Letter to the Editor published in York Dispatch

As my last post indicated, my work in the spring and summer often is centered around ending "monkey rodeos", archaic sideshow events that feature capuchin monkeys strapped to racing dogs.

When I discovered that one of the repeat offenders of monkey rodeos, Atlantic League baseball team the York Revolution, had decided not to include rodeos at any games in 2017, my coworkers and I were thrilled. After PETA put out a press release, the local paper (The York Dispatch) printed an article on this change of heart of the York Revolution. Unfortunately, the article also quoted team leadership claiming that the decision to no longer feature rodeos was not due to animal welfare concerns, and “If he [Tim Lepard, one of three purveyors of monkey rodeos] was really abusing animals, I'm very confident that the appropriate governmental authorities would step in.”

I wrote a letter to the editor explaining the reality of the situation, that in fact there are legitimate welfare concerns but that current laws permit the events to continue, regardless. I asked teams hosting  rodeos to recognize these truths and move forward with more compassion.

The York Dispatch does not publish all articles online, so below is a photo from a paper copy they mailed to me.

Note that the typo in the first line is not mine; it should read "The May 6 article 'Cowboy Monkey Rodeo Not Scheduled for Revs 2017 Season' featured..."

Quoted in NPR

Barbara J. King is a professor, author, ethicist and primatologist who writes frequently for NPR's 13.7: Cosmos and Culture blog. I approached her about covering a topic that is the focus of much of my work in the spring and summer: ending monkey rodeos. The result was a comprehensive and clear article that explored the concerns regarding these archaic events. 

I am grateful that articles like these pop up from time to time, reminding the public that consumers really do have the power to shut down industries that harm animals. When they cease being profitable, they will cease themselves. On behalf of the monkeys whose lives are tied up in all this... we shall continue our work.