South Devon Church Fair Under Fire for Plans to Display Live Owls

For Immediate Release:
14 July 2017

Contact:
Olivia Jordan +44 (0) 20 7837 6327, ext 229; [email protected]

SOUTH DEVON CHURCH FAIR UNDER FIRE FOR PLANS TO DISPLAY LIVE OWLS
PETA Calls for Wild-Animal Attraction to Be Axed so Owls Won’t Suffer

Kingsbridge, Devon – After learning that St Edmund’s Church plans to display live owls at the Kingsbridge Fair next week, PETA has sent an urgent letter to the Reverend Jackie Taylor asking her to withdraw the animal attraction from the event.

“Subjecting sensitive owls, who have highly acute hearing and vision, to the stress of travel, a cacophony of sounds, and hordes of strangers at a fair would be a tremendously frightening experience for them,” writes PETA Campaigns Strategist Luke Steele. “The best place for kind owl enthusiasts to admire these birds is in their natural environment, not at a fair.”

In the letter, PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment” – notes that there are serious animal-welfare concerns associated with using birds of prey for displays. Owls are intelligent, nocturnal animals, and it goes completely against their nature to be tethered and subjected to crowds and loud noises, so these conditions have the potential to cause them tremendous stress. The group adds that while owl attacks on humans are rare, they do happen and can result in serious harm.

PETA’s letter to the church is available here. For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk.

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