PETA set to protest the circus every day it's in Denver (PHOTOS)

elephant peta small.jpg
Kelsey Whipple
A small but sturdy herd of PETA activists is stomping its feet against the circus' stay in Denver.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals supporters took their grievances against Ringing Bros. & Barnum & Bailey's treatment of its elephants to the front of the coliseum this afternoon in hopes that their protest will stay at the forefront of people's minds -- and keep them from buying a ticket.

The greatest show on Earth marks its opening night tonight at 7, and although its opponents' afternoon protest ended at 1 p.m., they'll be back from 5:30 to 7 p.m. tonight. In fact, they'll be back every night the circus is here, with shifts planned daily until its final show October 9.

peta elephant 1.jpg
Photos by Kelsey Whipple
"PETA is protesting the routine physical and psychological abuse against elephants associated with Ringling that has been happening since their inception," say PETA assistant campaigner Matt Bruce, one of a handful of activists forming a group organized to protest every stop on the circus' tour.

The nineteen-strong group received a generous amount of supportive honks and nods from passing cars at its busy stop on 44th Street across from the Denver Coliseum. Carrying homemade and mass-produced signs alike, the volunteers drew attention to photos PETA publicizes on its anti-Ringling sister site, the aptly named ringlingbeatsanimals.com, to show evidence of abuse against elephants at the hands of the circus company. (Note: Only click on that link if you have a strong stomach. Seriously.)

Bruce, who drops mentions of pokers and bull hooks casually during his conversation, cites one elephant as a particular focus among the eleven in this touring unit. "Sarah is coming here tonight, and she collapsed in Anaheim about a month ago as a result of Ringling's treatment," Bruce says. "She's forced to perform every night despite suffering from a potentially life-threatening arthritis and a raging infection in her vulva that is oozing pus."

Ouch. The group, organized primarily through e-mail and PETA's website, has scheduled sixteen remaining protest times in addition to tonight's.

A representative from Ringling has not yet been reached for comment. If and when we hear back, we'll update this post.

peta elephant 2.jpg

peta elephant 3.jpg
More from our Calhoun: Wake-Up Call archive: "PETA, out to pluck Denver, files appeal on McCruelty."

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Weekly Newsletter: Our weekly feature stories, movie reviews, calendar picks and more - minus the newsprint and sent directly to your inbox.

Privacy Policy
Sign up for free stuff, news info & more!

Tools

Browse Voice Nation
  • Voice Places

    Voice Places

    Discover restaurants, nightlife, travel, shopping...

  • VOICE Daily Deals

    VOICE Daily Deals

    Get 50 to 90% off every day on restaurants, movies, massages...

  • Best Of

    Best Of...

    More than 10,000 of the BEST things to eat, drink, and experience

  • My Voice Nation

    My Voice Nation

    Join the Village Voice community and get exclusive deals and info

  • Happy Hour

    Happy Hour

    Your local Happy Hour guide at your fingertips

or

Log in or Sign up

Social Connect:

Use your favorite account to access My Voice Nation.


Use your My Voice Nation account to log in:





Forgot password?
or

Sign Up or Log in

Social Connect:

Sign up for My Voice Nation with your preferred network.


Sign up for a My Voice Nation account:



Privacy policy