PETA Alert: Elderly, Disabled Elephant Likely to Be Forced to Perform in Upcoming AAD Shrine Circus

For Immediate Release:
June 20, 2025

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Duluth, Minn. –

Ahead of the AAD Shrine Circus’s performances starting June 28 in Duluth, PETA is sharing information about an elderly, disabled elephant named Betty who’s likely to be used in those performances.

Elephants at the AAD Shrine Circus are frequently provided by the notorious Carden family, which has a long history of citations for violating federal animal welfare laws and is known for forcing elderly and ailing elephants to perform. Betty is about 56 years old and has been shackled, chained, and forced to perform in dozens of shows per year for decades, even as her health continues to decline and she’s developed lameness in her legs and apparent partial trunk paralysis. She has also repeatedly tested positive for tuberculosis in the past. Last year, Betty was forced to perform or give rides in over 280 shows and events and was on the road nonstop, with little time for rest, while Carden spent 11 months of the year traveling through 17 states. It’s clear that the Carden family intends to work her to death as long as people continue buying tickets to its performances.

The photo of Betty below was taken at a recent circus performance in Texas and shows her being forced to give rides while a handler next to her holds a bullhook—a sharp, steel-tipped weapon used to instill fear in elephants and force them to obey commands.

*Betty the elephant at a circus performance in Belton, Texas. The handler can be seen holding a bullhook. Photo: PETA*

The AAD Shrine Circus previously announced in 2022 that it would end its wild animal acts—but resumed the exploitative shows last year in a shameful reversal. Shrine circuses are among the last remaining shows that still use wild animals, who are trucked from city to city, forced to perform under threat of pain and punishment, and kept chained or caged almost constantly when they’re not performing.

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.