Petition calls for end to animal acts at the Big E

WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WLNE) — An online petition has been started, calling for an end to animal acts at the popular New England fair the Big E. Videos and pictures of the animals went viral online, upsetting many people who say they’re not treated properly.

The petition has nearly 39,000 signatures. Videos and pictures have been causing a buzz on social media, one shows a camel seemingly being pulled against its will but the owner of the traveling zoo and the president of the Big E says they give the animals the best care.

“Ya know, they’re extremists, they don’t know,” says Tim Commerford, the owner of Commerford & Sons, a traveling zoo.

Commerford owns the camel and other animals on display at the Big E.

That includes an elephant Minnie whose picture also circulated online, people claiming she’s sick. Commerford says the animals are given food, water and the best care and that the fair wouldn’t be the same without them.

“When you come to the fair, it’s a feast of the world, the harvest of the year,” he says.

The president of the fair, Gene Cassidy, doubling down on that statement saying in a statement to ABC 6 News, “Eastern States Exposition stands tall in the support of the animals it showcases and presents to millions of fair goers who, without the opportunity, would not have the chance to witness animals up close.”

But many seem to disagree. The president of the Rhode Island SPCA, Dr. Finocchio, says this treatment really impacts the animals.

“Psychologically I definitely think there is. These animals are genetically prone to live in the wild, to do things in the wild. These are not their natural habitat. You can feed them, give them the best of everything and it’s still not like them being in their natural habitat,” says Finocchio.

Cassidy says they were trying to take the camel on its break but eventually left where it was seated.

The USDA also monitors the animal’s health and found them to be in good condition last Wednesday. They don’t plan to stop animal acts at the fair.

© WLNE/ABC 6 2018