Church Pastor Nixes Rat ‘Roulette’ Cruelty at Festival

October 2007

PETA received complaints about a “rat roulette” game at the 2007 Sacred Heart Fall Festival at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Pinellas Park, Florida, in which a rat was placed in the middle of a spinning roulette wheel and had to locate one of the holes along the side of the wheel in order to get off. After PETA sent a letter to the church’s pastor and called his office, Reverend Gerth agreed to have the cruel game stopped. On PETA’s recommendation, he has created a compassionate policy against the use of animals in games at all future festivals.

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 Ingrid E. Newkirk

“Almost all of us grew up eating meat, wearing leather, and going to circuses and zoos. We never considered the impact of these actions on the animals involved. For whatever reason, you are now asking the question: Why should animals have rights?” READ MORE

— Ingrid E. Newkirk, PETA President and co-author of Animalkind