Dear      :

I am very disappointed that the [name of sponsor] is sponsoring the cruel Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. circus. Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. circus is a circus known for its shocking record of animal treatment as well as for causing injuries and deaths to spectators.

The list of formal charges filed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) against Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. is very long. Here are just some examples:

--In April 1999, the elephants showed signs of being abused with sharp metal bullhooks. According to congressional testimony provided by former Clyde Beatty elephant keeper Tom Rider, "[I]n White Plains, N.Y., when Pete did not perform her act properly, she was taken to the tent and laid down, and five trainers beat her with bullhooks. Pete is now dead."

--On March 9th, 2000, three veterinarians reviewed videotape of a disabled elephant named Helen who was forced to give rides and pull a caravan of heavy tiger cages. The veterinarians described Helen's disability as a chronic, degenerative condition causing pain-related lameness, which is aggravated by grueling circus routines.

--On January 24, 2000, Clyde Beatty was assessed a $10,000 civil penalty by the USDA to settle charges of abusively using a bullhook on elephants.

--In August 1999, Conti and Petunia, two elephants whom veterinarians characterized as malnourished and neglected, died suddenly within the same two-week period, shortly after the circus took them off-tour when they could no longer perform. Numerous complaints were received by the USDA about the condition of Conti before her death.

--In March 1997, an elephant named Ola died under suspicious circumstances. Due to this death, the circus received an official warning from the USDA. The circus tranquilized Ola to trim her feet (which is not the standard procedure), and for 28-29 hours before her death she was unable to stand. The other Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. elephants were only 30 miles away and could have been brought to the facility to help lift her to a standing position. A circus employee claimed that because Ola was no longer a "performing elephant" due to hip problems, she was of no use to the circus anymore.

Wild animals do not give up their natural behaviors easily. A tiger will not willingly jump through a hoop of fire. An elephant will not stand on her hind legs. The trainers beat them to submission to make them do all these unnatural and often dangerous acts. The training involves tight collars, electric prods, bullhooks, whips as well as water and food depravation.

Animals in circuses lead miserable lives. They cannot satisfy even the most natural behaviors. This leads to extreme stress, which manifests itself in abnormal behaviors such as constant pacing, tail biting, eating excrement, bar chewing and constant wobbling. Tigers pace back and forth in tiny cages. Elephants, often shackled in chains by their front and back legs, cannot not even take a step forward or backward. Animals in circuses are on the road in boxcars for 50 weeks out of the year traveling an average of 10,000 miles. They get very little exercise and are cramped in cages or pens their entire lives. When animals cannot take it any longer, they rebel.

In five separate incidents, Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. elephants have killed two spectators, injured more than a dozen others, and rampaged during performances, which caused tens of thousands of dollars in property damage.

--On July 10, 1995, two elephants went on a rampage in Queens, N.Y., triggering a panic that left 12 people injured. Six spectators were hospitalized.

--On May 15, 1995, in Hanover, Pa., two elephants rampaged, smashing windows, denting cars and crashing through a large plate-glass window at a Sears Auto Center. The elephants caused $20,000 in property damage.

--On May 9, 1995, Crown Books, Washington's largest bookstore chain, canceled its plans to allow Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. to bring an elephant to a book-signing event at a downtown store. Crown's director of marketing, Cynthia Holland, stated in a letter, "After hearing from many sources about the potential safety hazards, it was decided that hosting this type of event was too risky, both for the people on the street and for the elephant himself."

--On June 5, 1993, an elephant crushed a man to death by pinning him against a trailer in Fishkill, N.Y.

--On May 21, 1992, two tigers escaped from an unlocked cage during a performance in Muhlenberg Township, Pa. One tiger roamed around the center ring, frightening 2,000 spectators before he was recaptured.

--On July 7, 1985, an elephant crushed a woman to death in New London, Conn.

--On May 1983, a spectator was injured by an elephant who grabbed him and threw him to the ground. The man suffered multiple traumas, including several broken bones.

Please stop sponsoring Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. circus. Instead, support only humane, non-animal circuses.

Sincerely,

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