Current Campaigns - Swap Shop circus


	The Hanneford Family Circus, which has been performing at Fort Lauderdale’s Swap Shop almost uninterrupted since 1989, was evicted in early August 2005 by the flea market’s owner, Preston Henn. The circus ring has been turned into a museum for Mr. Henn’s collection of sports cars. On the day the circus left town, ARFF visited their abandoned quarters at the back of the flea market’s parking lot. For the first time in 16 years, the tiger cage, stalls for the circuses horses and llama, and the pitifully small enclosure that was “home” for three elephants were all empty! Stool used in elephant act, left behind by the circus.
	At the Swap Shop, elephants were forced to perform circus tricks up to three times per day, seven days a week. The elephants, born free 33 years ago in Asia, have shown signs of suffering from foot problems and other captivity-induced health conditions. The campaign against the Swap Shop circus was one of ARFF’s longest. ARFF held dozens of demonstrations, purchased an anti-circus billboard across the street from the Swap Shop, and in other ways pressured the Swap Shop to consider entertainment that was not cruel and exploitive.
	ARFF's billboard on Sunrise Blvd., near the Swap Shop
	Although Mr. Henn explained that the eviction was a result of a dispute over contracts and insurance, we have no doubt that his decision was made easier knowing that animal rights activists would never go away.
	How Can I Help?
	Please write to Preston Henn and thank him for discontinuing the circus: Preston Henn, Owner Swap Shop 3291 W. Sunrise Blvd. Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311 Fax: (954) 792-7962 E-mail: swshop@aol.com or swshop2@aol.com


	It is exciting that the Swap Shop has finally ended their financial support of the circus; unfortunately, life for the animals in the circus may not improve. The future of the Hanneford Family Circus is uncertain.
	The Elephants As with the majority of elephants used in circuses, the Swap Shop's elephants were taken from the wild when they were babies. George & Victoria Hanneford obtained three elephants in Bangkok, Thailand in the early 1970s, before Asian elephants were declared an Endangered Species (commercial trade in Asian elephants is now illegal). At the time, it was not uncommon for poachers to bring elephant calves to the city for sale to unscrupulous circuses. Only a few months old, the elephants — "Carol," "Liz" and "Patty" — were shipped to the United States where they were trained to perform unnatural and degrading tricks. In the wild, young elephants nurse for several years. Female elephants stay with their mothers and with their family group for their entire lives.
	For the elephants, decades of life with the circus has resulted in captivity-induced health problems. During an inspection by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a veterinarian noted, "problems with foot condition, of all three elephants." Elephants in captivity regularly suffer from chronic foot and joint problems due to lack of proper exercise and from years of standing on hard surfaces. (Click here for a complete list of the Hanneford Family Circus' animal care violations.) It is clear that the basic needs of elephants can never be met in captivity (The world's leading elephant experts agree). Elephants used in circuses are also a public safety risk. In 1990, Carol crushed a circus worker to death at the Swap Shop. Since then, 11 humans have died and over 100 injured in incidents involving captive elephants in the U.S.
	ARFF has encouraged the Hannefords to retire the animals, who have suffered long enough and deserve a peaceful retirement. Although Carol, Liz and Patty can't be returned to the forests of their birth, relocation to a sanctuary is a wonderful option. There are two sanctuaries in the United States that offer exceptional homes for elephants suffering from neglect, abuse or years of confinement: The Performing Animal Welfare Society in California and The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee offer large, natural settings (100+ acres) over which elephants can roam, forage and bond with other elephants.

	Please, never attend a circus with animals. Animals in circuses live miserable lives of deprivation, confinement and abuse. In the circus, virtually all of animal's natural behaviors are thwarted. When not performing, circus elephants spend most of their lives in chains. Click here for more information about circuses, including a list of animal-free circuses.