A Rye Brook woman started an online petition to ban performing animal acts from coming to the County Center in White Plains.

Animal lover Brigitte Dix started the petition just over a week ago. It now has nearly 40,000 signatures.

The Royal Hanneford Circus is scheduled to perform at the County Center on Feb. 15 and Feb. 17.

Dix says the Royal Hanneford Circus has been cited repeatedly over the years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for failure to meet minimum standards of animal care.

The circus stopped using elephants back in 2017 when New York state passed a law banning their use for entertainment.

The owners of the circus tell News 12 they take great pride in the care and treatment of their animals. They say the biggest complaint they get is that there aren’t enough animals in the show.

The circus released a statement, saying in part, “Our animals are inspected by both local and federal agencies, to insure that they are healthy and well taken care of. Each animal has 24-hour care and supervision.”

Dix says she plans to take her petition to county leaders in the hope that one day they will ban performing animal acts in Westchester.