25th October 2024

Here at Freedom for Animals, we work tirelessly all year, every year, to protect animals from exploitation and suffering in the name of ‘entertainment’. As the temperature drops and the nights get longer, we turn our attention to the awful practice of using live animals, such as reindeer, as publicity props and selfie opportunities at Christmas celebrations.

Working alongside colleagues at Animal Aid, OneKind, and Born Free, we form a group to not only coordinate a response to events that announce their plans to use live reindeers, but to pre-emptively approach event organisers to advise of the welfare risks of hiring animals as props. We have had great success with this approach, and since 2018 we know of 153 events we have contacted that have made the move to animal-free Christmas events!

Each year, we ask other animal protection organisations to sign on to our letter to event organisers, and this year 21 have signed on to say no to reindeer events - that's double last year's signatories. Our work is not done until no animal is exploited to be used as scenery, so every event we know of that has hired live reindeer in recent years, or has announced plans to display live reindeers this year, will receive this powerful joint letter.

We are also working with activists in Lancaster who have chosen to take a stand against an annual ‘Reindeer Day’ held by their local Business Improvement District (BID). Lancaster Animal Protection has formed a group to oppose this event, that subjects reindeer to a round-trip of almost 600 miles for this event alone, and will by putting pressure on Lancaster BID to cancel this event planned for the 1st of December and hold compassionate, animal-free celebrations instead. One of the activists has published this blog today on her inspiration for opposing this cruelty.

Right until Christmas Day and beyond we will be working to discover, expose, monitor, and oppose events that use live reindeer. Where possible will attend and obtain evidence proving that these unscrupulous companies that hire out live animals do not provide for their animals’ needs, and put profit before welfare, and before respect for sentient life.

You can help this year in so many ways!

• Use our interactive map to find events near you and their contact details, so you can object directly!
• Sign Lancaster Animal Protection's petition to stop Lancaster BID’s Reindeer Day!
• Report a festive event to us using this online tool!