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We advocate on all animal protection and exploitation issues, including experimentation, factory farming, rodeos, breeders and traveling animal acts.

Animal Defenders of Westchester
P.O. Box 205
Yonkers, NY 10704

Action Alerts

BID re horse and wagon rides/petting zoo

It has come to our attention via photos that a 'winter carnival' held in downtown Yonkers in December included a petting zoo and a horse and wagon ride.  

Most distressingly, the horse and wagon ride consisted of ONE HORSE pulling a long, enormous wagon carrying appx. 12 adults and children.  (How such a large amount of people can jump in for a 'ride' with no sense of consideration for the horse - in this day and age - is very upsetting; have we gotten nowhere?)

The petting zoo included llama, goats, pigs, etc.  Children were easily able to put their hands through the bars to touch the animals.

This is the second year this event has occurred, run by the Yonkers Downtown Business Improvement District (BID).  My feeling is that, after phone discussions with them and two sponsors, we can get it stopped.  (Two sponsors, St. John's church and Yonkers Historical Society, immediately distanced themselves and denounced the event).

Please send polite letters to Joan at BID.  Some points to cover:

-  Public safety.  Petting zoos have been implicated in E Coli breakouts, bitings, etc.  

-  The NOTICE OF DANGEROUS CONDITION regarding traveling animal acts served on Yonkers covers damages that might arise from petting zoos and horse and wagon rides.

-  All parties have been sent info on the cruelty involved in traveling petting zoos, including withholding food and water, poor traveling conditions, and trampling of smaller animals.  And the horse pulling an enormous amount of people speaks for itself.

-  Re the horse and wagon: we don't want the addition of another horse; we want zero animals, working or otherwise, at this event.

Joan's concerns were:

-  The event would be a good way for children to 'learn' about animals (I pointed out that children learn nothing about animals   this way).

-  She asked for suggestions for substitute events that didn't utilize animals.

Email:  [email protected]  

cc:     YONKERS MAYOR PHILIP AMICONE - [email protected]  

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