Misery for camels and a donkey at St Barnabus Church in Dulwich this Christmas Eve

Dear Event Organiser,

I was shocked to see that St Barnabas church is planning to exhibit live camels and a donkey as part of your Christmas Eve Pageant this year.

Festive events can attract large crowds of noisy, excitable people, demanding interaction with animals. All-too-often, the animals are given nowhere to retreat to. This can cause great distress to sensitive animals such as camels and donkeys. Transportation to the event can also be stressful.

This will be a family service, with many young people in attendance. Most children tend to be drawn to animals, and we should set a positive example by not using animals for entertainment. Instead, we can teach young people to show kindness and compassion to all animals.

Experts on camel behaviour have stated these sensitive animals can become stressed in unfamiliar surroundings and during transportation. Even well-trained keepers can find it hard to tell when camels are stressed, ill or injured. I also have concerns for public safety as, when stressed, camels can become aggressive and could potentially inflict fatal injuries due to their size and strength. Furthermore, humans can contract brucellosis, ringworm, and tuberculosis from interacting with camels.

Donkeys are known to mask signs of distress, unlike horses and ponies, so their suffering can easily go unnoticed. They have a reduced flight response and so it can be extremely hard to read their body language and know when they are frightened. For example, a lack of movement away from a fearful situation is often misread as confidence rather than fear.

There are many fun and educational alternatives to the use of live animals in public displays, so please extend the season of peace and goodwill to all, including animals, by making the compassionate decision to cancel the use of live animals at your event.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards

(Your name here)