‘Monkey’ to Tell Wilmington Blue Rocks: ‘Stop Abusing Me for a Cheap Stunt!’

PETA Will Urge Team to Ban ‘Monkey Rodeos’ After Cruel Acts Were Condemned by Minor League Baseball

For Immediate Release:
August 25, 2016

Contact:
Diane Hsiung 202-483-7382

What:    On Friday, a PETA “monkey” will descend on Frawley Stadium to protest the Wilmington Blue Rocks’ continued hosting of “monkey rodeos”—stunts in which terrified capuchin monkeys are forced to ride dogs running up to 30 mph—despite an official statement from Minor League Baseball (MiLB) condemning the use of animals in promotional events. Protests will continue at upcoming games.

When:    Friday, August 26, 6 p.m.

Where:    Intersection of Beech and Justison streets, Wilmington

“The Blue Rocks can do better than tormenting smart, sensitive capuchin monkeys for a cheap laugh, and Minor League Baseball agrees that this cruel trick is a swing and a miss,” says PETA Foundation Associate Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Rachel Mathews. “PETA is urging the team to catch a clue and rid its stadium of abusive, archaic ‘monkey rodeos’ immediately.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—notes that during these rodeo-style stunts, monkeys desperately cling to dogs while being violently jerked around, risking serious physical injury and crashes into fences and poles. PETA’s protest comes after another MiLB team, the Williamsport Crosscutters in Pennsylvania, banned the spectacle following a PETA appeal.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.