Don’t let animals suffer for your festive fun

Closer investigates what can be done to keep our Christmas traditions cruelty-free

From festive F grottos to winter festivals, scores of events across the country will use live animals as part of their Christmas celebrations this year. Though some may be well cared for, sadly, many animals used in these events are kept and transported in appalling conditions. Shocking footage recently revealed the extent of reindeer abuse at animal centres and farms across the UK. In the upsetting clips, reindeer are seen being kicked and some were found with raw, exposed skin, skeletal abnormalities and broken antlers.

With the rise in popularity of reindeer at winter events, Animal Aid – the charity that uncovered the abuse – found that 571 reindeer were imported from Sweden, Finland and Norway to the UK between 2014 to 2017. During that period, 54 reindeer died from a range of problems, including malnutrition and nervous conditions.

These animals don’t tend to enjoy being petted, harnessed or forced to pull sleighs – and bright lights and loud noises terrify them. The festive period sees a spike in calls about reindeer to the RSPCA’S 24-hour cruelty line, and last Christmas there were 40 reports.

Dr Ros Clubb, RSPCA senior scientific manager in wildlife, says, “We understand why families may think that visiting an attraction with live reindeer would be a magical, festive thing to do, but we want this to be a happy and healthy time for humans and animals alike. Reindeer are not easy to keep well and need specialised care – they get stressed easily and are very susceptible to many health and welfare problems. We ask that people consider the welfare implications of the animals involved in displays, and perhaps look for events that do not include live animals.”

Animal rights organisation PETA’S director, Elisa Allen, says the group is campaigning for such events to become a thing of the past. She tells Closer, “There are many ways for people to celebrate Christmas without supporting animal abuse, such as festive markets and ice-skating rinks. At this time of year especially, goodwill should take centre stage.”

Closer looks at other animals that can suffer at Christmas events…