Photo by Tony DeFilippo

Just like it did last year, PETA is planning a protest of the arrival of the circus to the Verizon Center, an annual event that kicked off last night with the Pachyderm Parade. So, what do the creative animal rights activists have planned for tomorrow at 10 a.m.?

Three “bloodied,” bandaged, and limping “elephants” will lead PETA protesters on Thursday as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus prepares for its opening show at the Verizon Center. Holding signs that read, “Free Luna,” “Free Siam,” and “Free Aussan”—three of the elephants currently traveling with Ringling whose lameness has been verified by a veterinarian with more than 40 years of experience working with captive elephants—the protesters will call on the circus to retire the suffering animals and get them off the road.

PETA members will explain to passersby that last year, the D.C. Department of Health admitted that Ringling was chaining its elephants at night and knew that they were chained in such a restrictive manner that they could take only a single step in any direction—a violation of district law—but would not authorize an hour of overtime to go to the venue to inspect the circus, meaning that this practice is likely to continue backstage this year. Additionally, late last year, Ringling paid the largest fine in circus history—$270,000—for violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

“Every night, after being forced to perform painful contortions so that the circus can bring in the bucks, crippled and ailing elephants are restrained by Ringling employees so tightly that they must lie in their own waste,” says PETA Director Delcianna Winders. “PETA reminds families that if their children love animals, the last place to take them is to an animal circus.”

The Post’s Mike DeBonis looked into PETA’s claims today, and found them to have merit. According to his reporting, the D.C. Department of Health has said that it will inspect the circus to ensure that it complies with local law, but will only do so during business hours. Additionally, PETA has uncovered emails showing staffers in Mayor Vince Gray’s office discussing how to distribute free passes to the circus—a clear sign that the city isn’t serious about enforcing its animal cruelty laws, said the group.