Carnivals and amusement centers have been around for decades, if not for centuries. Strangely, some in this day and time still believe they need live animals to enhance the experience:

“DRS Skinners’ Amusements Inc., a company that supplies carnival entertainment in Illinois, reportedly doles out hermit crabs and goldfish as booth prizes. We asked the owners to do away with animal giveaways, but to no apparent avail. Your voice is needed now!

Hermit crabs in nature travel in large groups, avoiding humans, and can live up to 40 years. But when held in captivity—even if provided with fully equipped aquariums that meet their vast physical requirements—they usually die before reaching the age of 4. Peddled like trinkets, confined, roughly handled, improperly fed, and eventually forgotten, hermit crabs are doomed from the moment they’re stolen from the wild. And experts agree that fish are also highly sentient and complex animals whose welfare must always be considered. They, too, require a sizable tank, environmental controls, regular cleaning of aquariums, and ample enrichment. Most “prize winners” are hardly prepared for such a commitment, and the animals suffer as a result.

Please urge DRS Skinners’ Amusements Inc. to end animal giveaways immediately, then forward this alert far and wide!

Call or send polite comments to:

DRS Skinners’ Amusements Inc.
P.O. Box 949
Crystal Lake, IL 60039
815-943-7961
pdskinner@aol.com “

Here is an example letter:

Dear Skinners Amusements decision makers,