Tell Brian Franzen to stop making animals appear in circuses!

As circuses around the world move away from animal exploitation, exhibitor Brian Franzen continues to force elephants and big cats to perform in notoriously violent circuses such as Loomis Bros. Franzen has a long history of documented cases of animal cruelty and has been repeatedly cited for violating animal welfare laws, including keeping tigers in rusty cages, allowing ponies – one of whom died of apparent neglect – to become dehydrated and emaciated, and repeatedly stabbed the elephant in the face.

Animals that are used in circuses are deprived of everything that is natural and important to them. They experience severe distress from constant travel, chained to small cages or chained, their spirits are shattered by the use of painful weapons such as bull hooks – heavy clubs with a sharp hook on the end or whips, and they are forced to perform in front of a screaming audience … Elephants are sensitive and highly intelligent creatures that even flirt with each other and argue about directions. Treating them as props is a form of arrogance, a worldview focused on human superiority.

In response to the massive change in public opinion, many circuses have abandoned the concept of animals. Hundreds of venues and dozens of communities have banned or restricted the use of animals in circuses and other travel.

Please ask Franzen to stop forcing animals to perform and send them to respected reserves instead.