Nude ‘Zebra’ to Bray in Protest on Circus’s Opening Day

PETA Says That Animal-Welfare Citations Are Among Reasons to Stay Away From UniverSoul

For Immediate Release:
November 28, 2017

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

What:    A PETA “zebra”—wearing little more than bodypaint—will be in downtown Columbus on Wednesday, the day of UniverSoul Circus‘ opening-night performance, to urge passersby not to buy tickets to the circus while it’s in town.

When:    Wednesday, November 29, 12 noon sharp

Where:    At the intersection of E. Broad and S. High streets, Columbus

“UniverSoul Circus denies zebras, elephants, and other animals everything that’s natural and important to them—just for a few fleeting minutes of human amusement,” says PETA Foundation Associate Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Rachel Mathews. “PETA is calling on everyone to refuse to buy tickets to any circus that still uses animals.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—notes that UniverSoul routinely hires animal exhibitors who have racked up piles of animal-welfare citations. Zebras have escaped from the circus and run through city streets as recently as March 2016 and November 2015. In February, animal control officers in Atlanta discovered numerous animal-welfare issues, including an injured zebra, wounded camels, elephants with bruised feet, and an elephant named Bo with a wound on his ankle.

Ringling Bros. circus—citing the public’s changing attitude toward its use of animals as well as a decade of declining ticket sales—went out of business in May.

PETA members will also hold a spirited protest outside the circus’s performance on Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the grassy area across from the entrance sign to Eastland Mall at 2740 Eastland Mall.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.