Portland Residents Spotlight Cruelty Under the Big Top
Locals Urge Circus to Call in the Clowns and Leave the Animals Alone

Portland, Ore. — Holding posters reading, "The Cruelest Show On Earth," that depict the shackled legs of elephants used in circuses, and giving out free circus coloring books, members of In Defense of Animals will urge local residents to boycott the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus:

When:	Friday, September 9th, 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
	Saturday, September 10th, 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 and 6:30 p.m.
	Sunday, September 11th, 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Where:	Rose Garden, One Center Court, by the Max Train Station at the South end of the Rose Garden

Elephants, bears, big cats, and other animals used in circuses spend their entire lives in completely artificial conditions. In their natural habitats, these animals graze, hunt, seek out mates, and raise families--behaviors completely denied in captivity. Animals suffer psychological distress when the ability to act out their natural instincts is repressed. The physical conditions animals used in circuses are kept in are equally detrimental. Animals are kept in transport trailers and hauled from one city to the next, sometimes 50 weeks out of the year.

The Ringling Bros. Circus has a troubling history with the animals in its care, including the death of Riccardo, an 8-month-old elephant who fractured both hind legs when he fell off a circus pedestal in August 2004. In July 2004, Clyde, a 2-year-old lion, died while traveling through the intense heat of the Mojave Desert in a poorly ventilated boxcar.

"Animals used in circuses perform out of fear of punishment. They are deprived of everything natural to them," said IDA president Elliot M. Katz. "The best thing caring people can do is vote against circus cruelty with their dollars and boycott the circus."