Wild animals suffer tremendously, both physically and mentally, when caught, especially during handling and transport, and contact with humans can terrify and disorient them. So spare a thought for the goat who will soon be “crowned” King Puck at the Puck Fair in Killorglin, County Kerry.
In what must be a terrifying ordeal, each year, a wild male goat is caught in the mountains, confined to a small cage in town and then hoisted high in the air, where he remains for three days while revellers party below.
Goats deserve to be left alone so that they can roam the beautiful, sprawling mountains of County Kerry – not captured every year and imprisoned inside a cramped and wholly unsuitable enclosure.
There are many other ways for Killorglin’s residents to celebrate their local community without putting animals at risk. This year, we’ve written to the Mayor of Kerry, offering to contribute to the creation of a life-like goat sculpture if it will help end this cruel and archaic practice. We hope that Killorglin’s mayor and residents will take us up on this offer.
If you visit the county or anywhere else with an attraction that includes a captive animal, please walk the other way. Tourists have so many fantastic opportunities available to them that it’s easy to have a holiday filled with cruelty-free memories.
Image: “King Puck goes up” by Alice / CC BY-SA 2.0
