PETA complains to the Rector over Queen’s Lawn petting zoo
Union say College have been involved from the outset and that the company chosen had a good record of animal safety and welfare
PETA have written to the President & Rector of Imperial College London urging him to stop the Union’s plans for a petting zoo on Queen’s Lawn on Thursday 23 May. The letter calls the petting zoo “ill-conceived” and asks for Imperial to “make a formal to avoiding future events that promote the mistreatment of animals”.
In the letter, addressed to Sir Keith O’Nions (President & Rector), safety to students and treatment of animals are cited as reasons to stop the petting zoo, which is part of the Union’s Stress Less campaign. The letter states “Experts indicate that petting zoos are hotbeds of serious pathogens, including E coli and salmonella bacteria. The area surrounding an animal’s cage can be teeming with bacteria. According to the Health and Safety Executive, infections can spread through direct or even indirect animal contact, and in some cases the illness can be fatal.” The letter goes on to say that anxious students during exam season would have “weakened immune systems” and therefore be at a greater risk of infection, which PETA say means that students “can develop bloody diarrhoea, anaemia, chronic kidney failure or neurological impairments such as seizures and strokes”.
The letter also sighted cruelty to animals as a reason to stop the petting zoo, saying that they “contribute to a cruel cycle of breeding, abandonment and killing”. It said “ Exhibitors take young animals on the road and, if they survive the stress of transport and handling, typically dispose of them when they become more difficult to handle, replacing them with new animals.” PETA also raised concerns over the way that the animals would be kept in general, saying that they are kept in unnatural social and family groups and that the habitats they are kept in “inhibit or prevent natural behaviour”.
PETA say that “Imperial College London would be setting a bad example for others” if the planned petting zoo were to go ahead; it suggests masseurs as a replacement, which the Union had in the Library Café on Tuesday 14 May (also as part of the Stress Less campaign).
PETA also referenced a recent incident at Oxford when the Principle of Somerville College told students to cancel the plans to have a live shark displayed in a tank during their summer ball following multiple complaints from students and former students.
Imperial College Union are not the only student union around the UK to host a petting zoo. Leeds and Southampton are two student unions that have also brought a petting zoo to students during exam time to relieve stress.
Felix contacted the Union who replied with the following statement: “The College have been involved from the outset in the planning of the Union’s campaign, and permission had been sought from the relevant persons. Animal welfare has also been at the forefront of our planning from the start. We chose our provider, Pets4Ponies, upon the recommendation of the LSE Students’ Union, who were satisfied with the safety and welfare of the animals when they first held a petting zoo this time last year. The providers have all of the relevant DEFRA paperwork, insurance and risk assessments. We are looking forward to seeing lots of students enjoying the petting zoo.”
The letter was sent from PETA UK, which is an affiliate of PETA US. PETA are known for running high profile campaigns with celebrities against people wearing fur.
