Billboard in Tampa: Don't Buy Tickets to Circuses that Mistreat Animals

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Dec 15, 2011, 01:00 ET

TAMPA, Fla., Dec. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new and controversial billboard on North Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa, between W. Tampa Bay Boulevard and Columbus Drive, calls on local citizens not to buy tickets to circuses that use animal acts. The billboard depicts a baby elephant being cruelly mistreated, with a bullhook and ropes, as part of training to perform.

According to Florida Voices for Animals (FVA) Executive Director Myriam Parham, "People think of circuses as harmless family fun, but behind the scenes lies a grim reality. Circus animals are brought into the business via a brutal trade in critically endangered species. They are deprived of their natural environments and natural behaviors. Babies are ripped from their mothers. They spend their lives in transport trucks and small compounds. They are deprived of normal social interactions. They are subjected to horrific violence, routinely, as part of their training to perform unnatural acts. And, predictably, they don't live long. That's why we've put up this billboard. We want people to see the reality."

"Wild animals belong in the wild, not in captivity," says FVA board member Isabelle Tassi, who proposed the billboard.

Tassi, organizer of FVA's popular Tampa Bay Veg Fest, encourages people to seek family entertainment that doesn't involve mistreatment of animals: "You can avoid the cruelty by taking the kids to a children's museum, science museum or an animal-free circus with trapeze artists, clowns and acrobats."

South-bound drivers on North Dale Mabry will see the billboard until Dec. 27.

About Florida Voices for Animals
Florida Voices for Animals (FVA) is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to educating people about animal rights and welfare and about the value of plant-based diets. FVA sponsors the annual Tampa Bay Veg Fest, coordinates volunteer efforts at animal sanctuaries, and does educational outreach by sponsoring speaking engagements and other public events, visiting classrooms, leafleting, making public service announcements, and directly assisting animals in need via TNR (trap, neuter and release) and other programs. Visit FVA at www.floridavoicesforanimals.org.

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