campaign that included video and photographic exposés, creative ads, celebrity campaigns, successful efforts to urge every major sponsor to drop Ringling, online activism, support for local legislation, and thousands of demonstrations to show the public that Ringling beats animals and forces them to perform tricks out of fear of punishment. While the sustained anti-cruelty campaign has caused it to shutter, other circuses that feature animal acts are still touring the country. PETA has upped the ante on them and will not give up until there are no more animals in circuses.

For more information, please visit RinglingBeatsAnimals.com.

For Media: Contact PETA's
Media Response Team.

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 Ingrid E. Newkirk

“Almost all of us grew up eating meat, wearing leather, and going to circuses and zoos. We never considered the impact of these actions on the animals involved. For whatever reason, you are now asking the question: Why should animals have rights?” READ MORE

— Ingrid E. Newkirk, PETA President and co-author of Animalkind