Rat
Rescue :: Art gallery stunt
cruel to animals
Art gallery stunt cruel to animals
164 rats are being used cruelly and suffering unnecessarily
all in the name of art says animal charity CavyRescue.
Banksy - the controversial graffiti artist - is using these
rats as part of a new exhibition in Bayswater. They are running
around in a room with no apparent shelter or nowhere to hide
while visitors view the Crude Oils exhibition.
The rats are being kept in unsuitable conditions, at risk of
being trodden on or kicked. And as rats normally sleep in the
afternoon and at night time, they are being deprived of sleep
under the constant glare of bright lights and noise.
While the artist has issued a statement saying that rats are
the triumph of the little people, using them in this way is
cruel and smacks of the very commerciality he is trying to portray
as the root of evil.
Jason Hulott from the charity says: "We are appalled by
this blatant disregard of animal welfare. What safeguards are
there to stop these rats being injured or hurt? Or to stop them
running out of the room or the front door? If this happened,
they would not stand a chance of surviving on the streets as
they are domesticated rats unlike their wild cousins.
Hulott added "It does also not paint a good picture for
the correct treatment of small animals. We work tirelessly to
promote good pet husbandry and care and things like this only
serve to undermine all the hard work we and other animal charities
are trying to achieve.
"I think Banksy should have stuck to canvas. This is not
art, this is cruelty".
About CavyRescue
CavyRescue is the Kent-based small animal shelter and is run
by Jason and Stella Hulott. They rescue, rehabilitate and rehome
‘small furries’ – such as guinea pigs and rabbits – and their
area of expertise is rats.
Their aim is to not only rescue ‘small furries’, but to educate
people on animal healthcare and needs. The shelter is entirely
self-funded and in its six years of operation has rehomed nearly
2,800 animals via the shelter; working with other independent
rodent rescues; and its website.
