Dear John,
 

On the 10th of December Royal Quays Outlet and Independent Centre will be holding a reindeer parade and I need your help to stop it.

Last year this shopping centre dragged reindeer on a 500 mile round trip, then paraded them in front of noisy crowds as props for a cynical marketing event. This year they plan to do the same again.

As you and I know, reindeer belong in the wild, in the arctic tundra, and not in shopping centres in the UK. And these sensitive animals should not be subjected to long road journeys, large crowds, and loud, unpredictable noises.

Like many of the organisers of these exploitative events, the shopping centre has not responded to our contacts to raise our concerns. 

Now I need your help to get through to them. 

I previously asked you to contact Oldham Council to ask that they stop their reindeer parade. Sadly, despite hundreds of public complaints, the council went ahead with their reindeer parade.

We attended and witnessed exactly what we had warned against: huge crowds, animals tethered to a sleigh, and loud noises including a brass band positioned directly next to the reindeer in the parade. And after all this stress they were herded down to a town square where they were completely surrounded by the crowd.

This is the sad and distressing reality of reindeer parades, and the one on the 10th December at Royal Quays Outlet and Independent Centre will sadly be no different.

Once again, I thank you for your support with our festive events campaign. I am already seeing progress compared to last year as many events have already chosen to go animal free this year. However, there are still some, like this one at Royal Quays Outlet and Independent Centre, that need a nudge in the right direction. I will keep you updated on how this campaign goes.

For the animals,


Isobel McNally
Festive Events Campaigner
Freedom for Animals