Dear :
I am very concerned after learning that [name of sponsor] will be hosting a petting zoo.
Animals used in these spectacles are often subjected
to abuse in order to provide "entertainment" to
patrons. Even under the best of circumstances,
captivity can be horrible for animals meant to roam
free. Kept in small, barren cages, forced to sleep on
concrete slabs, forced to travel in weather extremes,
and imprisoned behind iron bars, these animals often
suffer from malnutrition, loneliness, the denial of
all normal pleasures and behaviors, loss of freedom
and independence, even lack of veterinary care, and
filthy quarters. Even when the mere display of the
animals themselves is the "draw," the animals rarely
receive proper care and almost never the
socialization and stimulation they crave.
Confined to tiny cages and gawked at by crowds,
animals in exhibits and acts endure constant stress.
They may suffer from temperature extremes and
irregular feeding and watering. Without exercise, they
become listless, their immune systems are weakened,
and they become prone to sickness; many resort to
self-mutilation in reaction to stress or boredom.
Mental illness is rampant among confined animals. Torn
from their families and deprived of all dignity, every
part of their lives is controlled by their captors.
The Animal Welfare Act (AWA), the federal law that is
supposed to protect animals used in exhibitions,
merely sets minimum housing and maintenance standards
for confined animals. The U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) currently even interprets the Act
to exclude certain species used for certain purposes,
such as equines used for entertainment, and all birds
and reptiles.
The AWA requires that animal exhibitors be licensed
with the USDA's Animal and Plant Heath Inspection
Service (APHIS), which is charged with ensuring that
very minimal animal care standards are met. However,
there are only about 85 APHIS inspectors to cover the
nearly 8,000 facilities nationwide. In a 1992 audit by
the USDA, it was determined that "APHIS cannot ensure
the humane care and treatment of animals...as required
by the Act. APHIS did not inspect facilities with
reliable frequency, and it did not enforce timely
corrections of violations during inspections." It is
even more difficult to monitor an exhibit that travels
from one location to another, such as a petting zoo.
You should also be concerned about the danger posed to
public health. According to an April 20, 2001 press
release, "Thousands of children are being exposed to
dangerous E. coli bacteria at petting zoos and county
fairs, the government said releasing new warnings
about farm animal exhibits. The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention cited E. coli outbreaks last
year that sickened 56 people, including dozens of
children, at a dairy farm in Pennsylvania and a
petting zoo in Washington state."
Please, for the sake of the animals and the safety of
the public, implement a formal policy against the use
of animal acts as promotions, and schedule only
cruelty-free events.
Thank you for your consideration in this matter.
Sincerely,
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