Victory! Universal Orlando’s “Animal Actors” Show Will Finally Close

Cue the applause: Universal Orlando is finally giving its “Animal Actors” show a curtain call. After pressure from PETA, the attraction, which has used animals supplied by the notorious Birds & Animals Unlimited (BAU), will close on November 3. The move follows the attraction’s closure at Universal Studios Hollywood in 2023.

It’s a long-overdue happy ending for the animals Universal used for cheap laughs and demeaning tricks. Now, PETA is urging the company to make sure it’s permanent by keeping live animals out of future attractions.

Behind the Scenes at Birds & Animals Unlimited

A PETA investigator reported that BAU denied sick and injured animals veterinary care, forced animals to live inside filthy, cramped enclosures, and withheld food to coerce them into performing tricks.

An employee told the investigator that workers killed pigeons bred for the Universal show by pulling off their heads while the birds were still conscious. One mite-infested pigeon slumped over and died after a manager allegedly failed to act for hours. BAU also left a pig named Lewis, who had been “retired” from the show, limping for more than a week before calling a veterinarian.

Thanks to PETA, Cruel Animal Acts Are Going Extinct

Across the entertainment industry, audiences are turning away from attractions that exploit live animals.

After years of campaigning by PETA and other animal protection groups, the use of great apes in mainstream Hollywood productions has effectively come to an end. Universal removed all primates from its live shows in 2014, ending its shameful distinction as one of the last U.S. exhibitors to force orangutans and chimpanzees to perform on stage.

Circuses are abandoning animal acts, too. In the last few years, multiple Shrine Circuses, Circus World, Carden Circus, and more have dropped elephant acts.

In 2026, Illinois became the latest state to ban the use of big cats, primates, and bears in circuses and traveling acts, building on an existing prohibition on traveling elephant acts. Similar protections are already on the books in nearly a dozen other states, including Washington and Colorado.

And now, another animal act is finally fading into history.

Every animal is someone. They don’t exist for human amusement. Here’s what you can do to help today: