‘Crocodiles’ to Protest Fundraiser at American Museum of Natural History

PETA Will Challenge Museum’s Display of Wild Animals and Promotion of the Cruel Exotic-Skins Industry

For Immediate Release:
October 18, 2016

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

What:    Dressed in blazers and wearing crocodile masks alongside two crocodile sculptures, two PETA supporters will lead a protest outside the American Museum of Natural History on Wednesday as guests arrive for the 23^rd Annual Family Party fundraiser. Armed with PETA’s video footage of the crocodile-skin trade, the protesters will demand an end to the museum’s “Crocs: Ancient Predators in a Modern World” exhibit, which displays sensitive reptiles in glass boxes and encourages visitors to buy animal skins.

When:    Wednesday, October 19, 4:30 p.m.

Where:    Intersection of Central Park West and 79^th Street, New York

“There’s nothing natural or historic about trapping intelligent and endangered animals in tiny tanks for people to gawk at,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “This cruel exhibit is a crock, and PETA is calling on the American Museum of Natural History to end it and stop promoting the exotic-skins industry immediately.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear, … use for entertainment, or abuse in any other way”—notes that crocodiles, alligators, and other wild animals are denied everything that’s natural and important to them in captivity. In addition, a PETA video exposé has revealed that crocodiles are kept in barren pits for years before being crudely slaughtered for “luxury” Hermès bags and other fashion accessories.

PETA’s correspondence with Ellen V. Futter, president of the American Museum of Natural History, is available here.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.