Community Corner

Letter: Group Holding Peaceful Protest of Elephant Show at Durham Fair

The fair begins Thursday, Sept. 26, at 4 p.m.

The following is a letter to the editor from Pamela DeFilippo submitted to Durham-Middlefield Patch.

Many have been asking where and when is there going to be a protest by those who oppose the decision of the Durham Fair Association to move forward with the Elephant Encounters act.

Some have chosen to boycott the fair altogether, however many concerned residents have come together to organize a peaceful, respectful protest against the use of these elephants, an endangered species, as entertainment to “educate” fair goers. Acts such as Elephant Encounters teaches little, if anything, about the natural lifestyle or habits of elephants and is merely a circus act with elephants performing unnatural tricks and wearing silly clothing, neither of which is true to the behavior of any elephant in the wild.  We are all intelligent enough to know that bears don't dance, lions and tigers do not jump through rings of fire and elephants do not sit on stools, hand out flowers and wear silly hats without years of abusive and cruel training, usually from birth.


Our peaceful protest will take place on Saturday, September 28th, in front of the Durham Post Office (103 Main St.) from 9:00am to 6:00pm. All are welcome to attend.  We have gone to great lengths to ensure our protest will be peaceful, respectful and lawful.  There will be no heckling of fair goers, no protesting inside the fairgrounds, and no obstruction of pedestrian or motorized traffic.  Our only goals are to educate the public about this issue and to send the message that we feel this act does not represent the mission statement of the Durham Fair Foundation which is “to preserve and promote Connecticut's agricultural and rural heritage by sponsoring education events, programs and exhibits,” or the Town of Durham in a manner consistent with its good values. We are an agricultural town with a rich heritage of promoting the welfare and good care of farm animals.  Circus acts or any other animal act or exhibitor that has any history of animal abuse has no place at the Durham Fair. We sincerely hope that in future years the Durham Fair Association will return to these same high standards and values.

All are welcome to attend this peaceful event, children included. If you wish to participate, all you need to do is show up.  Any updates will be posted on our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/durhamunfair. You are welcome, and encouraged, to bring a sign as long as it depicts the message we are promoting. We are NOT protesting the Durham Fair nor any of the many volunteers that put in so much time and effort for our community, nor are we protesting any other animals well cared for at the fair. Our purpose is to educate the public about the abuse and hardships performing elephants in captivity have faced in their lifetimes and continue to endure, which is not the education that "Elephant Encounters" intends to share.

If you are unable to attend the protest but still wish to convey your support, lawn signs are available.  For more information on obtaining one, visit our Facebook page noted above. Thank you for your support and/or respect for our views.


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