Before I begin this article, I would like to put out a disclaimer that the alpaca
discussed was sourced from a reputable farm and risk assessments for the event
they were at were done. According to the Legislation.gov.uk website, a 2019 act
prohibits the use of wild animals in travelling circuses and the 1911 ‘Protection of
Animals’ act outlines the proper treatment of animals. I will assume that the
requirements of both acts were kept to and do not intend to make any claims about
the legality of the matter nor pretend to know the details of the arrangement between
the event organisers and the farm. Instead, I would like to share my disappointment
in the moral bankruptcy of the whole affair, despite its legality.
Most people would agree that the discomfort of animals is something which should
be avoided as much as possible but what I found while I was walking past one of the
university buildings last week was a needlessly miserable situation for an alpaca to
be in. The alpaca (who will be referred to by the singular ‘they’ pronoun) was in a tiny
pen next to one of the entrances to the building which was not even double the
length of the alpaca’s body in length & width. The ground encased by the pen was
muddy, suggesting that the alpaca had been trying to move around but by the time I
saw them, they were standing still, looking at the ground. They seemed defeated.
After finding a flyer for the event, I found out that the alpaca was only present to
attract students into a fair inside the building which was full of organisations
shamelessly harvesting email addresses or advertising.
On a basic level of consideration for comfort and respect for the alpaca, this is
outrageous; standing in the cold, in a cage they could barely walk around in, while
stranger after stranger laughs and shouts next to them, taking pictures. Horrible.
Nobody deserves to be treated that way. Furthermore, transporting an alpaca would
require it to stand in another tight enclosure on a trailer which is bumped and jostled
along a road, which would only have increased their discomfort. I do not want to go
into details of what may or may not be abuse, I’m sure the alpaca’s handlers are
extremely well qualified & know what they are doing. However, I feel that this is an
unpleasant, uncomfortable and humiliating (I’m fairly sure alpacas don’t experience
embarrassment but surely, from a human perspective, this treatment of them is
degrading) experience for the alpaca which did not add very much to the students’
experience of the event, other than a few cheap smiles and a picture for instagram.
The alpaca’s presence and discomfort was fairly unnecessary.
If the university had wanted to encourage students to go out and experience nature
or interact with animals, there were many other, more ethical options. Why not
organise/advertise trips to the local ‘Surge Animal Sanctuary’, just outside the city? If
the university had wanted to financially support the organisation that looks after the
alpacas, they could have made a donation to it or invited a human employee to come
to campus with some pictures/pamphlets about alpacas? The involvement of alpacas
alone in this event garners disrespect towards animals and uses them as
advertising, let alone the actual treatment of them when they arrive here. There are
many other options for bringing animals and nature to student life which are far
kinder. So, in future fairs, hopefully, the university could find more ethical attractions
than an uncomfortable alpaca.
The humanities department, which represents both philosophy and theology, two
subjects focussed on ethics, organised this fair. I would expect more consideration
from this department over the moral implications of their events. It should be on the
cutting edge of ethical debates and encouraging the university to move towards a
more ethical future. Whether you want to go all the way and follow a vegan lifestyle
or not, there are many small pieces of activism you can do to help improve attitudes
to animal welfare. Something as small as letting organisers of fairs, like this one,
know about your surprise and disappointment at their use of animals in advertising
can make a huge difference. Even simply walking past this alpaca instead of smiling
and taking pictures sends a message that this is not an effective method for
attracting students to events.
In conclusion, we should all treat animals with more respect, not only because the
law tells us to but also out of decency and consideration for other living, feeling
creatures. I sincerely hope that the university will change for the better in terms of
sustainability, ecology and general respect for our environment in future years.