Universal to Close ‘Animal Actors’ Show; PETA Celebrates

For Immediate Release:
November 10, 2022

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

Below, please find a statement from PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Welfare Debbie Metzler in response to reports that Universal Studios Hollywood will permanently close its “Animal Actors” show—which has used animals provided by notorious supplier Birds & Animals Unlimited (BAU) for years—in January to make way for a future attraction:

The curtain can’t close soon enough on this cruel relic, which has spent decades forcing animals from a wretched supplier to perform tricks in front of frightening, noisy crowds. PETA is celebrating Universal Studios’ kind decision and calling on the company to begin a new animal-free era at both of its parks.

PETA’s 10-month-long investigation into BAU revealed that animals were being denied adequate veterinary care for illnesses and injuries, forced to live inside filthy enclosures, and denied food so that they would be hungry while being trained to do tricks. Following PETA’s exposé, the U.S. Department of Agriculture cited BAU for 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”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.