Animal Rights Foundation of Florida



	The Shriners do not operate their own traveling circus. Instead, local Shrine temples hire existing circuses or put together a collection of acts to perform. In Florida, the Royal Hanneford Circus and Circus Hollywood commonly perform under the "Shrine Circus" name. Royal Hanneford Circus The Royal Hanneford Circus is a Sarasota-based circus that frequently performs in Florida under the name of the Shrine Circus. Like most circuses, Hanneford contracts with different performers each year. Currently, the Royal Hanneford Circus includes elephants, tigers and a depressing act in which muzzled and leashed bears are forced to ride bicycles and balance on balls. USDA inspectors have repeatedly cited the Royal Hanneford Circus for poor veterinary care. Photograph from the Royal Hanneford Circus website. For its 2008 tour, the circus has teamed-up with an animal trainer named Brian Franzen, who owns three elephants and a group of tigers. In 1998, Franzen pled guilty to two counts of animal neglect after humane investigators discovered several malnourished horses in filthy circus trailers. At the time, Brian explained to local media, "I can run the elephants and cats fine, but the horses-- it really wasn't my thing." In 2001, the USDA cited Franzen's operation for keeping tigers in cages that were too small. Brian inherited his elephants and tigers from his father, Wayne Franzen, who was attacked and killed by a tiger during a Shrine circus performance in Pennsylvania in 1997. By his own estimate, Brian and his animals travel 25,000 miles each year. Public Danger. In February 1999, an elephant with the Royal Hanneford Circus left the ring and ran into the audience during a performance in Poughkeepsie, New York. Several spectators were injured as they tried to get away from the elephant. Circus Hollywood Circus Hollywood (a.k.a Circus Coronas), based in Bradenton, also performs in Florida as a "Shrine Circus."In 2008, Circus Hollywood includes high-wire acts, clowns, acrobats and The Globe of Death (two motorcycles racing in a steel-cage). Unfortunately, the circus also features two elephants and an exotic animal petting zoo (giraffes, llamas and other animals). The two elephants— an African elephant named "Shannon" and an Asian elephant named "Cora" — are owned by Bill and Cindy Morris. During a Shrine circus in 2003 in Maine, activists filmed Bill Morris hooking an elephant under the trunk, causing the elephant to cry out. Cora is believed to be 50-years-old, making her one of the oldest performing elephants in the U.S. (photo: Cora in 2007) Don't the Shriners help children? The Shriners Hospitals for Children do good work, providing free medical care to needy patients across the country. But less than 2 percent of the hospitals' budgets come from money raised by Shrine temples. An investigation by the New York Times found that much of the money raised by temples is used not to help children but to pay for trips, parties and alcohol. "More than 57 percent of the $32 million the Shriners raised in 2005 through circuses, bingo games, raffles and a variety of sales went to costs of the fraternity, including keeping temple liquor cabinets full and offering expenses-paid trips to Shrine meetings and other events." - "In Shriner Spending, a Blurry Line of Giving;" New York Times, March 19, 2007 The small print on Shrine circus tickets usually make it clear that proceeds from the circus fund temple activities, not the hospitals (tickets are not considered charitable contributions). You Can Help The following Shrine temples in Florida sponsor animal circuses. Please contact the Potentate, or chief executive, at a temple near you and urge him to replace circuses with non-animal fundraisers, such as golf tournaments, car shows, festivals, or an animal-free circus (click here to download a list of animal-free circuses). Amara Shrine Wade Ferguson, Potentate 3650 RCA Blvd. Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410 Phone: (561) 627-2100 Fax: (561) 627-2103 E-mail: cfergu6988@aol.com Araba Shriners Mel Stiles, Potentate 2010 Hanson Street Fort Myers, FL 33901 Phone: (239) 334-2226 Fax: (239) 334-4010 Bahia Shriners Butch Carpenter, Potentate 2300 Pembroke Drive Orlando, FL 32810 Phone: (407) 660-8811 Fax: (407) 660-9028 E-mails: office@bahiashrine.org, potentate@bahiashrine.org "The time has come to end the circus at UCF. It is no longer fun and games at the circus, and the people are aware of it. The contract must not be renewed." - editorial, Central Florida Future (UCF campus newspaper), April 14, 2008 Egypt Shriners Frank Dyer, Potentate 4050 Dana Shores Drive Tampa, FL 33634 Phone: (866) 353-4978 Fax: (813) 884-7412 E-mail: masonicfrank@aol.com, egyptshrine@aol.com Morocco Shrine Tom Lumpkin, Potentate 3800 St. Johns Bluff Road Jacksonville, FL 32245 Phone: (904) 642-5200 ext. 27 E-mail: tlumpkin@moroccoshrine.org Sahib Shriners John Mitchell, Potentate 600 North Beneva Road Sarasota, FL 34232 Phone: (941) 366-4449 Fax: (941) 366-8578 E-mails: potentate@sahibshrine.org, sahib3@juno.com, jnmitch3@comcast.net Online comment form.


	Click here to learn more about circuses.