Bobby and Moira Roberts, the owners of Britain’s Bobby Roberts Super Circus, have been charged in connection with the appalling beating of an elephant named Anne, whom handlers were caught on tape pummeling with a pitchfork and a club. Anne has since been moved to a better situation, but the Robertses will still have to … Read more »
Award-winning actor and Miss Chicago 1946 Cloris Leachman has sent an appeal on behalf of PETA to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel asking that when Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus comes to town today, city authorities keep in mind local ordinances that prohibit cruelly forcing animals into undue exertion and harboring sick or injured … Read more »
Remember how PETA called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to order Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus to remove a sick elephant named Sarah from the road? Well, Sarah is still being prodded into boxcars and arenas, despite the fact that she is suffering from a chronic infection and arthritis—which is why … Read more »
Toka, Thika, and Iringa—the three elephants at the Toronto Zoo—will soon be on their way to paradise. By a vote of 31 to 4, the Toronto City Council overwhelmingly agreed that California’s Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) sanctuary is a much more appropriate home for these elephants. Earlier, there had been a push to send … Read more »
Update: Because it is illegal in Ohio to use a bullhook on an elephant, PETA is offering a $5,000 reward to any arena employee who documents use of the bullhook if it leads to a citation against Ringling Bros. circus. Originally posted October 4, 2011 Rock star, animal defender, and Ohio native Chrissie Hynde has … Read more »
Beatings, bullhooks, and betrayal: A scathing 10-page article in the November issue of Mother Jones magazine titled “The Cruelest Show on Earth” lays bare Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus’ dirty secrets. Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative reporter Deborah Nelson has slammed the door shut on any doubts about the circus’s entrenched culture of animal abuse … Read more »
We know where Bill Maher got the shirt that he wore to perform at George Washington University—’cause we made it. Lookin’ good, Bill. © Michelle Rattinger/ GW Hatchet. Speaking of making it: After becoming the first vegan to win a Food Network cooking competition, chef Chloe Coscarelli is still on a (vegan-buttered) roll, making the … Read more »
In light of the new policy issued by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) that will minimize contact with elephants as well as the use of bullhooks in AZA-accredited zoos, PETA is renewing our call to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to make protected contact a requirement for circuses, traveling shows, and … Read more »
An elephant used by a circus in Vietnam trampled an 11-year-old girl to death after the girl and some friends snuck into the area where the elephant was shackled. The elephant, who had reportedly been taunted by children earlier, lifted the child up and threw her down, repeatedly stepping on her. Elephants are hardwired to … Read more »
Blogger Tonya Kay jumped through hoops to try to tell Cole Bros. Circus’ “side of the story” in a two-part series posted on EcoHearth.com, but without much luck. A journalist working with Kay was offered three invitations to visit the circus, observe the animals, and speak with circus management—all three of which were later rescinded … Read more »
In a hard-hitting interview with Canada’s CTV network, the ever-eloquent Bob Barker blasts the Edmonton Valley Zoo and city officials for refusing to transfer Lucy, the zoo’s ailing and aging elephant, to a sanctuary. Lucy will spend most of the next six frigid Alberta months alone inside a barren barn with nothing to do but … Read more »
Demonstrators at yesterday’s protest of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus’ opening night in Denver ranged in age from a 3-year-old girl to senior citizens, and every one of the more than 60 attendees played a vital role in helping to expose the circus’s abuse of animals. The protesters engaged many potential circusgoers in … Read more »
After leading the charge for hundreds of protestors demonstrating outside the Ringling Bros. circus, Biggest Loser trainer Jillian Michaels found time to give an interview about why she is fighting for elephants and how people can get involved. Getting the word out about circus cruelty “is the easiest thing to get behind,” says Jillian. Many … Read more »
UPDATE: Represented by renowned attorney Clayton Ruby, PETA, Zoocheck Canada, and Tove Reece, president of the Edmonton-based Voice for Animals Humane Society, have asked the Supreme Court of Canada to allow a lawsuit against the city of Edmonton to force Lucy‘s transfer. The following was originally posted September 8, 2011 Heartened by an Alberta Court … Read more »
