While searching about controversial topics
regarding the use of donkeys, I firstly thought of their use in cultural
events, such as racings. However, in a more accurate research we can find their
use in sport events. One that really caught my attention was a game called
“Donkey Basketball”, which is a common practice for fundraising in the United
States since 1930’s, just after the Big Depression. Its mechanism consists of
provision of donkeys by a breeder or a person that owns retired animals.
Donkeys being transported to a
Basketball game many decades ago.
Once
the owner of the company receives a request, the animals board into a loading
truck and they travel miles away until the destination. They are frequently
demanded by high schools and universities throughout the entire country. Just
before the game, participants/players receive instructions regarding overall
rules, most common donkeys’ behaviors, and how should they treat the animals.
The
game per se is characterized by regular timing and often by four teams composed
of eight to ten players. Grandstands are commonly overcrowded with cheerful
supporters and some referees supervise all players’ obedience regarding the
rules.
Donkey Basketball for
fundraising
Another
kind of sport in which donkeys are used is the racing. This kind of event has
been practiced over than 70 years. Even in the website of donkey resource, they
mention this event as being funny, because some animals can be uncooperative,
leading to amusement of all participants. Generally, these races last for a
long period during the night, in a specific season (mid-May through September
every year).
Controversially,
some animal rights groups advocate against these practices, such as PETA. This
organization provides a link on their website to inform how animals are
frequently treated during these games. Since these animals are not covered by
the Animal Welfare Act, they are at the mercy of mistreatment and no
penalization. They state that these donkeys are regularly “dragged, kicked, and
punched by participants who have no animal-handling experience”. In addition,
they also believe that this kind of practice can lead to kids’ desensitization
and their encouragement to cruelty toward animals. Ultimately, in a final
topic, they provide some information regarding accidents that have happened to
adults during these games: one in Illinois, a player was awarded more than U$
110,000 for injuries during to the game.
Donkey being pulled by a
player
Adults can get hurt during
these games
I personally agree with PETA's educational piece of information. Using donkeys in such kind
of sports is totally unnecessary for amusement. Even in official news aiming to
promote the event, we can patently see that this is not a calm and ideal
environment for them. The places are overcrowded, people yell all the time, the
sound of the whistle is sharp, and many players keep pulling the animals’
halter when they refuse to enter the sport court. During the game, animals hoof
in an attempt to get rid of those who are riding them. Although players receive
instructions just before the game, these are very superficial and general, and
many people don’t even pay attention to the expert’s words. This leads to
inappropriate handling of the animals, which can cause a stressful time to those
donkeys. I would, in fact, add another topic highlighting the disadvantages of
donkey basketball: this practice can highly be harmful to the animals
themselves; basket balls are heavy and, during the games, are thrown in a high
speed, which can fall in an animal’s head or back and hurt it.
Electronic
Resources:
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