ADI ‘Breaks the Chain’ against animal circus attendance in West Palm Beach, FL
ADI asks West Palm Beach residents not to attend the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
Animal Defenders International (ADI), a leading animal protection group, asks West Palm Beach residents to ‘Break The Chain’ of animal suffering by not attending the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus from Dec. 29-Jan. 2, 2011, at the Palm Beach County Convention Center.
‘Break The Chain’ aims to raise awareness of the reality of animal suffering in traveling circuses in the U.S.
“Together with our local partner organizations, our mission is to stop circus suffering by communicating the behind-the-scenes facts to local communities where traveling circuses hold performances,” said Jan Creamer, president of Animal Defenders International.
“’Break The Chain’ has reached far and wide gaining traction with its message, and we are very pleased that so many local and regional groups have shown such enthusiasm and dedication to end the suffering of animals in traveling circuses across the U.S. We would like to see the kind of legislative change in the U.S., as we saw in Bolivia last year,” Creamer added.
As the leader of the Break The Chain campaign, ADI works with animal rights and welfare organizations across the U.S. to bring awareness on a local grassroots level to the communities in which animal circuses perform. Providing campaign assistance, program guidance and educational materials to local campaigners, ADI also reaches out to local governments to communicate its scientific findings to end circus suffering.
For more than 18 years, ADI has effectively produced overwhelming evidence of suffering of animals in circuses as a result of extreme confinement, the constant traveling nature of these shows, and cruel training practices. ADI’s groundbreaking two-year undercover investigation on circus cruelty shocked the world, resulting in major changes in the U.S., South America and European countries.
Courts in many countries have used ADI’s evidence to prosecute offenders while governments have been compelled to change laws in favor of partial or complete bans, such as the recent passing of Bolivian law 4040, which prohibits any and all use of animals in Bolivian circuses.
Television personality Bob Barker, is one of ADI’s biggest supporters, previously donating funds to construct quarantine facilities and provide permanent homes for former circus animals freed as a result of the Bolivian law.
“Circuses are no place for animals, and lions and tigers should not be forced to live in small cages on the backs of trucks, or elephants forced to live in chains in the name of entertainment,” Barker said. “Circuses with animals are cruel and archaic.”
Though ADI opposes circuses that utilize animal performers, it remains fully supportive of arts and entertainment and circuses that use only human performers.