Suarez Bros. Circus

867 Munoz Rivera Ave.
San Juan, PR 00936
USDA License #94-C-0112

The Mexico-based Suarez Bros. Circus travels throughout Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America with seven polar bears. Polar bears are arctic marine animals and overheat easily in temperatures above freezing. The polar bears are repeatedly hit and whipped to force them to perform. While in U.S. territory, Suarez has failed to meet minimal federal standards for the care of animals used in exhibition as established in the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has cited Suarez for failure to maintain suitable environmental temperatures for bears showing signs of heat distress, for failure to provide veterinary care, for failure to provide minimum space, and for repeatedly failing to provide structurally sound fencing around bear cages. In August 2001, Suarez was charged with two counts of cruelty to animals by Puerto Rican authorities for keeping the bears in filthy cages, without relief from temperatures that reached 113 degrees. In 1998, a polar bear suffered a painful death when a severe case of heartworm was left untreated for months. Both the USDA and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service have failed to enforce federal regulations intended to protect polar bears like the ones in the Suarez Bros. Circus. Contact PETA for documentation.

October 11, 2001: U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA) issued a news release stating, "The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the [USDA's] Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service have approved permits which allow the Suarez Circus to keep these huge and powerful animals in transient facilities without adequate access to water or cool air. ... Despite documentation of substandard care for these magnificent animals, the circus maintains its permit. ... It is disturbing that the two federal agencies responsible for protecting polar bears would allow arctic animals to be held captive in tropical climates."

October 8, 2001: Popular recording artist Patricia Manterola urged the president of Mexico, Vicente Fox, to ban the use of polar bears in circuses. Manterola wrote, "The Suarez Bros. Circus has taken these bears and turned them into frightened caricatures who are whipped and beaten to make them perform 'tricks'-acts that they would never consider in nature."

October 4, 2001: In a letter to the USDA, the Marine Mammal Commission wrote, "[T]he Commission has a fundamental concern about the appropriateness of maintaining a polar species in an outdoor facility in a tropical climate ... [T]he facility has not been in compliance with the applicable care and maintenance standards during much of the time it has been in Puerto Rico ... The apparent lack of attention to medical problems does not appear to be an isolated incident. ... [A] videotape taken by PETA shows trainers striking and prodding the bears to compel them to perform various unnatural behaviors... [I]t was the Commission's understanding that [regulations] specifically prohibited the use of training methods that included physical punishment or abuse being used or inflicted upon the marine mammals."

In a letter to the USFWS, the Marine Mammal Commission wrote, "[T]he Fish and Wildlife Service ... issued the permit to the Suarez Bros. Circus ... despite many concerns raised by the Commission. ... [I]t appears that the Suarez [Bros.] Circus has failed to satisfy the requirements of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and has not fully complied with some essential provisions of [its permit]."

The Marine Mammal Commission called for an interagency evaluation to determine if the polar bears were routinely subjected to substandard care, in which case the commission recommends that the agencies take prompt action to revoke the permit and seize the bears (see April 24, 2001).

August 31, 2001: According to the Vancouver Sun, Ron Kagan, director of the Detroit Zoological Institute, stated, "[T]he circus bears are being deprived of a reasonable physical and social environment and are in a climate ‘very, very distant from what might be comfortable for them.’" The Detroit Zoo offered to take in at least two of the circus’ polar bears.

August 30, 2001: Canadian-born singer Sarah McLachlan urged the USDA to seize the polar bears. McLachlan wrote, "It is heartbreaking to see these beautiful bears, regarded in Canada as a national treasure, belittled and mistreated by the operators of a traveling show, who seek only to profit from their misery."

August 28, 2001: The USDA cited Suarez for allowing "large numbers of children" access to the polar bears and black bears throughout the day as the circus was setting up in Mayaguez. The circus was also cited for failure to maintain appropriate temperatures for polar bears. The inspector wrote, "The polar bears were in the transport vehicle for a total of approximately 55 hours at a temperature of between at least 79 degrees and 87.5 degrees during the daytime hours. This is outside of the normal range for these mammals."

August 27, 2001: A USDA inspector noted on an inspection report, "The polar bears and transport vehicle arrived at 6 a.m. today, but as of 4 p.m. the air-conditioned activity tent and pools are still en route. ... They have been in this vehicle since approximately 1 p.m. yesterday."

