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Tarzan Zerbini Circus Factsheet
Note: Tarzan Zerbini also operates under the names
of "Circus Maximus" and the "Royal Canadian Circus".
· July 23, 2002, Ontario: Canadian
authorities quarantined and then deported at least 3 Tarzan Zerbini
elephants after the USDA discovered that they had previously been
exposed to a Tuberculosis positive elephant.
· July 23, 2000 Halifax, Nova Scotia:
The Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources forced Tarzan Zerbini
to buy larger overnight cages after the circus was found to be in
violation of provincial laws.
· November 3, 1999 USA: The USDA
cited Tarzan Zerbini for the third time in a year for an improperly
maintained transport trailer. The floor that supports the elephants
was sagging with spots rusted through.
· November 1999 USA: Two elephants
used by Tarzan Zerbini who had been exposed to other, tuberculosis-positive
elephants were quarantined for testing.
· May 4, 1999 USA: The USDA cited
Tarzan Zerbini for failure to provide veterinary care to an elephant
named Roxy with a swollen left front foot. The circus was also cited
for failure to provide shade for the elephants and for improper
food storage.
· May 1999 USA: The USDA cited Tarzan
Zerbini for the second time for an improperly maintained transport
trailer that could injure the elephants' feet.
· April 24, 1999 Duluth, Minnesota:
A 27-year-old Tarzan Zerbini circus worker, who had been drinking,
was hospitalized in serious condition after he was attacked by an
elephant who had broken free of her shackles in Duluth, Minn., where
the circus was performing for the Shriners. Another elephant trainer
admitted that the elephants had been beaten badly by drunken trainers
and were wary of people with alcohol on their breath. The trainer
also commented, "There are probably more people killed and
injured by elephants than by any other exotic animal."
· November 18, 1998 Gainsville, Florida:
Jupiter, a three and a half year old Bengal tiger used by the Tarzan
Zebini circus for Montreal shows in August 1998, killed one of its
owners when it lunged without warning and bit her neck. She died
immediately. Five weeks earlier, Jupiter had killed one of its other
owners. The tiger was killed by the local sherriff's SWAT team with
three shots from a .308 rifle.
· November 18, 1998 USA: The USDA
cited Tarzan Zerbini for an improperly maintained elephant transport
trailer.
· August 19, 1998 Montreal: The
Montreal Gazette reported that Jupiter, a white Bengal tiger, bore
scars on his temples and hips.
· March 17,1997 Grand Rapids, Michigan:
A bear traveling with the Tarzan Zerbini Circus bit off the tip
of a 2 year old child's finger. The child had to undergo surgery
to repair her finger.
· February 6,1995 Ft. Wayne, Indiana:
a Tarzan Zerbini employee was stepped on by an elephant and suffered
a crushed pelvis and was in critical condition at the Methodist
Hospital in Indianapolis. No reports of her recovery were available.
· December 8, 1994 USA: The USDA
during a routine inspection, found Tarzan Zerbini non-compliant
with the Animal Welfare Act for not having a program for veterinary
care and animal transport vehicles in need of repair.
· April 25, 1994 Michigan: Three
children were injured during elephant rides at a Tarzan Zerbini
performance in Michigan.
· November 5, 1994 USA: The USDA
found Tarzan Zerbini non-compliant with the Federal Animal Welfare
Act for failing to have a program for veterinary care and no veterinary
medical records. The circus also did not have records of acquisition
and disposition of the animals.
· July 16, 1992 Lafayette, Indiana:
Nine people were injured at the Tarzan Zerbini circus when its elephants
collided and caused a barricade to come toppling down. The spectators
were treated for cuts and bruises and one woman was hospitalized.
· September 14, 1990 Victoria, B.C.:
The SPCA inspected the Tarzan Zerbini circus and noted the following:
the majority of the horses had lacerations, abrasions or scars from
old injuries. There was no food or water available for the tigers.
The cages for the monkeys were extraordinarily small, not allowing
the monkeys to stand on their hind legs.
The inspector was told by the circus that the
monkeys and dogs are kept in the cages at all times, except for
the show performances. No water was provided for the monkeys and
dogs.
The inspector stated in her report, "this
circus, where the animals did not have food or water available,
where the animals were kept entirely in cages too small to allow
the least bit of movement or comfort, and where it was impossible
to find anyone to accept basic responsibility for the care of the
animals was a prime example of everything that should not be allowed
to occur in a circus".
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