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E-mail StoryPETA protests animal acts
| Thursday, Jul 5 2007 7:58 AM
Last Updated: Thursday, Jul 5 2007 7:58 AM
The circus is in town — and so is PETA.
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Jason Bayless, lead circus monitor at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said last week that he will be stationed downtown, probably Tuesday through Sunday, handing out fliers encouraging people to boycott the circus. Bayless, who may be joined by local activists, is also distributing PETA DVDs about the circus.
Bayless is driving a van with a painted banner that reads “Ringling Beats Elephants” and a picture of a man with a bull hook in hand. He’s standing by an elephant. The rear of the van reads “Lonely, Shackled, Beaten” over a shackled elephant’s hoof. Bayless said PETA is focusing on elephants because they play a prominent role in the circus’s marketing efforts.
He planned to park the van near Rabobank Arena, where Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey is performing Thursday through Sunday. “People think circuses are fun. It’s not fun for the animals,” said Bayless, who is following Ringling Bros. from town to town.
Ryan Henning, a senior animal care specialist at the circus, said animals are given the best possible care at Ringling Bros. and they are not mistreated. He encouraged people to attend the circus’s open house, before the show, to see for themselves that the animals are in excellent condition.