An event featuring live penguins - which was due to be held in Darlington this weekend - has been cancelled following pressure from animal rights campaigners. Charity PETA wrote to Darlington Borough Council leader Bill Dixon, calling for the event to be axed. The full text of the email is reproduced below...

 

Dear Councillor Dixon,

I am writing on behalf of PETA UK – an affiliate of PETA US, which is the largest animal rights organisation in the world and has more than 3 million members and supporters – to urge you to cancel plans to use real penguins at Darlington Christmas Market on 19 December, and to adopt a policy against having live animals at future festivities in Darlington.

Anyone who has seen the beautiful film March of the Penguins would find this publicity stunt to be disrespectful, out of touch and tragic. As the movie illustrates, these fascinating birds have a rich, free life and do not deserve to be exploited as holiday "props", kept in enclosures and denied all that's natural and important to them, such as swimming and catching fish.

A busy commercial centre such as Darlington, filled with noisy shoppers, bright lights and excited children, is an entirely unsuitable environment for penguins or any other animals. These beautiful animals live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere.

The practice of taking penguins out on the road, putting them in pens and treating them as if they were living Christmas ornaments that exist merely for our "entertainment", is unacceptable, and Darlington should not be supporting such an unethical and abusive industry.

Penguins have nothing to do with Christmas, and ending their use would do nothing to diminish children's sense of the magic of the holiday season. For the animals, however, it would make a world of difference. During this season of goodwill, we urge you to follow the recent examples of famed London toy shop Hamleys and Nottingham's Intu Broadmarsh shopping centre, both of which cancelled plans to include penguins in their Christmas promotions after a public outcry, and refrain from featuring similar displays in the future. There are many other ways that your customers can celebrate this festive season that would not compromise the well-being of animals.

Please make the humane decision not to use live animals at this event and also commit to avoiding future events that promote the exploitation of animals.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. We hope to inform our members that Darlington will cancel plans for the penguin event.

Yours sincerely,

Kirsty Henderson

PETA Campaign Coordinator