‘Young’ People Protest ‘Old’ Elephants’ Forced Labor
For Immediate Release:
March 22, 2022
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
The director and CEO of the Wisconsin Historical Society, Christian Øverland—and his neighbors—are in for an earful on Wednesday: A PETA supporter in an elephant costume will lead animal advocates in an elephantine encircling of Øverland’s home over the state agency’s exploitation of two elderly elephants, Isa and Viola, at the old Circus World Museum in Baraboo. A PETA investigator documented that the elephants were forced to perform grueling tricks in shows twice a day, seven days a week, even though their feet were chronically swollen and they showed signs of other painful foot and joint problems—which are among the leading reasons why captive elephants are euthanized. PETA has shared evidence of their suffering with Øverland, yet he refuses to stop forcing them to perform.
When: Wednesday, March 23, 5-7 p.m.
Where: Christian Øverland’s home
“Geriatric elephants forced to labor for fleeting human amusement should haunt Christian Øverland,” says PETA Foundation Associate Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Debbie Metzler. “PETA is bringing the message home to him that the Wisconsin Historical Society must stop greenlighting cruel animal acts and rides.”
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview.
For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
