Animal rights organization PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) urged one of the largest manufacturers of amusement rides in the U.S. to put an end to the production of animal-themed carousels.
The organization argued that such rides unintentionally celebrate the exploitation of animals and also suggested using the figures of cars or spaceships as alternatives.
PETA president Ingrid Newkirk made a compelling appeal in the letter she addressed to Aaron Landrum, president and CEO of Chance Rides, a Kansas-based amusement company. She urged Landrum to cease the production and sale of animal-themed carousels, arguing that such attractions fuel the idea of human domination and supremacy over other species.
Animal-designed carousels encourage the idea that creatures like horses, camels, and elephants are human taxis and can be dominated over by humans, PETA believes
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"All animals are thinking, feeling, affectionate, playful, and social beings who form strong bonds with their offspring if permitted to keep them (a rarity). They crave freedom from oppression," Newkirk wrote in her letter. "Animal-themed carousel sets reinforce the notion that these sentient beings are simply here for our entertainment, rather than individuals with the same capacity to experience fear, pain, joy, and love as any of us."
PETA urged the amusement ride manufacturers to switch animal figures with cars, airplanes, spaceships, or even whimsical designs like shooting stars
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Animals used in these amusement rides, such as camels, horses, elephants, and dolphins, are often deprived and beaten into submission, PETA said in a press release. Instead, manufacturers could make carousel figures in the shape of cars, airplanes, spaceships, and bulldozers, or more “whimsical designs,” like shooting stars, rainbows, or brooms, the organization added.
“Children learn through play, and teaching them to have respect and compassion for all living, feeling beings can help create a more just and merciful world,” Newkirk was quoted saying in the press release.
“PETA urges Chance Rides and all other carousel manufacturers to hit the brakes on old-fashioned animal-themed rides and embrace designs that engage children’s imagination and showcase human talent,” Newkirk added.
The animal rights group said the company could send a powerful message to the world if they slam the brakes on the production of animal-themed carousels
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The animal rights group also said that Chance Rides, which describes itself on its website as the dominant producer of amusement ride-related equipment for decades, would join a growing list of compassionate companies like Nabisco, Trader Joe’s, and Dukal Corporation if they make the switch.
The replacement of animals in the design of carousels and other rides would send two powerful messages, PETA insisted in its letter to Landrum.
The first message would be that animals are to be respected and not exploited, and the second message would reinforce the idea that companies must evolve to keep up with the times.
"Would you kindly pledge to stop promoting this abuse by no longer producing carousel figures in animal forms?" the PETA president asked Landrum just before she ended her letter.