Events

VFA's first protest in the newly launched campaign against Giant Eagle for continued support of the Shrine Circus and all animal circuses starts at 6:00pm this Friday, June 12, at the Squirrel Hill Giant Eagle (1901 Murray Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15217).

Voices For Animals will be on the sidewalk of Murray Avenue in front of the entrance to Giant Eagle in Squirrel Hill.  VFA will bring the leaflets, signs, and other materials-all we need from you is your presence and passion.

All buses that go to Squirrel Hill stop within walking distance of Giant Eagle. Street parking is available in the general area and free after 6:00pm. There are plenty of things to lock a bike to.


For the past several years, VFA has opposed all animal circuses that have performed in Pittsburgh. Every year within memory, Giant Eagle has been the largest and most visible supporter of the Shrine Circus.  Without this financial support, the Shrine Circus would not be able to abuse and exploit animals in Pittsburgh. 

The Shrine Circus, like all circuses that continue to use animals, is inherently cruel and exploitive to the animals it uses in its shows.  Animals used in circuses live miserable lives of exploitation, deprivation, confinement, and violent training. In order to get wild animals to perform unnatural, uncomfortable, and often dangerous tricks, they are beaten into submission using whips, electric prods, and bullhooks.  They are trucked around from city to city in boxcars with no heat or air conditioning.  When elephants are not performing, they are kept chained up by one front leg and one back leg; big cats and other animals are kept in cages so small they can barely turn around comfortably.  Most importantly, the circus takes animals far from their natural homes, traumatically separates them from their families, and deprives them of their basic needs and desires to exercise, roam, socialize, forage, and play. Stereotypic behaviors such as swaying back and forth, head-bobbing, pacing, bar-biting, and self-mutilation are common signs of mental distress in captive animals, and are not behaviors seen in nature.

The Shrine Circus is no different than any other circus that exploits animals used in their performances, except for the fact that Shrine doesn’t “own” the animals, but rather leases them out from outside companies such as Hawthorn Corporation, Circus Hollywood, and the George Carden Circus.  This means that Shrine escapes having USDA citations listed in its name.  However, some of the worst and most notorious circus incidents occurred under Shrine Circus exhibitors, such as when Tyke the elephant snapped from the continuous abuse he was living under and went on a rampage, resulting tragically, in him being gunned down. For a list of Shrine Circus incidents and USDA violations, see this link:
http://circuses.com/pdfs/Shrine_fact.pdf

Contrary to popular belief, proceeds from Shrine’s ticket sales do not go to Shriner’s Hospitals for Children. In fact, if you look at the small print on the bottom of a Shrine Circus ad, you’ll see “Proceeds are for the benefit of Syria Temple. Payments are not deductible as charitable contributions”.  Even if the funds were going to the hospitals however, there are a multitude of other fundraisers the Shriners could choose from without resorting to animal exploitation, including any animal-free circus.


Keeping animals captive in the circus is a cruel and archaic tradition that must be brought to an end.  Please help us move towards that goal and come and protest with us!

For more information about the inherent cruelty of animal circuses visit:
www.morebeautifulwild.com
www.circuses.com
http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/issues_facing_wildlife/circuses/