PETA Statement: Escaped Tiger in Georgia Was in the Custody of Ringling Bros.’ Parent Company

For Immediate Release:
September 6, 2017

Contact:
Megan Wiltse 202-483-7382

Below, please find a statement from PETA Foundation Vice President and Deputy General Counsel Delcianna Winders in response to reports that the escaped tiger who was shot and killed in Georgia today was in the custody of Feld Entertainment, Inc.—the parent company of Ringling Bros. circus that was recently issued a permit by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to export 15 big cats to Germany for use in circuses:

This isn’t the first big cat to die violently at the hands of Feld Entertainment, Ringling’s parent company—others include a tiger who was fatally shot at close range while locked in a cage and a lion who baked to death in a hot boxcar. When Feld sentenced these tigers to a miserable life in a German circus, this tiger’s fate was sealed. She was gunned down on the street, and PETA bets that she won’t be the last to die. In light of this tragedy, we are calling on the federal government to revoke Feld’s permit to export 14 other big cats.

PETA’s motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment,” and more information about Ringling is available here.