When the circus comes to town, you're sure to see billboards, commercials, and all sorts of other promotions advertising a good time for the whole family, but circuses are no fun for elephants, tigers, and other animals who are forced with whips, bullhooks, and electric prods to perform. Be prepared the next time you see that Ringling, the Shriners, UniverSoul, or any other circus with animal acts is going to be in your area.
Don't let the silly costumes fool you—there's nothing entertaining about the cruel ways animals in the circus are treated. Unlike clowns and other human circus performers who get paid for their acts, animals in the circus are whipped, beaten with sharp metal bullhooks, and shocked with electrical devices so that they will perform unnatural and often dangerous tricks. When they are not being forced to perform, the animals spend most of their lives in shackles. They are forced to stand up for hours and even days at a time in cramped, filthy trucks during the long trips from city to city and often have to perform even when they become ill.
We've come up with a variety of ways that you can speak up for animals used and abused in circuses. Send us a report telling what you've done to claim your Street Team points.
Activity |
Points |
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Organize a demo against the circus. |
3,000 |
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Participate in a local demo against the circus. |
1,500 |
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Hand out circus leaflets at your school and other schools in your area. |
500 |
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Collect circus coupons and free tickets and send them to PETA. |
500 |
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Ask your friends and classmates to pledge not to go to any circus that involves animal acts.
You'll earn an additional 50 Street Team points for each e-mail address that you gather. |
250 |
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Write letters to the editor. |
250 |
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Send PETA's undercover circus video to everyone you know. |
100 |
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