University of Canberra cancels annual stress-less petting zoo after complaint from PETA
Updated
The University of Canberra (UC) has avoided a potential dogfight with animal activist group PETA by cancelling annual petting zoos on campus.
The university promised students they could "pat puppies and cuddle chickens" during last year's stress-less weeks — a program designed to calm nerves ahead of exams.
But PETA said it was alarmed when seeing the petting zoos on the list of activities for the fortnight, claiming the event would actually cause stress for the animals involved.
"A university campus is really no place for animals. It's noisy and boisterous," PETA spokeswoman Emily Rice said.
Ms Rice wrote to UC suggesting alternative activities, such as jumping castles and three-legged races, and the institution agreed to pull the petting zoos.
"It's terrifying for [the animals]. In the lead up they're caged, they're transported around," Ms Rice said.
"If you have baby farm animals they've obviously been taken away from their parents at some point and put into that situation."
UC deputy vice-chancellor Nick Klomp said the institution did not share all of PETA's concerns, but agreed that some points were valid.
He confirmed the stress less weeks would continue this year without the petting zoos.
"We have all sorts of events including massages, meditation, yoga and music. All sorts of things that students can participate in to help reduce their stress," he said.
But Professor Klomp said the decision may not see the end of animals on campus.
"For example we might do something a little bit different, perhaps even bring your own pets to the campus, or something like that this year," he said.
PETA believes other Australian universities set up petting zoos on their campuses and said it planned to lobby them.
"We are going to reach out to those universities prior to O-week and ask them to consider other alternatives so we can spare the animals that stress," Ms Rice said.
"We encourage universities to consider it off the back of Canberra's compassion and do the same."
Topics: animals, animal-welfare, human-interest, university-and-further-education, university-of-canberra-2617, canberra-2600, act
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