Animal Justice Files False Advertising Complaint Over Shrine Circus Elephant Ad
TORONTO – Animal law advocacy organization Animal Justice filed a false advertising complaint today over misleading ads by the Shrine Circus appearing on Toronto Transit Commission vehicles.
The transit ads promote the Shrine Circus’ 2016 summer “Spectac!” tour in Southwestern Ontario and the GTA, and feature the image of an elephant in the midst of a circus performance, representing explicitly to ad viewers that elephant acts will be present in Shrine Circus shows. In reality, there will be no elephant performances this year; the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) cancelled permits on April 21, 2016 for two endangered Asian elephants named Shelley and Marie to be transported to from the U.S. to Canada for use in the Shrine Circus.
The cancellations come after Tarzan Zerbini, the U.S.-based circus contractor that provides elephant acts to the Shrine Circus, was found to have fallen far short of its promised financial contribution to…