The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International are deeply disturbed by the videos of Zena, a six-year-old tiger, who was performing in a circus act in Magnitogorsk, Russia. The video, which can be found online, shows disturbing footage of Zena being forced to jump through fiery hoops, before collapsing and appearing to seize in front of the crowd and six other tigers.

Kitty Block, acting president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States and president of Humane Society International, has stated the below regarding the harrowing incident:

“What happened to Zena the tiger in Russia was horrific but sadly, not uncommon. All wild animals used in entertainment suffer and in this case the suffering is blatantly exposed to the public eye. These are living and breathing animals, not props, and the use of wild animals in circuses and other traveling shows is cruel to the animals and can also easily become a public safety issue. This issue, like most, transcends borders and although the United States and numerous other countries have made progress on this.  Just this week, Hawaii took steps to ban the use of dangerous wild animals in traveling circuses – and numerous other municipalities, states and nations have made progress on this issue. News reports are saying Zena will be performing again this weekend despite what she went through. That is unacceptable. Until laws are changed, the most effective way for caring people to express opposition to this exploitation is by refusing to patronize circuses and other shows that feature wild animals.”

-30-

Media contact: Emily Ehrhorn: 202-779-1814; eehrhorn@humanesociety.org