. CIRCUSES - HOW TO HELP
. Give your Schoolboard a Lesson in Circus Cruelty
. Join the Activist Network
. Subscribe to Get E-Mail Updates
. Support Animal Free Circuses - Wild life unit of ESAF
. The Circus Is Coming: Steps You Can Take Before, During and After **
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BEFORE the Circus Arrives
Try to get it canceled. Contact the sponsors of the circus and ask that they book an animal-free circus instead. Order our “Circus Elephants: Training & Tragedy” video about the danger and abuse that animals suffer in the entertainment industry, and make an appointment to show it to the organizers and sponsors of the circus. If you are dealing with a civic group, mention that Lions Clubs International and Kiwanis International have advised clubs to beware of sponsoring circuses that use animal acts.
Circus promoters use our schools as marketing tools, enticing them to organize field trips to the circus. Contact your local school boards to discourage school promotions of circuses with animal acts.
Check with your city manager and state wildlife agency to ensure that the circus obtained the proper permits. Since circuses are only in one location for a short time, sometimes they will skirt local and state permit requirements in hopes that they will be long gone before anyone finds out
Urge local authorities to closely monitor the animals and to vigorously enforce local and state laws if violations are found.
WHILE the Circus Is in Town
Find out where the animals are being unloaded and be there with a camcorder and/or camera. Look for abuse and violations of state anti-cruelty statutes (copies of these statutes are available at public libraries). Use our "Basic Tips for Circus Elephant Inspections" as a guide. Call ESAF Unit immediately
Write a letter to the editor of your local paper. Read our quick facts about the circus for points to make. This is a great opportunity to let people in your area know about the plight of performing animals and to encourage them to boycott circuses with animal acts.
AFTER the Circus Has Left Town
Try to find out where the circus is going and call activists in that area.
The circus data checklist is adapted from http://www.circuses.com/stepstotake.asp
Start a legislative campaign to ban circuses and other traveling exhibits in your town or county. This has already happened in a number of towns, and it can happen in yours! Contact ESAF Unit for the protection of wildlife
