Frogs and Turtles in Maryland Need Your Voice

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BACKGROUND | SOURCE PETA

Each year, frogs and turtles are taken from their natural habitats and cruelly subjected to “Frog Jumping” and “Turtle Derby” games at Bel Air Independence Day. They are surrounded by screaming crowds, roughly handled, and relentlessly goaded into making their way across a dry, dusty slab of concrete. This chaotic ordeal would obviously be terrifying for both frogs and turtles, who view humans as predators, and it is potentially harmful. Frogs can have respiratory problems since they breathe through their skin and therefore must remain clean and moist—one local conservationist even stated that “a lot of frogs get injured in the jump.” And because of their slow metabolism, turtles can take weeks or even months to heal from injuries. Your voice is needed!

Please urge the Bel Air Independence Day Committee to cancel these cruel events permanently and replace them with activities that don’t involve live animals. And please forward this alert widely!

WHOM TO CONTACT

Individual:

Don Stewart, President and Chair
Bel Air Independence Day Committee
Info@BelAirLions.org

Michael Blum, Vice President and CEO
Bel Air Independence Day Committee
michaelblum@martinoblum.com

Block:
Info@BelAirLions.org ; michaelblum@martinoblum.com

Please email the following in a separate online contact, and only include Dear President Conway:

Althes Conway, President
Bel Air Kiwanis Club
To send an e-mail, please click here.

 


SAMPLE LETTER

Dear President and Chair Stewart and Vice President and CEO Blum:

Or

Dear President Conway:

Each year, frogs and turtles are taken from their natural habitats and cruelly subjected to “Frog Jumping” and “Turtle Derby” games at Bel Air Independence Day, and I respectfully request that these cruel games cease. Please allow me this opportunity to explain.

Frogs and turtles are surrounded by screaming crowds, roughly handled, and relentlessly goaded into making their way across a dry, dusty slab of concrete. This chaotic ordeal would obviously be terrifying for both frogs and turtles, who view humans as predators, and it is potentially harmful. Frogs can have respiratory problems since they breathe through their skin and therefore must remain clean and moist—one local conservationist even stated that “a lot of frogs get injured in the jump.”  And because of their slow metabolism, turtles can take weeks or even months to heal from injuries.

Please cancel these cruel events permanently and replace them with activities that don’t involve live animals.

Thank you for taking the time to consider this urgent appeal.

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this slab is dusty
we are scared.
so many people
and noises
out there.
we do not know
what to do.
and we are very
afraid of you.
so please do not
let this event
take place.
the finishing line for
us is
death in
this race!!!!

signed,
frogs and turtles

Karen Lyons Kalmenson