Action for Animals Austin

Thanks to everyone for making our Shrine Circus demo a great success. Despite the rain and cold, 20 of you showed up to support our campaign against cruelty to animals in circuses.
 
In case you missed it, the Cedar Park Citizen DID cover our event...but not for several days after the fact. See the story here 
http://cedarparkcitizen.com/2011/01/19/shriners-circus-performance-dampened-by-protesters/#comments  Fell free to add your own polite comments at the end of this story.
 
Please continue to call the Cedar Park Center to ask them to stop hosting events that abuse animals. You can call Rick McLaughlin, the general manager at 512-600-5000 to make a polite and brief complaints. You can also email polite complaints at events@cedarparkcenter.com. Again, please be brief and polite in your calls to Mr. McLaughlin. Try not to keep him on the phone longer than a minute or so. Also, it's likely that you will be referred to a voice mail to leave your comments.  
 
Points to make when calling:
- this circus has failed to meet the federal minimum standards for animal care as required by the Animal Welfare Act
- circuses force animals to travel in small cages across the country for months on end
- elephants in circuses are trained using bullhooks, cattle prods, and other painful devices

- baby elephants are torn from their mothers when they are months old. the mother elephant and baby elephant bond is so strong that the mother elephant has to be restrained with huge ropes to keep her away from her baby
- once taken from their mothers, baby elephants are never returned to them
- when no longer able to perform, animals in circuses may be sold to other circuses or roadside zoos
- the Humane Society of the U.S. does not support the use of animals in circuses
animals with the Shrine Circus are forced to perform in 120 cities across the U.S, over 43 weeks and in 450 shows (see below)

You may read a summary of the federal citations given under the Animals Welfare Act to the George Carden Circus (who owns the animals) here http://www.mediapeta.com/peta/pdf/George-Carden-Circus-pdf.pdf .
 
The Shriners in Corpus Christi had their show after ours. Read the Corpus Christi Caller article here http://www.caller.com/news/2011/jan/19/al-amin-shrine-circus-returns-to-corpus-christi/ in which the producer of the show states that the performers (and animals) visit "120 locations" over "43 weeks" and perform "450 shows." So now we know how many shows these animals are forced to perform and where they go and for how long. Thanks, Corpus Christi Caller.
 
You can also call the local Ben Hur Shriners at 480-0812. However, be warned, the gentleman I spoke to was in no mood to listen to me. He said, "I wish to hell I was treated as well as those animals" then he hung up on me. Still, be polite when you call. You can email a polite complaint to Walter Sander, their local "potentate" (man in charge) at  http://www.benhurshrine.org/mail/mailform.asp?to=4.
 
Again, thanks for making this a successful action and for speaking up for those who can't.

• circuses
• demonstration
• shrine circus
• cedar park citizen
• anti-circus