Photo Op: PETA’s Giant ‘Crying Elephant’ to Urge Sharon Shriners to End Cruel Animal Acts
For Immediate Release:
August 29, 2025
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
On Tuesday, PETA’s 20-foot-tall “crying elephant” and a herd of animal advocates will rally outside the opening performance of the Sharon Shrine Circus with signs proclaiming, “Elephants Beaten and Chained for Shrine Circuses.” The spectacle is part of PETA’s campaign urging the Sharon Shrine to end its circus’s animal acts, as many other Shrines have already done.
“Every ticket purchased for the Sharon Shrine Circus directly supports the abuse and exploitation of wild animals who should be in nature with their families, not forced to perform for human entertainment,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is calling on Sharon Shriners to make their circus animal-free and urges the public to stay far away until they do.”
Where: Anderson County Youth Livestock Pavilion, 750 N US Hwy 287, Palestine
When: Tuesday, September 2, 3 p.m.
Why: In nature, elephants enjoy playing with their families, foraging for fresh vegetation, and bathing in rivers—but those used in the Sharon Shrine Circus are beaten, whipped, caged, chained, and forced to perform demeaning and stressful tricks under constant threat of violence, even when they’re elderly and injured. The Sharon Shrine Circus is among the last remaining shows that still use wild animals, and it routinely partners with notoriously cruel exhibitors, including Carson & Barnes Circus, which has been cited for more than 100 violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any other way”—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.
