Garden Bros. Circus

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Garden Bros. Circus January 19 and 20, 2020: Garden Bros. Garden Bros. performed without animals at The Venue at the University of Central Florida. Circus 650 Central Ave., Ste. 1, Sarasota, FL 34236 January 9, 2020: Officials with the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources confirmed that it would not allow Garden Bros. to bring elephants into the Garden Bros. Circus (aka “Piccadilly”; state for its shows scheduled at the “Whirling Bros.”; “Circus America, Inc.”; Paducah Convention Center on February “Garden Family Shows, Inc.”; “Toby 13, 2020. Tyler Circus”; “Sterling & Reid Bros.”; “Sterling & Reid Circus”; and “Circus January 8, 2020: The city of Hope, Matrix”), operated by the Garden family, Arkansas, confirmed that it would not allow does not possess its own animal Garden Bros. to use elephants at its 2020 exhibitor license from the U.S. shows taking place there. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Zachary Garden, the third generation of November 2, 2019: The Florida Fish and Gardens to enter the circus industry as Wildlife Conservation Commission issued the general manager of Garden Bros. warnings to Garden Bros.’ elephant Circus, does hold a USDA exhibitor exhibitor for endangering the public by license, supplying tigers, monkeys, walking elephants through a crowd without camels, and other animals for Garden barriers and by failing to keep the animals Bros. performances. Garden Bros. safely contained backstage. Circus also contracts with outside companies, including Circus Gatti,* October 1, 2019: Officials in Prince William Liebel Family Circus,* Bentley Bros. County, Virginia, informed Garden Bros. Circus,* and Franzen Bros. Circus,* so that it would not be allowed to offer elephant Garden Bros. Circus isn’t subject to or camel rides during its performances. citations under its own name. Exhibitors of leased animals at Garden Bros. Circus September 25, 2019: The Highlands have failed to meet minimum federal County Fair Association in Sebring, Florida, standards for the care of animals used in confirmed that Garden Bros. would not be exhibition as established in the Animal allowed to use animals in shows scheduled Welfare Act (AWA). The USDA has cited on November 21, 2019. Garden Bros. Circus exhibitors for forcibly striking an elephant with a September 19, 2019: Officials with the bullhook and for failing to provide Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife adequate veterinary care, to provide Resources confirmed that it would not allow adequate and safe enclosures, to handle Garden Bros. to bring elephants into the animals in a way that does not cause state for its shows scheduled at The Corbin unnecessary stress or trauma, to provide Arena in Corbin on October 1, 2019. wholesome and uncontaminated food, to provide shelter from the elements, and to April 8, 2019: Garden Bros. made its last provide environmental enrichment. appearance in Marshfield, Massachusetts, after the police chief decided not to allow it *Contact PETA for documentation. to return to the city. The decision came after the circus canceled several of the acts and refused to give any cash refunds. {00125484} Garden Bros. Circus March 23, 2019: DC Health denied Garden Anthony Frisco with failing to provide two Bros. a permit to perform with animals elephants with adequate care and shelter. during its shows at the Events DC They were forced to stand on asphalt in Entertainment and Sports Arena in direct sunlight in 89-degree weather without Washington, D.C. access to shade. Camel and pony exhibitor Joel Faulk and horse exhibitor Kambarov March 19, 2019: The Board of Selectmen in Raiychbek Kozugulovich were similarly Walpole, Massachusetts, denied Garden charged. Faulk and Frisco later pleaded Bros. a permit to perform at the Rodman guilty to lesser charges of littering. Arena, citing significant problems with the circus’s previous event in 2018. May 21, 2018: Saint Louis University canceled Garden Bros. performances at the March 12, 2019: After Garden Bros. Chaifetz Arena scheduled for June 8 and 9, performed at the Greenville Convention 2018. Center in South Carolina, the venue banned it and all other circuses from performing May 17, 2018: Officials in the village of there with animals in the future. Birch Run, Michigan, alerted Garden Bros. to its ban on dangerous wild animals and February 20, 2019: The AV Fair & Event urged the circus not to use elephants in its Center in Lancaster, California, decided to performances. skip the Garden Bros. shows scheduled there. April 14, 2018: A compliance officer in Lowell, Massachusetts, prevented Garden November 1, 2018: Garden Bros. failed to Bros. from using two injured horses in its obtain the required permit to perform with performances. elephants during its shows at the St. Lucie County Fairgrounds in Florida, and county April 11, 2018: An officer with the officials responded by directing the circus to Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of put on elephant-free performances. Cruelty to Animals inspected Garden Bros. in Walpole, Massachusetts, and noted October 