Nude ‘Zebras’ to Bray in Protest on Circus’s Opening Day in Norfolk

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

For Immediate Release:
July 25, 2017

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

What:    Two PETA “zebras”—wearing little more than bodypaint—will be in downtown Norfolk on Wednesday, the day of UniverSoul Circus‘ opening-night performance, to urge families not to buy tickets to the circus while it’s in town.

When:    Wednesday, July 26, 12 noon sharp

Where:    At the intersection of Granby and E. Main streets, Norfolk

“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 families 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 in Philadelphia and November 2015 in Oakland, California. In February, during a routine inspection of the circus while it was in Atlanta, animal control officers 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 Wedenesday at 6 p.m., at the entrance to the Military Circle Mall on N. Military Highway.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.