In Wake of Iditarod Scandals, Coca-Cola Urged to End Sponsorship
After Reports of Doping, Mass Killings of Dogs, PETA Protesters Will Urge the Beverage Giant to Pull Its Funding for the Cruel Race
For Immediate Release:
November 9, 2017
Contact:
Brooke Rossi 202-483-7382
What: Brandishing giant Coke cans emblazoned with “Coca-Cola Has Blood on Its Cans” as well as graphic photos of suffering dogs bred for the Iditarod, PETA supporters will gather outside the World of Coca-Cola museum on Friday to demand that the beverage giant end its sponsorship of the cruel and deadly dog race. The protest comes on the heels of disturbing photographs and video footage of reportedly dying puppies and injured, sick dogs at a kennel owned by “Iditarod royalty” Dallas Seavey, the four-time Iditarod champion who was recently implicated in a dog-doping scandal and a veteran musher’s revelation that trainers in the industry have killed “hundreds on top of hundreds or more dogs” who didn’t make the cut.
When: Friday, November 10, 12 noon
Where: Outside the World of Coca-Cola, at the intersection of Baker Street and Centennial Olympic Park Drive, Atlanta
“The shocking reports of an Iditarod champion doping dogs, allegations of cruelty at his kennel, and the killing of those who don’t make the cut should be more than enough to persuade Coca-Cola to cut ties with this cruel industry,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA urges the company to stop funneling money into a race that forces dogs to run despite suffering from bloody paws, stress fractures, and other injuries.”
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—points out that more than 150 dogs have died in the Iditarod, and that number only includes those whose deaths were reported while racing. In the 2017 race alone, five dogs died in less than one week.
Wells Fargo recently ended its Iditarod sponsorship, and many other major brands—including Costco, Maxwell House, Nestlé, Pizza Hut, Ride Aid, and Safeway—cut ties with the race years ago.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.
