Alec Baldwin & PETA Ask Radio City Music Hall To Stop Using Live Animals In Christmas Show

deadline.com:

Alec Baldwin is not happy about live animals being used in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular‘s Nativity scene. In a letter written on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the actor and producer asked Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corporation CEO James Dolan to stop using donkeys, camels and sheep as part of the yearly musical show. “The Christmas Spectacular already features extremely talented human performers, and reinventing the iconic show to be animal-free would bring it into the modern era and truly align it with the Christmas spirit,” Baldwin wrote in a letter obtained by The Daily Mail. “Please ensure that this year’s show will be the last that uses animals and give this archaic practice a high kick out of your production and into the history books.” Baldwin went on to note that “Holiday displays and productions are anything but merry for animals who are often deprived of everything that’s natural and important to them.” He stressed that live shows are harmful for animals who are forced to be “hauled from city to city in cramped trucks, stored in back room like props and subjected to loud sounds and disorienting lights.” Baldwin also said that the Dawn Animal Agency, which provides animals for film, television and other productions, has been cited by the US Department of Agriculture for allegedly denying the creatures necessities like clean enclosures, space and veterinary care.

In a statement to The New York Post, an MSG spokesperson denied that Radio City gets its animals from Dawn Animal Agency. “The safety of the animals in the Christmas Spectacular’s beloved ‘Living Nativity’ scene is always our priority,” the spokesperson said. “Their well-being is critical, and they are