The B-52s Slap Carson & Barnes Circus With Cease and Desist Letter

Suffering elephants now have an ally in the members of the B-52s, who slapped Carson & Barnes Circus with a cease and desist letter demanding that it stop using the band’s recordings of “(Meet) The Flintstones” and “The Bedrock Twitch” in an act featuring elephants.

“We and our songs are all about freedom and fun—things that animals in the circus sadly never experience,” they concluded in the letter.

Band members Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson also raised their concerns in a new PETA video urging their fans to stay away from circuses that feature live animals.

“The man in this elephant act was caught on tape by PETA beating the elephants with bullhooks and jabbing them with electric prods,” says Pierson, referring to this video footage of the Oklahoma-based circus, which performs nationwide and supplies elephant acts to other circuses around the country. “So our message to our fans and our friends and our families is stay away from cruel circuses and go to some great circus like Cirque du Soleil and circuses that don’t use animal acts.”

Carson & Barnes has been cited for more than 100 violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act—including for failing to provide animals with basic necessities such as adequate veterinary care, minimum space, shelter from the elements, and clean water.

Support for circuses featuring live animals is quickly becoming a thing of the past as audiences learn what happens behind the scenes. Carson & Barnes is one of the few remaining circuses that still use animals.

Join the B-52s and take a stand for animals by asking Carson & Barnes to end its cruel animal acts and send the animals to reputable sanctuaries.