20060104 - Nikki Benoit, of Gainesville, and a member of
the Alachua County Animal Activists, protests outside the St. Pete
Times Forum on Wednesday night before the start of the Ringling Bros
and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Other groups represented at the protest
included the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida and the Animal
Protection Institute. API kicks off a campaign in Tampa on Wednesday
protesting what it calls animal abuse at the circus. API will unveil a
mobile billboard it plans to show in other cities that purports to
show chained Ringling elephants. The billboard will be around Tampa
during the circus' run in the city, through Jan. 6. The API has joined
a federal lawsuit against Ringing for violating endangered species act
regarding mistreatment of Asian elephants. (Brian Cassella / St.
Petersburg Times)
