THE BALLOON MAN

PETA squawks at Glendale circus
Animal rights organization wants to run the Ramos Bros. show out of town.

 

from: glendalenewspress.com
By Brittany Levine
November 29, 2012
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals on Thursday sent a letter calling on Glendale to revoke a permit for the Ramos Bros. Circus, which is scheduled to run through Tuesday.
The smaller-scale operation doesn’t have the big animal draws, such as elephants, but PETA pointed to the brief escape last week of a camel from the circus across from Glendale Community College in calling for immediate action.
“The potentially fatal escape of a camel should serve as the straw that breaks the back of the Ramos Bros.' welcome in Glendale,” Delcianna Winders, PETA’s foundation director of captive animal law enforcement, said in a statement.
Glendale spokesman Tom Lorenz said the city attorney’s office is looking into the matter, but officials feel comfortable with how the circus is operating.
“The situation the other day does not rise to the level of terminating their permit,” Lorenz said, adding that state and local agriculture and animal officials have checked the circus multiple times and have given it a “clean bill of health.”
After the camel trotted across Glendale Avenue near the Civic Auditorium after getting away from a new handler, passersby gawked at the scene, taking photos and videos. The camel was quickly captured by circus workers.
Lorenz said the Police Department has since stepped up visits to the auditorium.
Alex Ramos, a spokesman for the circus, defended his operation as one that employs dozens of people and entertains the public.
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