Victory For Animals: Jordan World Circus Ends Elephant Performances

After months of sustained pressure from PETA and growing public backlash over the use of wild animals forced to perform under threat, Jordan World Circus has officially removed elephants from its performances, effective immediately, according to PETA.

Following the announcement, PETA has suspended its campaign targeting the circus’s elephant acts, which included dozens of demonstrations at tour stops nationwide, more than 600,000 emails sent by supporters, and formal complaints filed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The shift comes after renewed scrutiny of the treatment of Viola, an elephant long used in circus performances. In March, PETA released a report from a leading elephant expert detailing serious foot and joint conditions affecting Viola—who has been described as “The Most Desperate Elephant in the World” due to multiple attempted escapes during her lifetime in captivity. Taken from her family in Asia as a calf, Viola has spent approximately five decades in chains with Carson & Barnes Circus, which has supplied elephants to Jordan World Circus. Throughout those years, she has been forced to perform physically demanding tricks despite her age and deteriorating health. PETA has documented that elephants used in traveling circuses are frequently transported across the country for most of the year, often denied consistent veterinary care, and controlled through violent training methods involving steel-tipped bullhooks.

“Jordan World Circus has heard the message loud and clear that kind people don’t want to see elderly elephants hit with sharp metal bullhooks and threatened into performing tricks,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “This is a great step forward, and PETA will continue pushing for these elephants to be released to reputable sanctuaries where they’ll never be chained or beaten again.”

While PETA has welcomed the circus’s decision to end elephant performances, the organization is now urging everyone to call on Carson & Barnes Circus to transfer Viola and the other elephants to accredited sanctuaries where they can receive proper care and live out their remaining years in peace.

The organization, whose motto is that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any other way,” advocates that Every Animal Is Someone while offering free Empathy Kits. For more information, Click HERE!