After learning that the Banana Derby—a “monkey rodeo” that chains and tethers capuchin monkeys to dogs’ backs and races them around a track—was coming to the Northport Firemen’s Fair in Northport, New York, PETA and Long Island Orchestrating for Nature (LION) urged the village’s fire department to cancel the cruel act and took to the streets to protest the inhumane entertainment, demonstrating outside the fair. Efforts proved successful: Not only did the Northport Fire Department agree to ban the Banana Derby, it also publicly pledged not to hire animal acts of any kind again.
Northport Fire Department Bans All Animal Acts
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“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