Help End the Use of Cows and Pigs at the California State Fair Nursery Exhibit
In 2010, a pregnant Holstein cow escaped her pen during the California State Fair. State Fair police chased the frightened animal down in a large SUV. They shot her multiple times, killing her. The cow was part of the Nursery Exhibit, in which heavily pregnant cows, pigs, sheep, and goats give birth in front of an audience.
Since then, animal advocates and concerned citizens have attempted - in vain - to convince the State Fair to eliminate the live birth exhibit at the State Fair. The educational value of the exhibit is questionable, and more importantly, heavily pregnant animals are unnecessarily transported and stressed.
The State Fair Board has adamently opposed any attempts to eliminate the exhibit, despite public pressure.
It is now time to offer the Fair Board a compromise - eliminate the cow and pig live births, while retaining the sheep and goats.
Why just the cows and pigs?
While Animal Place opposes the nursery exhibit in its entirety, it is the cow and pig portions of the exhibit that pose the most danger to both animal and human safety. Both cows and pigs are large animals who are not easily controlled should they escape or react poorly to the unnatural, stressful environment of the fair.
Pigs are confinsed in crates so small they cannot turn around. This added confinement only increases stress and frustration. Calves are removed from their mothers immediately after birth, which is already an enormous stressor. To have that occur in a strange, frightening environment only exacerbates the fear of the cow and calf.
Instead of eliminating the nursery exhibit entirely, stop using cows and pigs. Both pose a human health risk due to their size and difficulty in handling should they escape.
Further, pigs are confined in crates so small they cannot turn around, and calves are removed from their mother's immediately after birth. This creates undue stress and frustration for the animals.
Sheep and goats are easier to handle and provided more appropriate space. Kids and lambs remain with their mothers as well.
Please compromise and remove the cattle and pig portion of the live birth exhibit.
Number | Date | Name | Location | |
---|---|---|---|---|
649 | Fri Feb 22 14:57:53 EST 2013 | Gloria Kasper | ||
648 | Sat Jun 09 11:21:30 EDT 2012 | Heidi Myers | Alexandria, VA | |
647 | Fri Jun 08 10:24:19 EDT 2012 | Mary Ferris | Marblehead, MA | |
646 | Wed Jun 06 00:24:00 EDT 2012 | Sara Gonzales | ||
645 | Tue Jun 05 21:26:12 EDT 2012 | Anonymous | ||
644 | Tue Jun 05 19:07:15 EDT 2012 | Anonymous | Danville, CA | A video of a birth would accomplish the same thing without harming the animals. |
643 | Tue Jun 05 13:31:48 EDT 2012 | Anonymous | El Dorado, CA | |
642 | Sun Jun 03 17:42:32 EDT 2012 | Patricia Cachopo | Santa Clara, CA | |
641 | Sun Jun 03 13:54:40 EDT 2012 | Lisa Coronado | ||
640 | Sat Jun 02 20:16:26 EDT 2012 | Linda Schimpf | Rochester, NY | |
639 | Wed May 30 08:21:25 EDT 2012 | R. Capozzelli | NY | |
638 | Tue May 29 16:12:02 EDT 2012 | R. Capozzelli | NY | |
637 | Tue May 29 16:11:05 EDT 2012 | J. Capozzelli | New York, NY | |
636 | Mon May 28 13:54:54 EDT 2012 | David and Audrey Funk | Henderson, NV | |
635 | Sun May 27 14:01:04 EDT 2012 | Ron Scheinberg | Portland, OR | Ron Scheinberg Portland, OR |
634 | Sun May 27 13:58:40 EDT 2012 | Ron Scheinberg | Portland, OR | |
633 | Sun May 27 10:42:24 EDT 2012 | Darren Strain | Brookhaven, PA | |
632 | Fri May 25 21:48:58 EDT 2012 | Cindi Goldberg | Berkeley, CA | The cramped quarters of pregnant cows and pigs in State Fairs is inhumane! |
631 | Fri May 25 18:25:58 EDT 2012 | Margaret DeMott | Sacramento, CA | |
630 | Thu May 24 22:36:26 EDT 2012 | Annette & Jim Brooks | Woodstock, GA | |
629 | Thu May 24 16:16:22 EDT 2012 | Michelle Lukasiewicz | Phoenix, AZ | In light of the cow and her unborn calf who were unnecessarily killed back in 2010, I think the compromise of removing cows and pigs from the live birth program is reasonable and humane. |
628 | Thu May 24 15:05:28 EDT 2012 | Judith Edwards | La Mesa, CA | |
627 | Tue May 22 15:01:12 EDT 2012 | Cynthia Hamilton | Los Angeles, CA | |
626 | Thu May 03 13:37:49 EDT 2012 | Joyce Thompson | Pekin, IL | |
625 | Sat Apr 28 01:56:14 EDT 2012 | Carolyn Chainey-Davis | Nevada City, CA |