Show Us Your Tricks! underline

UPDATE: We've picked a winner! Check out who won on our blog.

Animal abuse isn't entertainment—and in 2010, we think that everyone can find more entertaining things to do than watching frightened elephants and other animals perform meaningless and unnatural tricks out of fear of being beaten. Check out some PETA and PETA Foundation staffers showing you why human tricks are way better than paying for elephants to be abused in order to perform their "tricks."

Got a trick up your sleeve? Have any hidden talents? Do anything silly and entertaining? Show us your amazing and ridiculous human tricks (keep it safe, people!), and you'll be entered to win an all-expenses-paid trip* for yourself and a legal guardian to Las Vegas to see Cirque du Soleil's "Mystère"—an exciting, vibrant show that "combines powerful athleticism, high-energy acrobatics and inspiring imagery"—no animals included, of course!

Want to win?

  • Check out the video above for examples of some great human tricks, and then show off yours in a video! Be sure to state your name and why you won't go to any circus that uses animals.
  • Upload your video to to our new contest page here: YouTube/ShowUsYourTricks so that millions of people can see why YOU don't support cruel circuses. Be sure to tag it well (hint: circus, peta2, and "elephants never forget" are all good choices) and promote it! Encourage your friends to rate your video with a "thumbs up."
  • E-mail StreetTeam@peta2.com with a link to your video to enter!

Eligibility Requirements: This contest is only open to U.S. residents between the ages of 13 and 21. The winner must be willing and available to travel between September 1, 2010, and October 15, 2010. To enter, you must create and upload your video to Youtube.com/ShowUsYourTricks and email a notification of the upload to StreetTeam@peta2.com (titled “Stupid Human Tricks Contest”). Eligible videos must include a statement explaining why contestants will not attend circuses featuring animals. Show us your most ridiculous, amazing, and creative human tricks, and urge your friends to give you a "thumbs up" to help prove to us that you should be crowned the winner! Everyone who sends us a video will receive 1,000 Street Team points. All entries must be submitted by August 23, 2010, and a winner will be chosen by peta2 and notified by August 27, 2010.

Heads up: By entering this contest, you're warranting that you've read and agreed to our contest rules and privacy policy.

*Prize includes the following: two round-trip coach airline tickets for winner and legal guardian from anywhere in the continental United States (PETA will cover the cost of vegan meals in-flight if booked flights offer the option to purchase) to Las Vegas, Nevada; two tickets to Cirque du Soleil's "Mystère" show at Treasure Island Hotel in Las Vegas; one night in a five-star hotel room in Las Vegas and transportation to and from the show as well as to and from the airport. Prize does not cover meals, snacks, or drinks or any other costs related to activities not listed here. Approximate retail value is $2,000.

Please Note: "Mystère" and "Cirque du Soleil" are registered trademarks of Creations Meandres Inc. Creations Meandres Inc. is not affiliated with PETA, nor does it endorse, sponsor, or otherwise support this promotion.

Facts

Elephants forced into circuses are often denied exercise and veterinary care.

Elephants in circuses are transported around the country in filthy, stifling trailers and boxcars.

Circus trainers use a barbaric device called a bullhook on elephants. Bullhooks resemble a fireplace poker and cause pain, suffering, and injuries.

Elephants used in circuses are kept in leg shackles that allow them to take only a single step forward or backward.

Elephants used in the circus are beaten, shocked, and whipped—over and over again—in order to make them perform tricks that are often painful and confusing to them.

Ricardo, an 8-month-old baby elephant, was euthanized after he fell off a circus pedestal and fractured his legs at Ringling's training compound.

Elephants do not perform grueling circus tricks unless they're forced to—often through the use of beatings and domination.

Constant confinement leads to unnatural behavior in elephants, such as head-bobbing and swaying, and causes deadly foot problems.

The Animal Welfare Act does not prohibit the use of bullhooks, whips, electric shock prods, or other devices that are commonly used by circus trainers on elephants.

Elephants can recognize each other from the sound of their calls.

Elephants engage in greeting ceremonies when a friend who has been away for some time returns to the group.

Elephant calves often suck their trunks for comfort, just as human babies suck their thumbs.

Baby elephants who lose their mothers have nightmares at night and wake up screaming.

Elephants experience joy, happiness, and sorrow, just as humans do. They even mourn the loss of other elephants.

The maximum life span of an elephant in the wild is approximately 70 years. Captive elephants die far sooner than their wild counterparts, often before their 40th birthday.

"No amount of entertainment is worth allowing the torture of other living beings. We will never attend another Ringling Bros. show."—Shanna Moakler

"Elephants need many acres to roam and suffer a great deal when chained or kept in cramped spaces for extended periods."—Pink

"You read about a lot of elephants going berserk in the circus, and it's obvious why they go berserk. It's because they're fricking tortured every day. I saw it myself."—Steve-O, who was once a circus clown

"Elephants, as far as I know, don't naturally ride on trains. I'm pretty sure the train was a man-made system, so I don't think elephants like trains. I think generally they prefer dirt … walking."—Alex Gaskarth, All Time Low

"I hate zoos and circuses. People shouldn't take their children to either one."—Tom of Tokio Hotel