Sad ‘Camel’ Trapped in Snow Globe to Protest Radio City Animal Acts on Opening Day
For Immediate Release:
November 2, 2026
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
As the Christmas Spectacular kicks off its holiday run on Wednesday, PETA will give Radio City Music Hall a shake-up with a sad, chained “camel” trapped inside a giant inflatable snow globe. PETA supporters will rally alongside the display to call attention to the camels, sheep, and donkeys suffering in the show, holding signs reading “Take Cruelty Out of Christmas. Drop Animal Acts!”
“The camels, sheep, and donkeys forced to perform in Christmas Spectacular don’t get to go home when the curtain falls—they remain confined and isolated backstage throughout the show’s months-long run,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is calling on Radio City to use willing human performers and imaginative puppets and give animals the peace they deserve this Christmas.”
Where: 1260 6th Ave. (Avenue of the Americas), Midtown Manhattan
When: Wednesday, November 4, 2 p.m.
Why: Camels are social animals who express their feelings with groans, moans, and roars; donkeys can recognize the faces of animals they haven’t seen for years; and sheep’s heart rates increase when they can’t find their family or are approached by strangers. Animals used in live Nativities face a constant barrage of activity and unwanted touches and are often tethered and made to stand on hard surfaces for hours. Their handlers commonly threaten and intimidate them—many use abusive tools to make them obey commands out of fear of physical punishment.
Nearly 40,000 PETA supporters have called on Chase, Lexus, and Verizon not to sponsor the show until it stops using live animals.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any other way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
