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PETA Warned Fair Officials of Dangers Last Summer and Now Wants Them to Reject All Exotic-Animal Displays
For Immediate Release:February 23, 2010
Contact:Lisa Wathne 757-622-7382
Perry, Ga. -- After learning that the federal government has suspended the license of Great Cat Adventures (GCA) for Animal Welfare Act violations, PETA has written a letter to Georgia National Fair officials calling on them to pull the plug on any plans to allow exotic-animal exhibits in the future. Some of the violations listed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) involved concerns that tiger cubs and other animals were exhibited in ways that endangered both the animals and the public.
Georgia Fair officials should be especially concerned about the fact that GCA regularly allowed members of the public to have direct contact with exotic cats who were older than 12 weeks--a direct violation of USDA regulations. A witness has testified that "all of the cats owned by Great Cat Adventures were always older than the birth dates recorded for them by [GCA] so that they could be used with the public longer."
"Stress can provoke animals to attack, and tiger cubs--though they seem cuddly and harmless--are no exception," says PETA Director Debbie Leahy. "Georgia Fair officials need to understand that exotic-animal displays not only put spectators at risk but also subject animals to a lifetime of frustration and boredom."
GCA tears newborn tigers away from their mothers within days of birth and carts them to different towns so that unsuspecting members of the public can be photographed standing next to the exotic animals. Tigers used by GCA undergo tremendous stress as they spend long hours in transit and are passed from one stranger to the next. Animals have no chance to retreat from the forced interaction with humans and are subjected to grueling schedules, irregular feeding, lack of exercise, and excessive noise. When animals mature, they are often confined to dirty, barren cages that are barely big enough for their own bodies.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.