PETA Statement: Tiger Truck’s Breakdown Is a Reminder to Stay Away From Animal Circuses

For Immediate Release:
April 12, 2017

Contact:
Moira Colley

PETA Foundation Associate Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Rachel Mathews in response to the breakdown of a tiger-hauling truck, which was found today in Frankfort, Kentucky, after a circus performance in South Carolina:

PETA knows the Hawthorn Corporation well, along with its record of violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act. Now, while one of its drivers slept in a motel, a dozen tigers were left trapped inside small cages overnight, reportedly without water, in a broken-down truck—something that no one can find acceptable. Tigers in nature roam hundreds of miles, but those used in traveling shows—like Hawthorn’s—are confined to small travel cages the entire time that they’re on the road and forced to perform under the threat of being whipped. This notorious circus has been caught caging tigers for even months at a time. Such total disregard for animals’ well-being is why PETA urges families to stay away from all circuses that use animals.

PETA’s motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment.”