Nude ‘Zebra’ to Bray in Protest on Circus’s Opening Day in St. Louis

PETA Says That Animal-Welfare Citations, Lack of Veterinary Care Are Among Reasons to Stay Away From UniverSoul

For Immediate Release:
August 23, 2017

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

What:    A PETA “zebra”—wearing little more than bodypaint—will be in downtown St. Louis on Thursday, the day of UniverSoul Circus‘ opening-night performance, to urge passersby not to buy tickets to the circus while it’s in town.

When:    Thursday, August 24, 12 noon sharp

Where:    At the northwest corner of Olive and N. Sixth streets, St. Louis

“UniverSoul Circus denies zebras, elephants, and other animals everything that’s natural and important to them—just for a few fleeting minutes of human amusement,” says PETA Foundation Associate Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Rachel Mathews. “PETA is calling on everyone to refuse to buy tickets to any circus that still uses animals.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—notes that UniverSoul routinely hires animal exhibitors who have racked up piles of animal-welfare citations. Zebras have escaped from the circus and run through city streets as recently as March 2016 and November 2015. In February, animal control officers in Atlanta discovered numerous animal-welfare issues, including an injured zebra, wounded camels, elephants with bruised feet, and an elephant named Bo with a wound on his ankle.

Ringling Bros. circus—citing the public’s changing attitude toward its use of animals as well as a decade of declining ticket sales—went out of business in May.

PETA members will also hold a spirited protest outside the circus’s performance on Thursday at 6 p.m., in front of The Dome at America’s Center at 901 N. Broadway.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.