Bracknell Christmas Event Under Fire for Cruel Plans to Feature Live Reindeer

For Immediate Release:

24 November 2016

Contact:

Jennifer White +44 (0) 20 7837 6327, ext 222; [email protected]

BRACKNELL CHRISTMAS EVENT UNDER FIRE FOR CRUEL PLANS TO FEATURE LIVE REINDEER

PETA Calls On Oaktree Garden Centre & Nursery to Keep Live Animals out of Holiday Festivities

Bracknell – This morning, PETA Campaigner Sonul Badiani-Hamment sent a letter to the manager of Oaktree Garden Centre & Nursery encouraging him to cancel plans to use live reindeer in scheduled Christmas-themed events.

In the letter, PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment” – notes that a busy attraction such as Bracknell’s Santa Grotto Experience, filled with visitors and excited children, is an entirely unsuitable environment for reindeer. These beautiful animals belong in the Arctic and subarctic regions of the world. When used as holiday “props”, they’re denied the opportunity to engage in natural behaviour or roam freely over vast open ranges as they would in their native circumpolar habitat.

“Using live animals in these sorts of events sends a damaging message to young people that animals are little more than living props”, Badiani-Hamment says. “There are many other ways that the people of Bracknell could celebrate the holidays that would be far more in keeping with the Christmas spirit than treating scared animals like decorations.”

Badiani-Hamment’s letter is available upon request. For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk.

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