Animal-based circus performance causes concern of local residents, calls to cancel
(Tillamook, OR) – On Tuesday, May 27, 2025 starting at 4pm, a group of local community members, led by animal advocates Haylee Stone and Dez McIver, will come together to protest a circus event held by Jordan World Circus at Tillamook County Fairgrounds.
“We believe it is important to expose the truth of what animals in the circus endure,” says Ms. Stone. “Individuals who attend circuses are often unaware of the cruelty that exists and the misery the animals suffer. With our peaceful protest, we endeavor to shine a light on this abuse and encourage people not to attend the circus. Only then do we have a hope of giving the elephants and other animals confined to circuses a chance at a normal, natural life.”
Currently there is a worldwide movement to end the use of animals in circuses. In Oregon, Benton and Multnomah Counties have enacted bans. Many countries and several U.S. states have also successfully banned circuses, including, most recently, Washington, because animals involved in traveling entertainment endure repeated and prolonged suffering. For example, sharp instruments called bullhooks are used to force the elephants into doing unnatural postures like standing on their hind legs or performing synchronized movements.
All circuses presently using animals have a long history of abuse, neglect, and/or documented USDA violations of animal cruelty under the federal Animal Welfare Act.
In fact, the nonprofit organization CompassionWorks International, which is supporting this demonstration, reported Jordan World Circus last year for violations of safe animal handling guidelines and endangering the public after one of the elephants, Viola, escaped and ran loose through Butte, Montana.
CompassionWorks International conducted a write-in campaign to Tillamook Fairgrounds. As of the distribution of this release, 1,786 individuals have written in requesting that the Fairgrounds refuse to host the circus.
Despite receiving information and requests for consideration, neither the Fairgrounds nor the County Commissioners have chosen to address this important issue.
The reality is stark: Isa and Viola, the two elephants used in Jordan World Circus, are both more than 50 years old.Isa is 55 and Viola is estimated to be 59. Their advanced age makes public appearances an unnecessary risk for an unsuspecting public. Both elephants have suffered years of performances, travel, and rides, and are long deserving of retirement.
Carrie LeBlanc, executive director of CompassionWorks International, states, “The exploitation of other living beings for the purposes of human entertainment is a relic of a sad and disgraceful past. In 2025, we know better. We call on the residents of Tillamook to avoid circus performances that utilize animal acts and for the Fairgrounds to refuse future animal-circus contracts.”
Jordan World Circus USDA violations summary
