County Fair Facing Ruckus Over Monkey ‘Derby’
For Immediate Release:
April 7, 2022
Contact:
Brooke Rossi 202-483-7382
Armed with signs proclaiming, “End the Cruel Banana Derby,” PETA supporters will gather outside the Hernando County Fair on Saturday to rally fairgoers to skip the Banana Derby, a traveling horror show in which terrified capuchin monkeys are strapped to dogs’ backs and forced to careen around a racetrack at speed.
When: Saturday, April 9, 2:30 p.m.
Where: 6436 Broad St., Brooksville
“Monkeys strapped to dogs are violently jerked in all directions in this exploitative spectacle, which can cause them to sustain whiplash and other injuries,” says PETA Foundation Associate Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Debbie Metzler, a primatologist. “PETA calls on everyone to stay away from this cruel stunt and urges the Banana Derby to retire these monkeys to reputable sanctuaries.”
Banana Derby owner Philip Hendricks has been cited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for failing to provide animals with adequate space, environmental enrichment, and clean, wholesome food. The capuchins are also often forced to pose for photos with tourists, which is dangerous to both the monkeys and humans.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview.
For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
