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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

'Piglet soccer'-AM NY, METRO

Today, 6 Jun 2005, in both METRO and AM NEW YORK, there is coverage of something called 'Piglet soccer.'  The AM NEW YORK coverage is especially offensive.  It is important that the public think beyond the photo and the text, to how these exploitative events effect the animals.  

All contact info is at the bottom of the alert - these newspapers print our letters:

METRO:

(photo accompanying text shows seven young pigs in numbered vests that strap over their heads and under their chests, crowding around a ball) "Piglets scramble for a ball, covered in mashed carrots, at Russia's first 'pig-ball' championship yesterday in Moscow.  The event is set up like soccer, with two teams of five piglets.   The winning piglets got a trophy for their efforts, and a trough of mashed carrots."

AM NEW YORK:

(TITLE) SOCCER FOR PIGS.  "In this game, everyone stinks and hogging the ball is to be expected.  Ten squealing, wriggling piglets pushed (and licked) a soccer ball around a small caged pen yesterday in what organizers said was Russia's first-ever 'pig-ball' championship.  The event is set up like soccer, with two teams of five piglets.  Instead of goals, the teams try to move the ball into painted, half-circles located at the pen's corners."

Some items to consider when writing to these newspapers about this event:

-  The usual transportation conditions always apply: these animals are either packed together and transported long distances, or locally, it is still a stress on the animal;

-  Animals in these types of events are usually not given food or water beforehand to avoid 'accidents' (and to make them more likely to follow/chase a food source);

-  Pigs (and most animals) are not likely to hold still while having clothing put on them; it is likely they must be restrained to accomplish this;

-  Pigs don't 'stink';

-  And finally, these animals, along with most farm animals used in this fashion, will wind up in the slaughterhouse when they are no longer 'cute'.

Letters to the editor:

METRO:  [email protected], appx 200 wds or less, incl contact info as they verify authorship

AM NEW YORK:  [email protected] 100 wds or less, incl name, address, phone #.

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