2, 2018: Officials with the health issues in several of the horses Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife provided by Ray Kambarov, including the Resources inspected Garden Bros. and following: a palomino who wasn’t allowed to found that the elephant exhibitor, Carson & perform until he gained weight; a chestnut Barnes Circus, had failed to comply with the horse named Kicker, who had a swollen terms of its permit. Handler Anthony Frisco ankle and scratches and was on pain was charged with four violations. He failed medications, antibiotics, and steroids; and a to appear at his arraignment, and the court gray horse, Smokey, who had a wounded issued a bench warrant for his arrest. shoulder and a cloudy eye and was on pain medications. September 7, 2018: A Garden Bros. employee was arrested after allegedly March 17, 2018: City officials in Norfolk, opening fire after the circus’s performance Virginia, denied Garden Bros. permits to at the Bee County Expo Center in Beeville, exhibit or display elephants at its shows and Texas. The woman reportedly pulled out a prevented it from using a horse with a handgun and fired at another employee swollen eye. during a fight. March 1, 2018: Police in Fairmont, West June 10, 2018: Independence (Missouri) Virginia, denied Garden Bros. permits to Animal Services charged elephant handler exhibit or display wild or exotic animals Garden Bros. Circus within city limits for its show scheduled at the National Guard Armory. March 8, 2017: The Union County Saddle Club in Blairsville, Georgia, canceled September 23, 2017: Garden Bros. shows Garden Bros.’ performance at the Union scheduled at Red River Exhibition in County Arena. Manitoba, Canada, were canceled after inspectors refused to declare the circus tent March 2, 2017: Hall County Animal safe. Services in Georgia barred Garden Bros. from exhibiting elephants at its shows at the September 1, 2017: Elephant expert and Chicopee Woods Agricultural Center. veterinarian Dr. Philip K. Ensley published a report of his observations of the elephants February 23, 2017: The USDA cited in two Garden Bros. performances. He Hoosier Camel Encounter, performing with found that Bunny displayed a reduced range Garden Bros. in Murray, Kentucky, for of motion in her right front wrist (most likely repeatedly hitting a llama with a whip during because of painful arthritis), Libby exhibited a performance after the animal wouldn’t stereotypic swaying behavior indicative of perform an intended behavior. According to mental suffering, and both elephants had the inspector, the llama was very abnormalities in their toenails, including a distressed, pulling back on the lead line with loss of nail structure from a potential ears flat back, and spit at the handler. abscess on one of Libby’s toes and vertical cracks on one of Bunny’s toenails. February 1, 2017: A Garden Bros. show in Valdosta, Georgia, was canceled after June 29, 2017: City officials in Santa Fe, Lowndes County refused to issue it the New Mexico, denied permits to Garden necessary permits because its safety record Bros. for shows scheduled on July 8, 2017, involving animals and the public wasn’t because it had failed to comply with city satisfactory. permitting requirements. September 26, 2016: The USDA cited June 1, 2017: City officials in Minneapolis Zachary Garden for failing to make a and Little Falls, Minnesota, barred Garden responsible adult available to facilitate the Bros. from using animals in its scheduled inspection. shows. August 30, 2016: Zachary Garden was April 12, 2017: The Maine Department of charged with three misdemeanor counts of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife barred Garden improperly confining a capuchin monkey to Bros. from bringing elephants into the state a cage in his backyard. The Florida Fish for performances at the Biddeford Arena. and Wildlife Conservation Commission report indicated that the capuchin was April 11, 2017: Executives at the Union confined to a cage that failed to meet the Arena Community Center in Woodstock, agency’s minimum size requirements, that Vermont, persuaded Garden Bros. to the cage wasn’t secure, and that lifting it perform without animals. could allow the animal to escape. Garden entered a plea of no contest to the charges. March 18, 2017: Officials in Norfolk, Virginia, denied Garden Bros. permits to March 2016: Officials in Winchester and exhibit animals at its shows at the Ted Norfolk, Virginia, chose not to allow Constant Convocation Center because of elephants to perform or be displayed during the exhibitors’ records of public-safety and Garden Bros. Circus’ planned visit to the animal-welfare violations. cities. Garden Bros. Circus More than 25 people were observed at the January 27, 2016: After receiving an e-mail petting zoo without an attendant present. from Zachary Garden on January 9, 2016, stating that he “vacated this facility and sold June 24, 2013: The USDA cited Zachary his camels,” the USDA cited him for failing Garden for failing to update the program of to tell the agency of any new facilities or his veterinary care in more than a year.
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