August 22, 2001: Coca-Cola withdrew its sponsorship of Suarez Bros. Circus one day after PETA notified the company of the circus’ cruel treatment of its polar bears.

August 17, 2001: In a letter to USDA Secretary Ann Veneman, Canadian Minister of Conservation in Manitoba Oscar Lathlin wrote, "I was recently made aware of an unfortunate situation regarding a number of polar bears in Puerto Rico, some of which originate from Manitoba. … I urge you to instruct your department officials to take whatever stronger measures are necessary. I would hope this could include confiscating the bears from the circus altogether as a means of ensuring their health and welfare."

August 16, 2001: Suarez was charged with two counts of cruelty to animals after rangers with the Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources found the bears living in cages contaminated with an excessive accumulation of feces and without access to water or shade in 113-degree heat for 24 hours. According to an animal control officer who observed the bears, "All were with their tongues outside, breathing really hard." Polar bears can overheat in 32-degree temperatures.

August 15, 2001: A USDA inspector noted on an inspection report, "The trainer lost the temperature record book, so these records were not reviewed today."

August 14, 2001: Knoxville Zoo staff veterinarian Dr. Ed Ramsay reviewed videotape taken by PETA of the Suarez polar bear performance in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on July 10-12, 2001, and commented, "In several sequences, the bears were repeatedly hit with what looked like a long riding crop. One bear was hit on the head and in the face. Hitting the bear in this manner has the potential to cause eye and hearing damage. … I think the only thing the public learned from watching this act is that it is okay to force bears to do things by hitting them."

August 10, 2001: The USDA cited Suarez for failure to provide structurally sound fencing around the bear cages and for failure to maintain appropriate temperatures for the polar bears. The inspector wrote, "Some of these temperatures ... are outside the normal acceptable environmental temperatures for this species of marine mammal."

August 6, 2001: Baltimore Zoo Executive Director Roger Birkel reviewed videotape taken by PETA of the Suarez polar bear performance in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on July 10-12, 2001, and commented, "There is a reluctance by the bears to climb the stairs and use the slide. … This indicates, to me, a level of stress during the performance. … [T]he trainer is repeatedly using a stick or whip to prod and strike the bears’ hindquarters. If the lower vertebral column is struck, it may cause permanent injury to the animal. Also, the head area is struck, which can cause eye injuries. … [T]he use of physical force coupled with the obvious lack of message … leaves the observer with a negative impact and a complete lack of respect and understanding for the animals."

July 10-12, 2001: Videotape taken by PETA of Suarez performances in San Juan, Puerto Rico, shows that the polar bears are fearful of performing a trick that requires them to climb stairs and slide headfirst on their stomachs down a slide. The polar bears are repeatedly hit, jabbed, and whipped in the face, back, sides, and hindquarters to coerce obedience.

June 25, 2001: The USDA cited Suarez for failure to correct previously identified violations of not providing structurally sound fencing around bear cages.

June 22-23, 2001: The USDA cited Suarez for failure to correct previously identified violations of not providing structurally sound fencing around bear cages.

June 21, 2001: The USDA cited Suarez for failure to correct previously identified violations of not providing structurally sound fencing around bear cages.

The USDA gave Suarez permission to keep its polar bears in conditions substantially below minimum AWA standards. The polar bears, arctic marine animals, will be without access to air conditioning and a small pool of water for 65 percent of the time while performing in the intense heat and humidity in Puerto Rico.

June 18-19, 2001: The USDA cited Suarez for failure to correct previously identified violations of not providing minimum space and access to a pool of water for the polar bears, suitable environmental temperatures, and structurally sound fencing around bear cages.

The inspector wrote, "The pools of water cannot be maintained within a normal temperature range for this species with the current system of putting block ice into the pools of water. At 2:30 p.m., 500 pounds of ice was again put into each pool. At 3:30 p.m., the water temperature in the pools was 80 degrees and all the ice was now melted."

June 7, 2001: The USDA cited Suarez for failure to provide minimum space and access to a pool of water for the polar bears, failure to monitor the water quality of the pool, failure to maintain suitable environmental temperatures, failure to provide veterinary care to a polar bear believed to have mange, and failure to have structurally sound fencing around bear cages.

