WHAT'S NEXT

Tell Pink Taco: Stop Using a Pink Donkey for Publicity Stunts
  1. Signatures
    729 out of 3,000
    Petitioning
    1. Manager (+ 1 other)
      Petitioning
      close
      • Manager (Chad Weiner)
      • Special Events Coordinator (Corey Conrad)
  2. Created By
    Laura Goldman
    Los Angeles, CA
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates
How We Won

May 09, 2011

Pink Taco, a Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles, chained a donkey that was shaved and painted pink outside its restaurant for Cinco de Mayo. It wasn't the first time they used a pink donkey for a publicity stunt. More than 700 Change.org community members emailed the restaurant over Cinco de Mayo weekend, asking them to stop using live animals. The restaurant also heard from PETA and was blasted by celebrities on Twitter.

On Monday, May 9, the restaurant responded to the Change.org emails with the assurance that the donkey was well-cared for and "The employees of Pink Taco love and respect animals and would never do anything to harm or cause discomfort to an animal." In response to the outcry, they agreed not to use animals at any future events or promotions, and plan to meet with PETA to discuss how they can work together. To make amends, Pink Taco also offered a special "PETA-rita" for a week, with all proceeds donated to the fight against animal cruelty.

For Cinco de Mayo, the marketing geniuses at Pink Taco, a Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles, thought it was a great gimmick to chain a donkey that was shaved and painted pink outside its entrance.

Although no animal abuse charges have yet been filed – the restaurant was ordered by police to remove the donkey only because there was no display permit – what isn’t abusive about shaving and spray-painting an animal, trucking it a long distance (90 miles round trip), and then forcing it to stand on concrete for hours in 85-degree heat?

This wasn’t the first time Pink Taco used a pink donkey. Back in 2007, one also appears in the restaurant’s cheesy video, “Pinky’s Road to Stardom.”

On Thursday, shortly after Ben Decker made the world aware of the pink donkey by posting a picture on his Twitter account, outraged animal advocates reacted by creating a Boycott Pink Taco Facebook group, which now has more than 2,200 members. PETA is investigating the incident, and celebrities like Pink and Lea Michele have expressed their disgust via Twitter.

And soon after Decker posted the picture, Pink Taco removed its Twitter and Facebook accounts. It has not yet commented on its lame publicity stunt. A spokesman for the restaurant told OCWeekly.com that a formal statement will be released next week.

It’s time for Pink Taco to find compassionate ways to attract customers. Please sign the petition telling Pink Taco to apologize for the stunt, and to promise not to use a pink donkey (or other live animal) again.

Photo credit: @BenDecker

 

Why People Are Signing
Recent Signatures

Stop Using a Pink Donkey for Publicity

Greetings,

I am appalled by the photo of the pink donkey that was chained outside Pink Taco on Cinco de Mayo. I am writing to ask you to publicly apologize for this stunt, and to promise not to use a pink donkey, or any other live animal, again.

Although the paint was allegedly non-toxic and the donkey was provided with food and water, perhaps you didn’t consider how distressing it must have been for the animal to have to be shaved, spray painted, transported and then forced to stand on concrete for hours on an 85-degree-plus day.

Surely you can come up with more compassionate ways to attract customers to your restaurant.

Thank you.

[Your name]

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