21 Animal Protection Groups Call on Festive Events to go Animal-Free

Last year, following the release of a report published by Dr Tayla Hammond which was commissioned by OneKind, 44 event organisers that used live animals between 2018-2022 took the compassionate step NOT to use animals in 2023.

You can read more about last year’s campaign here.

This year, a new report by Freedom for Animals details the legal loop-holes which enable reindeer to continue to be exploited in the name of entertainment. Under the Wild Animals in Circuses Act 2019, the use of reindeer in travelling circuses is illegal. However, using reindeer in travelling circuses is not very different to transporting reindeer up and down the country for festive events – and yet the latter remains legal. Likewise, in Scotland, the Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses (Scotland) Act 2018 prohibits activities which harm wild animals. However, these harms are almost identical to those suffered by reindeer who are exploited in festive events.

Furthermore, once the bright lights of the festive season begin to fade and most people forget about the reindeer, they are still forced to spend the rest of the year in captivity – an existence completely at odds with their biological needs and desires. These poor reindeer are suffering every day of the year for a fleeting moment of human entertainment at Christmas.

You can find out more about the ways reindeer suffer at festive events here.

Animal Aid Campaign Manager, Nina Copleston-Hawkens, says:

“The irony of using reindeer in festive events is extraordinary. Whilst reindeer became popular at Christmastime due to their association with wide expanses of snow, their freedom to roam and magic – their lives in captivity in the UK are restricted, unfulfilling and bleak. From the stress of transportation and pulling Santa’s sleigh, to the fear caused by unfamiliar environments, bright lights, loud noises and interaction with the public, events for reindeer are hellish. And as prey animals, they hide their stress, making it even harder to detect their suffering. It’s time for magic without the misery; it’s time for events to stop using live reindeer and go animal-free”.

Take Action

• Please never attend an event using reindeer or other live animals
• Take a look at Freedom for Animals interactive reindeer map and help turn the pins from red to green!
• You can write to your local council and event organisers and ask them to choose compassionate events in their festive calendar. Template letters are available here
• You can read the open-letter here