‘Lion’ and ‘Monkey’ to Protest Brookhaven Fair Rodeo That Chains Monkeys to Dogs

PETA Will Call for End of Fair’s Cruel ‘Banana Derby,’ ‘Lion & Tiger Show’ Run by Exhibitors With Animal-Welfare Citations

For Immediate Release:
May 25, 2017

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

What:    On Friday, a “lion” and a “monkey” will lead PETA and Long Island Orchestrating for Nature (LION) members in a spirited protest against the Brookhaven Fair’s Lion & Tiger Show and Banana Derby—a rodeo-like spectacle in which terrified capuchin monkeys are chained to dogs running at high speeds. PETA sent a letter this morning to the fair producer—Fair Productions—and the venue manager, JVC Broadcasting, calling for the end of these cruel acts.

When:    Friday, May 26, 6 p.m.

Where:    55 S. Bicycle Path (near Ski Run Lane), Farmingville

“Less than a week after Ringling Bros. circus shut down because of public disgust with animal acts, Brookhaven Fair’s decision to host these abusive displays could not be more out of touch,” says PETA primatologist Julia Gallucci. “PETA is urging families to shun the fair as long as it condones whipping lions and tigers and putting monkeys at risk of crashing into metal barriers.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—notes that Banana Derby animal exhibitor Philip Hendricks has been cited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for failing to provide animals with adequate space, environmental enrichment, and clean food. Lion & Tiger Show exhibitor Georgina Donoho has been cited for keeping lions and tigers in enclosures so small that they could barely turn around.

Last summer, the Long Island Ducks banned “monkey rodeos” from their stadium after hearing from PETA, and in 2015, the Levittown Chamber of Commerce banned exotic-animal acts from its annual fair after speaking with LION.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.