The inspector wrote, "All the polar bears must have access to a compliant pool(s) of water at all times. … One of the polar bears [who were] in the transport trailer/enclosure was observed to be swaying back and forth and had open-mouth breathing. The black bears appeared lethargic. … [T]emperatures are outside the normal temperature range for these species of mammals."

June 6, 2001: In a letter to the USDA, Terry Maple, Ph.D., president and CEO of Zoo Atlanta, wrote, "I have … learned that one of the bears has been identified as an animal born in Atlanta. These documents are not accurate, since the Atlanta-born bear … died in a German zoo in 1994. … Plain logic would suggest that polar bears do not belong in a traveling, tropical menagerie."

May 5, 2001: The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service ignored recommendations by the Marine Mammal Commission and issued an import permit to the circus to bring its seven polar bears into Puerto Rico.

April 24, 2001: In comments to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service pertaining to Suarez Bros. Circus’ permit application to import seven polar bears in Puerto Rico, Marine Mammal Commission executive director Robert H. Mattlin, Ph.D., wrote, "[I]t is the Commission’s view that the maintenance of polar animals in outdoor tropical environments can be potentially injurious to such animals’ health and well-being."

The Marine Mammal Commission is a federal organization established by the Marine Mammal Protection Act to conduct research and make recommendations to government agencies in matters affecting marine mammals.

January 10, 2001: According to the Dominican Republic One, a 2-month-old nursing tiger cub was stolen from the circus. The baby tiger was taken on the road so that the lactating mother could continue performing with the circus.

September 18, 2000: During the second pre-license inspection, the USDA inspector noted that the following items still did not comply with standards: minimum space requirements for the polar bears and transport vehicle and enclosures.

August 17, 2000: During the first pre-license inspection, the USDA inspector noted that the following items did not comply with standards and regulations: food storage and food preparation, minimum space requirements for the polar bears, transport vehicle and enclosures, shelter, veterinary care, and perimeter fencing.

April 26, 2000: Authorities in Panama fined Suarez Bros. Circus for being illegally hooked up to the national water supply and failing to pay for previous services.

June 29, 1999: The Orlando Sentinel reported that while the circus was performing in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, the circus "bathed [the polar bears] in cold water every three days to [enable them to] withstand the less-than-polar weather."

Polar bears swim in order to cool down on warm days or after physical activity. Polar bears kept in captivity must have access to a chilled pool of water at all times.

October 3, 1998: A polar bear named Yiopa suffered a prolonged and agonizing death in Mexico when a severe heartworm infection was left untreated for months.

The autopsy report indicates that he was emaciated and suffering greatly from a heartworm infection that had severely damaged the lungs and heart over a period of years or from a very aggressive case. Yiopa was diagnosed with heartworm in April, but treatment did not begin until July.

September 3, 1998: Reuters reported that the Canadian province of Manitoba adopted stricter rules governing polar bear exports after learning that at least three of its wild-caught polar bears ended up in a Mexican circus (see March 29, 1996). Referring to the Suarez Bros. Circus, Ron Larche, biologist with Manitoba’s Protected Species Department, stated, "In the past, some bears, our bears, have gone to places where they have not been taken care of."

March 17, 1997: According to the Alberta Report, Roberto Campa started the animal-free Mexican National Circus in 1984 after two tiger attacks occurred while he toured with Suarez Bros. Circus. In one incident, a tiger seriously injured Campa’s son, and in the other incident, a tiger grabbed his niece by the throat and killed her.

March 29, 1996: According to the Winnipeg Free Press, Canadian authorities launched an investigation after the paper’s staff photographer discovered that three of the polar bears with Suarez Bros. Circus had been captured in Churchill, Canada. Gordon Graham, legislative specialist for the provincial wildlife branch, stated, "We’re not interested in seeing these bears ending up in circuses."

The photographer had attended a circus performance while vacationing in Cozumel, Mexico, and reported, "One of the bears didn’t want to go into the ring, and he was jabbed by a handler in the rear ribs. He really cranked that bear."

September 15, 1983: According to the New York Times, the circus was detained and fined after a state trooper discovered that its operators were driving through the Southern United States without having bothered to obtain Texas driver’s licenses or plates for their eight tractor-trailers.

For more information, contact:

PETA
501 Front St.
Norfolk, VA 23510
757-622-7382

Back to Top