“PETA activists are cracking the whip on …Merriam-Webster, demanding that the definition of ‘circus’ be rewritten to label the big top as cruel to ‘captive’ animal performers.

The dictionary currently defines a circus as ‘an arena often covered by a tent and used for variety shows, usually including feats of physical skill, wild animal acts, and performances by clowns.’

But People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals – known for caging naked women to protest the wearing of fur and protesting the living conditions of pet store iguanas – wants a new entry.

PETA’s proposal defines a circus as a ‘spectacle that relies on captive animals’ who are ‘forced to perform tricks under the constant threat of punishment.’ It also wants the definition to say that ‘modern circuses include only willing human performers.'” (Boston Herald via Dowbrigade News)