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Civic Groups: Be Civil to AnimalsRaising money for worthwhile programs is an inherent part of any charitable organization’s work. From full-out galas to car washes, lotteries to cookie sales, the scope and scale of charitable fundraisers can vary widely. Many national or regional organizations, such as the United Way of America, the Jaycees, Rotary International, Shriners, and the PTA, allow their chapters to hold cruel animal-based events as fundraisers for their causes. Circuses, rodeos, greased-pig contests, donkey basketball games, raffles offering puppies as prizes, and similar events use animals for cheap laughs, and the money raised is at the animals’ expense. Given the vast number of ways to raise money, these organizations don’t have to abuse and exploit animals in order to have highly successful fundraisers. 
CircusesDefended under the guise of “tradition,” circuses force animals to perform confusing and often painful acts. The animals, most of whom are quite large and naturally active, are forced to spend most of their lives in the small cages used to transport them, and they are allowed out only for the short periods when they must “perform.” Physical punishment has long been the standard training method for animals in circuses. The federal Animal Welfare Act puts no restrictions on what training methods may be used. The tricks that animals are forced to perform—bears balancing on balls, apes riding motorcycles, elephants standing on two legs—are physically uncomfortable and behaviorally unnatural. The whips, tight collars, muzzles, electric prods, bullhooks, and other tools used during circus acts are reminders that the animals are being forced to perform. Read more about this issue. Pig Contests
Pigs are intelligent, social animals with high cognitive ability. Being chased around or mishandled by participants in raucous greased-pig contests is terrifying for them. A variation of the greased-pig event is the Kiss-a-Pig contest, in which pigs, young and small enough to be held up in front of crowds, are kissed by the “loser” of a draw or vote. The pigs shriek in terror, struggle to escape, urinate out of fright, are wide-eyed, and pant excessively. Over the years, our office has received countless complaints about both of these events. 
Donkey BasketballDonkey basketball is a particularly tawdry way to raise money. During donkey basketball games, animals are dragged around a court and forced to participate in a stressful event that is entirely against their nature. Donkeys are frequently mishandled by participants who have no prior experience with them—they are often punched, kicked, screamed at, or whipped when found to be “uncooperative” by their riders. Food and water are sometimes withheld from the animals before games to prevent “accidents.” According to The Donkey Sanctuary in the U.K., an average-size donkey is not able to bear much more than 100 pounds, yet in most games, donkeys are forced to carry full-grown adults. Order PETA’s donkey basketball leaflet. Raffles and PrizesSome organizations offer live animals—usually purebred puppies—as raffle or auction prizes at their functions. People who bid on and “win” puppies on the spur of the moment often do not take into consideration the many responsibilities involved and, unfortunately, the end result can be a homeless and broken-hearted dog. Dogs may be abandoned, for example, if they bark all the time, take too long to house train, have fleas, are too aggressive or too timid, or throw up on the carpet. Whether well educated or barely educated, rich or poor, many people acquire a dog or cat without much thought, as if the animal is nothing more than a toy, then find that they don’t want to spend the time and money, don’t have the patience, or don’t want the responsibilities that come with caring for animals. Rodeos
Every national animal-protection organization is opposed to rodeos because of the inherent cruelty in the various rodeo events. Even when animals aren’t injured—and they often are—they still suffer from fear and pain during rodeo events. Often, the animals’ injuries are internal. Dr. C.G. Haber, a veterinarian who worked for 30 years as a meat inspector in slaughterhouses, saw scores of animals who had been discarded from rodeos and sent to slaughter. Toughened as he was when it came to animal suffering, the condition of the animals from rodeos sickened him. He described them as so extensively battered that the only areas in which the skin was attached to the flesh were the head, neck, legs, and belly and said that he had seen animals “with 6-8 ribs broken from the spine, and at times puncturing the lungs” and “as much as 2-3 gallons of free blood accumulated under the detached skin.” Read more about the rodeo. Given the vast array of alternatives to these and other such events, implementing a policy against animal-based fundraisers should be one of the simplest decisions a charity’s board of directors can make. If you learn of an animal-based charitable fundraiser in your area, contact the organizers and ask to meet with them. Get a free copy of our “Animal-Free Fundraisers” factsheet so that you can suggest plenty of alternatives. Citing concern for animal welfare and public safety, both Lions Clubs International and Kiwanis International have advised their chapters to avoid circus fundraisers. If your local Lions or Kiwanis club sponsors a circus, please write a polite letter to the organization’s headquarters expressing concern that the club in your area is still using inhumane circuses with animal acts:
Lions Clubs International
Kiwanis International Despite numerous cruel and dangerous incidents, Shriners continues to use circuses, with funds raised going toward the temple’s administrative costs, not the hospitals. If your local Shriners hosts a circus, please complain:
Shriners International Headquarters Here is contact information for some other national civic groups:
National Parent-Teachers Association (NPTA)
Jaycees
Rotary International Contact the United Way of America to voice your support for a “no-animals” policy. Johnnetta B. Cole, Chair
To submit comments by e-mail, visit http://national.unitedway.org/contact/.
Caroline Stevens, CEO
Orville Crawford, Grand Worthy President |
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