Festive Events

Each year as Christmas approaches, event organisers around the country begin to advertise live reindeer parades and shows. Often held in shopping centres, these animals are transported up and down the country to be placed in small pens under glaring lights, surrounded by people and noise for days on end. 

And it’s not just reindeer. Penguins, owls and other wild animals are used as props for human entertainment.

Long hours on the road

Transported between venues, back and forth to the company premises, animals are forced to spend many hours on the road in the back of a van or trailer. Reindeer are frequently confined to trailers for hundreds of miles. Only to then be held in a small enclosure in a crowded street, shopping centre, or town square.

Long journeys in cramped conditions is known to cause stress and lower welfare. 

Lives at risk

In a state of panic, reindeer will run to protect themselves. A number of reindeer have escaped from their pens at festive events and have been found wandering high streets and in car parks. Highly stressed, they are at danger of being hit by cars on busy roads. 

Ill and dying

Animals are dying as they are not being not being properly looked after. Reindeer need a very special diet and to be housed in the right environment - they can't just live in a barn with hay.

A formal report by the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) in July 2013 stated:

There have been a number of reports of ill thrift and death in these animals due to poor management and their special dietary and environmental requirements... they are particularly likely to be kept by inexperienced owners for commercial reasons.

What Freedom for Animals does

• We support protests at festive events spreading the word about animal exploitation
  
• We educate the public about animal exploitation by speaking up for animals in the media, online and in person
• We lobby Government and councils to ban the use of animals
  
• We investigate and expose animal suppliers ensuring we have evidence to speak up for animals

Take Action!

Find out how you can take action for these animals in our Take Action centre.