Animal Awareness / List of Venues

Campaigns

Animal Awareness organizes campaigns that aim to educate the public, businesses, and legislators about animal use and abuse issues as well as promote the many humane alternatives.

Circus Follow-Up Campaign: Venues

Animal Awareness encourages all who can to express the view that animals should not be used in circuses for entertainment purposes by writing letters to the venues that hire animal acts.

Write letters (and encourage others to write letters) to the venues. Even if you wrote a letter last year, writing another one will remind them of this important issue. Most venues don't think twice about who they are hiring. Their motive is purely financial profit. Since it's the public that provides them with that profit, they need to hear from you that the public does not want abused wild or domestic animals to be a part of the entertainment that you would come to the venue to see. The letter that you write could talk about the abuse that animals endure during training, during transport, and throughout their lives. Key points about circus animal abuse are below, for more details go to the Animal Awareness page about animals in entertainment.

The most effective letters are those that are polite, well thought out, and do not use overly emotional language in making the points. Let the facts speak for themselves. Using overly dramatic language may tend to turn off some readers. Plus it is not needed since the factual statements will make the case for you. Statements that are critical of the public are also counterproductive. Remember, you are trying to get people to read your views and consider them seriously. Your goal is not to criticize others; your goal should be to make the public aware about what the animals endure.

Opinion letters that come from you as an individual have a bit more leeway in expressing your concerns about the animal welfare points. Letters written representing an organization should be much more formal and technical in nature so as to be viewed as focused and rational about one's campaign.

List of Maryland venues that have hired animal acts:
	Anne Arundel County Fair P.O. Box 372 Crownsville, MD 21032	aacofair@toad.net Had Sterling & Reid Bros Circus in 2002 410-923-3400, Rt. 178, Generals Hwy.

	Baltimore Arena / SMG 201 W. Baltimore St. Baltimore, MD 21201	Hosted Ringling Bros in 2002 and will have them back in 2003 info@baltimorearena.com 410-347-2020

	DC Armory DC Sports & Entertainment Commission 2400 East Capitol St, SE Washington DC 20003	Hosted Ringling Bros Circus in 2002 comments@dcarmory.com 202-547-9077

	Earleigh Heights Volunteer Fire Dept. 161 Ritchie Hwy. Severna Park MD 21146	Hosted Kelly Miller Circus in 2002 410-647-3119

	Linthicum Lions Club	Hired Kelly Miller Circus in 2002 410-859-8967 Tom Durkin

	Lions Club International	Please send an email to: International President Moore, presidentsoffice@lionsclubs.org

	The Maryland State Fair and Agriculture Society, Inc Post Office Box 188 Timonium, MD 21094-0188	Hosted Boumi Shrine Circus in 2002 msfair@msn.com 410-252-0200

	MCI Center 601 F Street, NW Washington, DC 20004	Hosted Ringling Bros Circus in 2002 Online feedback form: http://www.mcicenter.com/mci_subpages/feedback.shtml 202-628-3200

	Mondawmin Mall 1200 Mondawmin Concourse Baltimore MD 21215	Hosted UniverSoul Circus in 2002 410-523-1534

	Pimlico Race Track 5201 Park Heights Ave. Baltimore, MD	Had Sterling & Reid Bros Circus in 2002 info@marylandracing.com 410-542-9400

	The Rouse Company 10275 Little Patuxent Pkwy. Columbia, Maryland 21044	Owns the Mondawmin Mall (hosted UniverSoul Circus in 2002) Jody Clark, Vice President, 410-992-6080 jclark@therousecompany.com

	Severna Park Optimist Club PO Box 342, Severna Park MD 21146	Hired Kelly Miller Circus in 2002 410-315-6952 President: John Donahue

	United States Naval Academy 566 Brownson Rd. Annapolis, MD 21402	Hosted Clyde Beatty Circus in 2002 410-268-6226 attn: Chet Gladchuk, director, Naval Academy Athletic Association

Thank you for all that you do giving a voice to those who cannot speak up for themselves!

Some key points to highlight when discussing why animals should not be used in animal acts:

Separation of families. Not only do these animals grow up and live without the bonds of their family, but they are also forced to live without the bonds of friendship. Due to their intense confinement and chaining, they are usually not able to have access to socialization. And, in the few times over their life that they are able to find companionship, it is not long-term since animals are bought and sold as deemed convenient to the circus. This is especially true since many circuses lease out their animals to other circuses.
Barbaric training methods used to break the spirits of wild animals and make them succumb to the trainers' commands. See www.circuswatch.com for undercover video of the training methods used to "break" an elephant. Animals are "taught" tricks through severe beating, use of bull hooks, and electric prods. They are even forced to defecate on command before a show so that they do not make a mess during the show, which might hinder the "enjoyment" for the spectators.
Extreme weather conditions and intense confinement during their constant transport from state to state.
Forced to live in their own excrement while chained and caged, which is only cleaned on the whim and convenience of the animal keeper.
Forced to only have food or water at the whim and convenience of the animal keeper.
Forced to wear humiliating costumes and perform unnatural tricks on a grueling and exhausting schedule.
Perpetuates the thought that animals are ours to use as we wish when the reality is, "The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for whites or women for men."
-- Alice Walker