Egyptian Consulate to Face Herd of PETA ‘Horses’ and ‘Camels’ Over Animal Abuse at Pyramids

Egyptian Consulate to Face Herd of PETA ‘Horses’ and ‘Camels’ Over Animal Abuse at Pyramids

What:            Wearing giant camel and horse masks, a group of PETA supporters will converge outside the Egyptian Consulate on Friday with signs reading, “Ban Cruel Animal Rides Now!” to warn travellers to stay away from Egypt’s pyramids and demand an end to the use of horses and camels to transport tourists there. The action comes on the heels of PETA’s latest investigation into the country’s top tourist sites, which revealed that, even though the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities pledged to end the rampant abuse of animals forced to haul tourists through Giza in the sweltering heat without food, rest, or adequate shade, it has allowed this cruelty to continue virtually unchecked – and is even attempting to cover it up.

PETA’s investigators found malnourished animals eating from piles of garbage and the bodies of dead horses and camels dumped in the trash on a daily basis. Police – along with a representative from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities – detained a visitor at the pyramids who had been taking pictures and demanded that they delete any photos or videos of the camels and horses, falsely claiming that it’s against the law to photograph them. Then, they wiped and confiscated the camera’s memory card.

“Half-starved animals are being beaten bloody, tormented, and worked to death in the shadow of the pyramids, and instead of ending the abuse, Egyptian officials have attempted to hide it,” says PETA Senior Vice President Jason Baker. “PETA is calling on Egyptian authorities to stop being complicit in this cruelty and ban the use of horses and camels and urges travellers everywhere to avoid all animal rides.”

Where:          Outside Sino Plaza, 255–257 Gloucester Rd, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

When:            Friday, October 4, 12 noon sharp

Credit: PETA

Why:              PETA’s investigation revealed that horses were kept in the dark in a stable that reeked of ammonia. Market traders punched camels and beat the animals with batons, and one threw sand into a camel’s face. A dead camel was tied by their feet to a lorry and dragged through the streets, and another was found dead in the middle of a road with their throat slashed open. When the camels were no longer of use, they were sent to a slaughterhouse, where workers slit their throats while they were still conscious.

PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview.

For more information, please visit PETAAsia.com or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

#