Donkey Basketball in Napa --- please call/write!

Please Help Stop Donkey Basketball in Napa

Napa High School is planning to hold a donkey basketball game on April 2.

Donkey basketball games are a cruel and archaic form of "entertainment." Animals are dragged around a court and forced to participate in an event entirely against their nature. They are frequently mishandled by participants who have no prior experience with them, and they are often punched, kicked, screamed at, or whipped when found to be "uncooperative" by their riders. Food and water are withheld from the animals before games to prevent "accidents."

Please contact the superintendent of the school district and ask him to ensure that this game is canceled:

John P. Glaser, Superintendent
Napa Valley Unified School District
2425 Jefferson St.
Napa, CA 94558
707-253-3511
707-253-3855 (fax)
jglaser [at] nvusd.k12.ca.us

Sample letter below.


Animal Action Network
POB 6654 Napa CA 94581
707 258 1825
ckelly [at] napanet.net



SAMPLE LETTER:

Dear Sir:

I am very disturbed to hear that Napa High School is planning to hold
a donkey basketball game on April 2. While people may derive
enjoyment from watching a game like this, I am very sure that the
donkeys will not enjoy it & will suffer an array of physical,
emotional & psychological distresses from it.

Donkeys have been mistakenly characterized by people as stubborn.
Therefore, people engage in gross mistreatment of them via screaming
at them & striking them in order to prod them to do their bidding.
However, the donkey's response of seemingly, stubbornly remaining in
place & refusing to comply is actually his/her natural response to
being assaulted. The human perception of the donkey's response as
stubborn refusal to comply is simply incorrect and donkeys have
suffered greatly as a result.

You have an opportunity here to provide a valuable lesson in humane
education to your students & community by canceling this event,
explaining its cancellation as an example of human compassion toward
another species. People don't intend to be cruel, but we need to
learn that using animals for entertainment generally results in their
suffering & is therefore unethical.

I hope you will give this basketball game serious reconsideration.

Sincerely,