VIDEO: PETA’s Supporters Intercepted by Police After Dumping Coal on Shriners CEO’s Doorstep Over Circus Cruelty

For Immediate Release:
December 18, 2024

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Earlier this evening, three PETA supporters dressed as elves and an “elephant” Santa were pursued by police and detained for nearly two hours after dumping three wheelbarrows full of coal onto the front lawn of Shriners International Imperial Potentate Richard Burke. The action is part of PETA’s campaign urging Shriners to get off the “naughty” list and make their circuses animal-free—just as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and other circuses have done.As the police attempted to stop the PETA supporters from dumping the coal, an officer grabbed a wheelbarrow being pushed by one of the “elves,” causing her to lose her balance and fall to the ground. One of the protesters was cited with “Public Dumping.” Photos and video of the action are available here.  

“Christmastime is never merry for the animals exploited in circuses, who are trained through pain and fear and forced to perform one demeaning trick after another,” says PETA Senior Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “PETA is calling on Shriners International to join the many other circuses, including Ringling Bros., that have dropped animal acts in favor of willing human performers.”

PETA points out that Shrine circuses—which are among the last remaining shows that still use wild animals—routinely partner with notoriously cruel exhibitors, including Carson & Barnes Circus, which has been cited for more than 100 violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act and whose head trainer was caught on video shocking elephants with electric prods and attacking them with bullhooks—weapons resembling a fireplace poker with a sharp hook on one end.

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 PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.