A cheerful ride on a horse or lion on the merry-go-round. If it were up to the animal rights organization PETA, this is not as innocent as it seems. It could create the image that animals are only there for our entertainment. Yet merry-go-round operators have no plans to replace the statues. “Focus on real animal suffering, not on plastic animals.”
According to animal rights organization PETA, the horse, pig or elephant does not belong on the merry-go-round. It would give children the wrong idea about animals. “This form of entertainment, no matter how innocent it seems, has an effect on how we think about these animals,” Sascha Camilli of PETA told Editie NL. “We want to emphasize that this type of entertainment must change. Children should sit in cars and planes, that is a better alternative.”
It could give children the idea that these animals are there for our entertainment. “Riding horses makes children think that animals are our entertainment, just like camels, elephants and dolphins. Many of these animals have no natural habitat, are beaten and abused.”
PETA’s call has gone down the wrong way with many merry-go-round operators. A spokesperson for a fairytale park that prefers not to be named because of PETA’s radical image, tells Editie NL that he thinks this action will do more harm than good for PETA’s image. “Will children soon no longer be allowed to play with a hobby horse or plush animal cuddly toy? I think there are a lot of abuses that need to be put on the agenda, but this is not one of them.”
Tiny Vermolen of Vermolen Kermis Nostalgie also thinks that PETA is going a bit crazy. “It’s a ridiculous story,” Vermolen told Editie NL. “We are talking about wooden or plastic animals, animal suffering is not an issue here.” He thinks that PETA would be better off targeting another form of animal suffering. “If you have problems with using horses, start with horse competitions, that’s where accidents happen. But we’re talking about plastic animals to entertain children, there’s nothing wrong with that.”
Toverland also makes itself heard: “We like that there are organizations such as PETA that are committed to animal welfare.” This amusement park also says it is following the discussion closely. “In Toverland we have a nostalgic carousel, on which – in addition to carriages and revolving barrels – you can also find horses. We do not rule out future adjustments.”
Slagharen, where many plastic horses bounce, tells Editie NL that they have read PETA’s message with great interest. “It has never been a topic of discussion with us before. We will certainly continue to monitor developments