On March 22, 2026, members of NHARL gathered outside the Capitol Center for the Arts (CCA) in Concord, NH to share information with people headed in for the Wild World of Animals show.
Wild animals shows may seem harmless, but behind the scenes animals often pay the price.
Front of educational postcard
Back of educational postcard
Wild animals shows also glamorize the possession of exotic animals, indirectly promoting the wildlife trade and the idea that wild beings exist for our amusement.
In the United States alone, there are likely as many or more captive tigers than exist in the wild worldwide.
The crowd was surprisingly receptive, with some even expressing regret for purchasing tickets.
We also gave stuffed animal keychains to the kids, along with an important message: Real wild animals want to be free…
Efforts to stop the show
When we first learned that Wild World of Animals was coming to the Capitol Center for the Arts, we reached out to staff to express our surprise and concern — especially in light of what the public learned from the Tiger King debacle about the darker side of the exotic animal industry.
Wild World of Animals has received multiple USDA citations over the years. While these were classified as non-critical violations, they still raise concerns.
In one inspection report, a 60-hour round-trip is discussed. The animals endured 30 hours of transport to a show, and then 30 hours back. The trip from Wild World of Animals headquarters to the Capitol Center for the Arts is more than 20 hours round-trip.
In response to our letter, we received a polite reply from the Executive Director of the CCA. We responded with a polite action: handing out educational postcards and stuffed animals to eventgoers rather than holding signs.
(Note: We also had a couple of people inside to watch for violations, such as allowing the public to have contact with the animals.)
We hope this marks the end of wild animal shows at the Capitol Center for the Arts, and that future programming will align with community values grounded in compassion and respect for animals.
