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The Tangier and Sesostris shrines continue to host cruel animal acts, even after learning that a new expert report exposed neglect, abuse, and coercion of animals at Shrine circuses. Trainers whipped and jabbed tigers with prods, forced distressed and muzzled bears to do handstands, and struck an elephant in the jaw with a bullhook while she was lying down.
In the report, an animal behaviorist notes that handlers used prods and whips to force big cats to perform. One cat was jabbed in the face repeatedly during a performance, and the handler admitted that they spray a mixture of cayenne pepper and water into the animals' nostrils and eyes as punishment. The elephant handlers also kept short, sharpened rods tucked in their pockets and used them to jab the elephants when they thought that no one was watching.
The animals at the Shrine circuses show signs of severe and chronic distress. The report describes an elephant who swayed constantly, a bear who repeatedly urinated on stage in apparent fear when prodded with a stick, tigers who paced back and forth inside tiny cages, dogs who were controlled with whips, and a piglet who screamed and squealed while being flung around on stage.
Shrine circuses should be fun for everyone, but they're not fun for the muzzled bear forced to ride a bicycle or the suffering elephant coerced into balancing on a ball. Tell the Tangier and Sesostris shrines to host only animal-free fundraisers in the future.