{"id":359904,"date":"2026-03-26T22:24:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T22:24:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/359904\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T22:24:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T22:24:14","slug":"jordan-world-circus-to-face-peta-uproar-as-fight-to-free-abused-ailing-elephant-comes-to-puyallup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/359904\/","title":{"rendered":"Jordan World Circus to Face PETA Uproar as Fight to Free Abused, Ailing Elephant Comes to Puyallup"},"content":{"rendered":"

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For Immediate Release:
March 25, 2026<\/p>\n

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\tPuyallup, Wash. \u2013 <\/p>\n

On Friday, PETA supporters will deploy a 20-foot-tall \u201ccrying elephant\u201d outside the Jordan World Circus at the Pierce County Arena to demand the release of Viola\u2014\u201cThe Most Desperate Elephant in the World\u201d\u2014who has\u00a0run from her abusers<\/a>\u00a0at least\u00a0four times. PETA supporters have been following the act across the country, with pleas to \u201cFree Viola,\u201d\u00a0who is\u00a0suffering from chronically swollen feet and other painful, debilitating ailments\u2014and who will only be spared from being forced to perform in Puyallup because of a statewide ban on the use of elephants and other wild animals in circuses.<\/p>\n

Viola was taken from her home and family in Asia as a baby and has spent\u00a0five decades\u00a0in chains under the notorious Carson & Barnes Circus\u2014which supplies elephants to the Jordan World Circus. Other animals forced to perform in the circus include dogs, horses, and ponies\u2014and PETA is\u00a0calling on the Jordan World Circus<\/a>\u00a0to join Ringling Bros. and many other circuses by going animal-free\u00a0for the animals\u2019 safety\u00a0and\u00a0the public\u2019s<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile some people run away to join the circus, Viola the elephant keeps trying to run away\u00a0from\u00a0the circus, where she\u2019s spent a lifetime suffering in chains and servitude,\u201d says PETA President Tracy Reiman. \u201cPETA is calling on Jordan World Circus to end these archaic and cruel animal acts, and for everyone to stay away until they do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Where:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Outside\u00a0Pierce County Arena at West Washington Fairgrounds, Green Gate, 131 9th Ave. SE (at the intersection with S. Meridian), Puyallup<\/p>\n

When:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Friday, March 27, 3:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Viola being forced to give rides by a handler carrying a sharp metal bullhook. Photo: PETA<\/p>\n

Why:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In nature, elephants live in matriarchal herds, protect one another, and share mothering responsibilities for the herds\u2019 babies.\u00a0Video footage<\/a>\u00a0shows the head trainer for Carson & Barnes Circus\u2014which has been\u00a0cited<\/a>\u00a0for more than 100 violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act\u2014instructing trainers to sink sharp, steel-tipped bullhooks into elephants\u2019 flesh and twist them until the animals scream.<\/p>\n

PETA\u2014whose motto reads, in part, that \u201canimals are not ours to use for entertainment\u201d\u2014points out that\u00a0<\/a>Every Animal Is Someone<\/a>\u00a0and offers free\u00a0Empathy Kits<\/a>\u00a0for people who need a lesson in kindness.\u00a0For more information, please visit\u00a0PETA.org<\/a>\u00a0or follow PETA on\u00a0X<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/a>, or\u00a0Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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