PETA Names Europe’S Seven Most Dismal Destinations For Summer Holidays
For Immediate Release:
29 July 2008
Contact:
Sam Glover 020 7357 9229, ext 229; [email protected]
London – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has created a brand-new web feature naming Europe’s seven most dismal destinations for people who don’t want their holidays ruined by the sight of abused animals. The web feature offers suggestions for enjoyable, humane places to picnic and tour.
Spanish Bullfights:
Although Pamplona’s tourist-driven Running of the Bulls – in which bulls are worked into a frenzy and forced to run through the streets every morning before being slaughtered in the bull ring at night – ended earlier this month, more than 40,000 bulls will be killed all across Spain in cities that haven’t yet banned the ancient blood sport. To protect the matador in the fight, the bulls are beaten in the kidneys and have petroleum jelly smeared into their eyes. After they are tormented in the ring, they are stabbed repeatedly before the matadors finally run swords through them. Cities like Barcelona and countries like Brazil and Morocco are officially bullfighting-free. Learn what PETA is doing to help bulls at RunningOfTheNudes.com.
The Chimpanzee Show, Schwaben Park, Baden-Württemberg, Germany:
Chimpanzees are intelligent and sensitive animals who share many cognitive abilities with humans, but at Schwaben Park, they are kept on leashes and made to perform repetitious, truly demeaning and, to them, utterly confusing tricks. Young chimpanzees are removed from their mothers, and training comes courtesy of an electro-shock prod, slapjack or other punishment. A great alternative is to visit a park that features thrilling roller coasters and doesn’t involve animals.
Horse-Drawn Carriages, Paris:
Outlawed until recently, horse-drawn carriages have become one of the darker sides of the “City of Lights”. Horses are now back to living their lives breathing in exhaust fumes, battling traffic and pulling heavy loads for long hours. Horses are often injured and sometimes killed after bolting in a panic or colliding with motor vehicles. A humane and healthy alternative is to enjoy the city’s architecture and gardens à pied.
Donkey Rides, British Beaches:
Our species may bray, “Oh, I do love to be beside the seaside”, but the burning sands and summer heat are no picnic for donkeys who must ferry children up and down the shore all day long and then stand tethered together like bicycles. To give the donkeys a break, build a sandcastle and learn the butterfly stroke.
Rounding out the seven most dismal destinations is Berlin Zoo, which has been accused of selling once-resident animals’ body parts for Chinese medicines; the Edinburgh Zoo, which has bred and then destroyed Arabian antelopes and is now busily breeding chimpanzees for life in captivity; and Malta’s Mediterraneo Marine Park, which captures bottlenose dolphins from the open seas, confines them to tanks the size of a bath tub and forces them to perform daft tricks for food.
“Summer holidays should be fun for everyone, but animals used in cheap entertainment never get a break”, says PETA’s Alexia Weeks. “To avoid sad sights, stay away from captive sea life, unpaid animal performers and all cruel animal exhibits.”
For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk.