PETA wants to nix animals on carousels

PETA, the animal rights organization based in Norfolk, appealed to a Kansas-based manufacturer of carousels and other amusement park rides to stop using images of animals in its designs.

The organization sent a letter Tuesday to Aaron Landrum, president and CEO of Wichita-based Chance Rides, stating animal-themed carousels “reinforce the notion that these sentient beings are simply here for our entertainment,” according to a news release.

PETA’s president, Ingrid Newkirk, cited examples of real animals exploited for entertainment, such as elephants, dolphins, camels and horses. Such images normalizes the practice, according to the organization.

Meanwhile, the 100-yearold Historic Hampton Carousel is expected to reopen this spring after extensive work to restore and repair the ride — one of only 170 functioning antique wooden carousels in the U.S. It features 42 oil paintings, 30 mirrors, two wooden chariots, a 1914 Bruder band organ — and 48 hand-carved wooden horses.

It is being repaired by Carousels and Carvings, an Ohio-based company. The carousel originally was installed Buckroe Amusement Park in 1920. It was disassembled in 1985, then restored and installed in 1991 at Carousel Park near the Virginia Air and Space

Science Center in downtown Hampton.

Asked about its stance on the reopening of the Hampton carousel, a spokesperson for PETA said Friday afternoon that they are not contacting every carousel company, “but we hope carousel manufacturers will take this to heart and reconsider what they produce in the future.”