HOUMA -- An animal-rights group plans to stage a nude protest to discourage locals from attending an upcoming Ringling Brothers Circus show at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center.

Matthew Pleasant

Staff Writer

HOUMA -- An animal-rights group plans to stage a nude protest to discourage locals from attending an upcoming Ringling Brothers Circus show at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center.

Two women are scheduled to appear 1 p.m. Monday (Nov. 17) at the corner of Lafayette and West Main streets, one of whom will sit in a cage wearing little more than a coat of orange body paint.

Both are activists with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, a Virginia-based animal rights group that has demonstrated against the 138-year-old touring circus for years.

The group alleges mistreatment by the circus�s trainers that has led to the deaths of tigers and elephants in their care. The caged and painted woman is meant to represent one such tiger.

A lawsuit against the circus by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or ASPCA, for the circus� alleged abuse against elephants is scheduled to begin February in federal court, according to officials with Feld Entertainment, the company that produces the circus.

�A lot of them are beaten and forced to perform unnatural tricks,� said Virginia Fort, one of the volunteers who will protest. �It�s unacceptable when animals are dying for Ringling to turn a profit.�

The organization staged similar tiger-lady protests in Shreveport in 2002 before a Ringling performance. The protestors were jailed, drawing a lawsuit against the city and six officers by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Houma Police officials said they may intervene in Monday�s planned protest.

�If she plans on getting naked, it ain�t going to happen,� Capt. Greg Hood said.

Public nudity is banned under Terrebonne Parish law.

Fort said nudity is just one way that the organization attempts to draw attention to animal abuse.

�In today�s world, we have to do eye-catching demonstrations to get media attention,� she said, adding that the protests are effective. �Most people are compassionate. If they knew it was going on, they�d be disgusted.�

Jason Gibson, a production manager with Ringling Brothers Circus, denies the alleged mistreatment. He said the circus goes out of its way to care for animals on the road and during training.

�We tell everyone that�s coming, come and see for yourself,� he said. �Come see how healthy and beautiful the animals are.�

Three Asian elephants and six Bengal tigers are among the animals the circus will bring through in a one-ring version of its show in Houma, which has performances scheduled for Nov. 28, 29 and 30.

The circus presents between 350 and 400 shows a year.

An animal compound is immediately set up when the circus arrives and animals are allowed to exercise. A veterinarian is on-call in every city they perform in, he added.

He said circus performers are used to the protests, and they�ve had little impact.

�It�s happened so many times now,� Gibson said. �Most people want to see her because she�s scantily clad.�



Staff Writer Matthew Pleasant can be reached at 857-2202 or matthew.pleasant@houmatoday.com.