Phillipsburg Mall Bans Animal Exhibits After PETA Appeal

New Policy Eliminates Cruel Acts From Local Retailer

For Immediate Release:
January 6, 2016

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Phillipsburg Mall has netted praise from PETA for its recent decision to ban animal exhibits from its property. The decision was made after the mall—which has hosted Cole Bros. Circus in the past—learned from PETA that animals used by circuses and other exhibitors are dragged across the country in cages or shackles and typically beaten, whipped, or shocked into performing confusing and uncomfortable tricks.

“As audiences turn away from animal exhibits in droves, PETA urges other companies to follow the example set by Phillipsburg Mall and other facilities that have banned these cruel acts,” says PETA Foundation Deputy Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Brittany Peet. “It’s time to relegate cruel animal acts to the history books, where they belong.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—notes that Cole Bros. has repeatedly failed to meet minimum standards of care for the animals it exploits. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has repeatedly cited Cole Bros. for failure to provide animals with veterinary care, including elephants who have shown extreme weight loss, as well as failure to provide animals with adequate space. The circus also paid a $15,000 penalty to settle more than 10 formal charges for violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act, in addition to incurring more than $150,000 in fines after pleading guilty to violating the Endangered Species Act by illegally selling two Asian elephants.

Phillipsburg Mall joins other progressive businesses—including General Growth Properties, Macerich, and many individual venues across the country—that have enacted bans on animal displays.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.