Is the Champlain Valley Fair cruel to animals, culturally insensitive or both? Acts like the “boxing kangaroo” featured at last year’s Expo pose “an image that will leave every Australian sick to the stomach,” according to that nation’s Daily Telegraph. “One of Australia's most iconic symbols is reduced to a cruel and insulting comedy act - all in front of an audience cheering for more.”
The owner of the boxing kangaroo is Javier Martinez, who according to the news report “baits the kangaroo by pushing it and repeatedly jabs at it before placing it in a headlock. If Rocky fights back too much Mr. Martinez's wife Sandra restrains the kangaroo using a heavy tether attached to a harness around the animal's chest.”
In a YouTube video, taken by a Champlain Fair attendee, a bystander is knocked to the ground by the provoked animal. But it gets worse. Again, according to the Daily Telegraph, “Mr. Martinez's treatment of his kangaroos - which travel across the US performing at different circuses - has been investigated by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) repeatedly for violations of animal welfare act.”
“He has been on the authority’s watch list since 2003 when two kangaroos under his care died within four months.” According to the Aussie news report, “circuses in Asia, Europe and the US are increasingly using our national mascots as comedy acts, leaving the animals traumatized and injured - and in some cases dead.”
“After another undercover investigation by the USDA in 2007, Mr. Martinez was told to immediately change the way he handled his kangaroos.”
Martinez’s traveling kangaroo act has appeared at carnivals as far afield as Hidalgo, Texas, and Essex Junction, Vermont, confining the animal to a caged life of constant transport. Spokesmen for the Champlain Fair will tell you that these shows are not only humane but also highly educational, enabling spectators to learn about wild animals and their natural habitat. Unfortunately, the images tell another story.
How can you protest “entertainment” that tortures animals? Boycott next year’s Champlain Valley Expo, which persistently brings circus animal acts to Vermont, from the ”Nerger Tiger and Lion Show” to “Bear Mountain” and other cruel and unusual performances.