The animal circus in Ashwaubenon should be stopped.  The city council in the Village of Ashwaubenon, WI must add an ordinance, just as the City of Green Bay has(Ordinance Code Book,Ch.8.04, http://www.ci.green-bay.wi.us/codebook/chp8.pdf), to not allow exotic animals into their village. Exotic animals, like those in circuses, are not allowed in Green Bay, but are allowed in the Village of Ashwaubenon. The 2010 Beja Shrine Circus is scheduled to be at The Brown County Veteran's Memorial Arena in March.

If the people who booked this circus at PMI Entertainment Group and Ashwaubenon Village lawmakers took the time to learn about the mistreatment of the animals used in the circus, I strongly believe that this show would not be allowed to go on. If cities and villages all over the country are passing new laws that keep the circus away from their communities, why hasn't Ashwaubenon. By allowing the circus to come to this area, I believe it is strongly saying, "We are looking the other way on animal abuse, for the sake of public entertainment."

According to many publications, *the training methods are purely by threat, harsh punishment and force. It is not natural for these animals to walk tail to tail or stand on their heads. When they do not train well, many are simply beaten. *Bullhooks are commonly used "tools" to train elephants. A bullhook is a metal hook on a wooden pole that trainers use to force the elephant to go where the trainer wants. The skin on an elephant is just as sensititive as a human, but that does not stop trainers from using this inhumane device. *Living conditions for performance animals are unhealthy and they spend most of their time locked in cages or chanined up. *Head bobbing, swaying and pacing are all signs of UNNATURAL BEHAVIOR. This is called "circus maddness."

Circus animals are an age-old tradition that should no longer be tolerated. Years ago, the general public was not aware of how these animals were treated and trained. But, today, more and more of us are. There are numerous animal-free circuses around our country, that Beja Shrine Temple and others could very well use as a fund raiser---Circus of the Kids, Circus Center and Circus Luminous, to name just a few. Please take some time and view the videos and literature that I have posted under the "Links" section in this petition. **If your child's school has a field trip scheduled to see the circus, please speak up to the administration against it.** *If you would rather show your support by personal email, please email me at, StopTheAnimalCircusInAsh@Yahoo.com I will present this petition to the Ashwaubenon Village Council in the upcoming months. It will also be sent to all decision-makers within PMI Entertainment Group, Beja Shrine Temple, as well as, all local media outlets.

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