Dear : I was very disappointed to see that [name of sponsor] is promoting the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus. I urge you to stop promoting this cruel event immediately. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is a circus known for its shocking record of animal treatment. Ringling has been cited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for failure to provide veterinary care to a dying baby elephant and failure to provide animals with sufficient space and exercise. In less than two years, two of Ringling's baby elephants died horrifying deaths on the road, a caged tiger was shot to death, a horse with a chronic medical condition collapsed and died, and a wild-caught sea lion was found dead in her transport container. In 1999, the USDA warned Ringling that the circus had caused two baby elephants "unnecessary trauma, behavioral stress, and physical harm and discomfort," after inspectors found painful rope burns caused by separating the infant animals from their mothers. Last year, the USDA cited Ringling for a failure to provide veterinary care to an elephant who had been diagnosed with a human strain of tuberculosis and for failure to maintain its tiger enclosures after two tigers injured themselves while desperately trying to claw their way out of overheated cages to avoid being baked alive. Ringling has opposed regulations that would limit the amount of time that elephants can be chained, prohibit the use of electric shock, and forbid using bullhooks in a manner that causes injury. A recent undercover video footage shows the ways elephants live their lives as part of the Ringling Bros. circus. The video shows elephants chained closely to the wall with no freedom to move around and no visible access to food or water, in a tiny indoor room, swaying from side to side (a known reaction to stress). Also visible are very unprofessional-acting employees hitting elephants repeatedly with bullhooks, usually for no apparent reason or for the amusement of themselves and their coworkers. Animals in circuses lead miserable lives. They cannot satisfy even the most natural behaviors. This leads to extreme stress, which manifests itself in abnormal behaviors such as constant pacing, tail biting, eating excrement, bar chewing, and constant wobbling. These animals spend the majority of their lives on the road, cramped in cages or pens, and get very little exercise. Wild animals do not give up their natural behaviors easily. The training involves tight collars, electric prods, bullhooks, whips as well as water and food depravation. In addition, performing wild animals pose a real threat to public safety, precisely because they are wild and therefore unpredictable. No amount of training or affection can eliminate this danger. I sincerely hope that [name of sponsor] will reconsider its association with Ringling Bros. circus. Please, for the sake of the animals and the safety of the public, implement a formal policy against the use of animal acts as promotions, and schedule only cruelty-free events. Thank you for your consideration in this matter. Sincerely,   [Your Name] [Address - optional]