Say "Boo" to the Zoo for Jailing Wildlife

UPDATE: Organizer, leader, friend, warrior, icon and so much more, Anthony Botti died suddenly on October 17. He is an organizer for our group and another meetup group, Friends of Animals United NJ/NY. We have worked with Anthony for nearly 20 years and we are devastated by his loss. Anthony's memorial and celebration of life is scheduled on October 31 from 1 pm to 3 pm in Lawrenceville NJ - click here for more details. We considered cancelling our event to attend, and we are not suggesting that you attend our zoo demo instead of his memorial. But we know Anthony would not want any animal activism event canceled because of him, for any reason. Instead, we are going to honor Anthony by holding our demo, and making it the best possible demo ever. In honor of, in memory of, and in love for Anthony, we will continue our fight for animal liberation everywhere. ****** Join us for this fun outreach event at the Philadelphia Zoo where we will dress up as animals (optional!) and say BOO to the ZOO! Some costumes will be available but please also try to costume yourself if you are so inclined. More info: We continue our campaign to turn Philadelphia Zoo into a world-class center that other zoos may emulate. Our vision includes transitioning the Zoo from an assortment of exotic live animals bred for a lifetime in confinement on display to a humane alternative featuring animatronic animals (similar to the zoo's 2023 "Staying Power: Be Distinct, or Go Extinct" display). There is already movement worldwide in this direction. For example, a hyper-realistic animatronic dolphin is now available for a “swimming with the dolphins” experience that doesn’t harm a single cetacean, and the 140-year old, 44-acre Buenos Aires Zoo, similarly sized to the 42 acre Philadelphia Zoo, has transitioned to a ecopark. The 2,500 animals previously confined there were moved to nature reserves. And with documentaries like Blackfish and The Conservation Game, the public is becoming increasingly aware of the problems with confining intelligent, sensitive animals outside of their natural habitats and the consequences of breeding more for display. Now it's time to bring it to the people and patrons of the zoo! The future is now. Time: 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM WHAT TO EXPECT FOR . . . - -- Where we stand? We set up outside of the gates in front of the zoo entrance at the southwest corner of 34th and Girard. --- What we do? We hand out educational leaflets about zoos. And, as always, we have vegan literature available for interested people. ****All signs and literature will be provided.**** --- Parking? There is free parking on Girard Avenue west of the zoo and side streets (near the Sunoco 38th and Girard, use 3750 W Girard Avenue for GPS). Please be sure to hide all of your valuables as we have had some cars broken into in the past. --- Police Interaction? Little to none. We have been demonstrating at the zoo for over ten years and it is now well-established that we have the right to stand anywhere outside of the gates. --- Bathrooms? You can use the bathrooms inside the zoo without paying admission to get in. If you don't want to go in the zoo, there is a Sunoco gas station a few blocks away where if you ask the clerk nicely, you will usually be able to use the bathroom (assuming it is in working order, sometimes it's not). --- Receptivity of the patrons? Much depends on the dynamics of the crowd. Most of the time, the patrons are fairly receptive and will engage with us on questions about zoos and animals. A very small percentage may say something negative, but it overall it is a positive crowd. Most of the people going to the zoo think of themselves as animal lovers. --- Accessibility? There is a cutaway on 34th street where cars can pull in to drop off folks. The area where we set up is flat and easy to access.