EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WEHT) — An uninvited guest shocked Hadi Shriners at their black-tie gala Saturday evening in Evansville.
A member with the animal rights organization PETA showed up and crashed the event, waving around a sign that proclaimed, “Hadi Shriners Support Animal Abuse.” The member repeatedly yelled “there is no excuse for animal abuse” as one of the attendees escorted her out of the building.
PETA officials claim the Hadi Shrine Circus is among the last remaining shows “still exploiting wild animals who are confined to small crates, kept in shackles, and deprived of any semblance of a natural life.”
According to the Hadi Shrine Circus’ website, all of their animals are treated like family. The site states that the animals receive annual check-ups and vaccinations, and mentions that some of their performance dogs were rescued from shelters.
“Animals used for the Hadi Shrine Circus are forced to perform confusing, painful tricks under the threat of violence, over and over again,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is calling on Hadi Shriners to end their support of these horrifying animal acts, as other shrines have already done.”
We reached out to the Hadi Shriners for comment and are waiting to hear back.
