This Fez Is for You! Shriners to Face PETA’s Massive Prop Over Circus Cruelty
For Immediate Release:
June 27, 2024
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
On Monday, PETA supporters will create a hassle with a giant tassel as they inflate a 15-foot-high fez that reads, “Shrine Circuses Abuse Animals,” outside the Reno Events Center at the start of the five-day Shriners International Imperial Session. The unmissable plea is a push for the Shriners to ban animal acts in all member clubs’ circuses.
Where: Reno Events Center, 400 University Way (at the intersection with E. Fourth Street), Reno
When: Monday, July 1, 12 noon
“Cruelty takes center stage at Shrine circuses, in which animals are forced to perform stupid and—to them—stressful tricks in front of noisy crowds,” says PETA Foundation Senior Director of Captive Animal Welfare Debbie Metzler. “PETA is calling on Shriners International to let animals be themselves and end outdated acts of human domination.”
Wild animals forced to perform in circuses spend most of their lives chained or caged and under the constant threat of being hit with weapons, such as whips, electric prods, and sharp, steel-tipped bullhooks.
Some well-intentioned people may think that attending a Shrine circus benefits children. But ticket sales aren’t charitable donations: The profits are generally used to maintain the club’s premises and fund its activities.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness.
For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
