LION and PETA to Protest Brookhaven Fair Rodeo That Chains Monkeys to Dogs

Groups Will Call for Boycott of Cruel Show Run by Exhibitor With Citations for Failing to Provide Animals With Proper Space and Food

For Immediate Release:
May 26, 2016

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

On Friday, a PETA “monkey” and bullhorn-toting members of Long Island Orchestrating for Nature (LION) will descend on the Brookhaven Fair to protest the Banana Derby—a cruel rodeo-like spectacle hosted by the fair, during which terrified capuchin monkeys are chained by their necks to dogs running up to 30 mph. The monkeys desperately cling to the dogs while being violently jerked, risking serious physical injury, and are at risk of inadvertent crashes into walls, fences, and poles. Protests will continue to take place on most weekends while the fair is in town through June 19. (An updated schedule is available here.)

When:             Friday, May 27, 5 p.m.

Where:           55 S. Bicycle Path (near Ski Run Lane), Brookhaven

“During a time when even Ringling Bros. and SeaWorld are responding to the public’s growing disgust with animal acts, Brookhaven Fair’s decision to continue hosting this abusive display is out of step,” says PETA Foundation Captive Animal Law Enforcement Counsel Rachel Mathews. “PETA reminds families to avoid the shocking cruelty at this monkey rodeo—and all other acts that force terrified wild animals to perform.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—notes that Banana Derby animal exhibitor Philip Hendricks has been cited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for failure to provide the animals in his care with adequate space, environmental enrichment, and clean and wholesome food. Monkeys forced to perform in these so-called “rodeos” are frequently taken away from their mothers shortly after birth and can severely injure humans and transmit diseases to them.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.