Elderly Viola, the most desperate elephant in the world, is off the road!

For years, Jordan World Circus has exploited elderly elephants like 56-year-old Viola; forcing her to perform and give rides despite her advanced age and painful foot and joint conditions. The circus leased these suffering animals from notoriously cruel exhibitors like Carson & Barnes Circus, hauling them from city to city, treating them as disposable props, and stripping away any semblance of a natural life. But now, we’re celebrating a major win. Thanks to mounting pressure from PETA and widespread public backlash against forcing wild animals to perform for human entertainment, we’ve confirmed that Jordan World Circus has removed elephants from its shows.

This move follows relentless PETA campaigning, which has included dozens of protests at tour stops across the country, over 600,000 emails from our supporters, complaints filed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and a report from a leading elephant expert which found that Viola is “unable or unwilling to bend her right front wrist, and is at risk of infection from an apparently untreated and likely painful toenail condition.”

Good News for Elephants Used in Circuses

Jordan World’s latest move means elephants will no longer be forced to perform confusing, difficult tricks under the threat of punishment and constant distress in the circus’s shows.

Viola, who has spent the last five decades in chains under Carson & Barnes Circus, has tried to escape her abusers at least four times—most recently in 2024, while Jordan World Circus was performing in Montana. Despite this history of resistance and distress, she was still forced to perform in nearly 200 shows in 2025 alone.

Help Viola and Other Suffering Elephants

While Jordan World Circus’s decision marks an important step forward, it does not end the suffering for Viola and other elephants still trapped in the industry. Across the circus circuit, a few remaining exhibitors haul elephants across the country for most of the year, often deny them adequate veterinary care, and control them through violent training methods involving sharp, steel-tipped weapons called bullhooks.

The only way to end this cruelty is to retire elephants to accredited sanctuaries, where they can finally live free from exploitation. Elephants are intelligent, deeply social animals who mourn their dead and form lifelong bonds. Viola never got that chance. Taken from her home and family in Asia as a baby, her entire life has consisted of chains, isolation, confinement, and forced performances. At the very least, she should be able to spend her remaining years in peace, in a naturalistic habitat at a reputable facility. Viola needs you—speak up for her today!

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