The Baltimore Orioles are allowing innocent monkeys, dogs, and sheep to be abused by their minor league team, The Frederick Keys—AND YOUR SIGNATURE MATTERS! 

Despite objections from animal-lovers, the Baltimore Orioles organization continues to host Tim Lepard and his cruel cowboy monkey rodeo, annually. According to a 2012 statement by the Humane Society of the United States:

 “Cowboy monkey” acts feature one or more capuchin monkeys dressed in a cowboy outfit and tethered to a saddle on the back of border collies who run at high speeds around a field herding sheep. The dogs can reach speeds of up 30 m.p.h. and abruptly stop, start, turn, lie down, and stand up, causing the monkey to be violently jerked forwards and backwards and slide wildly from side to side . . .  Lepard has been cited by the USDA for violating the minimum standards of the federal Animal Welfare Act, such as keeping animals in unsanitary conditions, failure to provide adequate crowd management and safety barriers, inadequate shelter, improper food storage, failure to dispose of expired deworming and heartworm preventative medications, and repeatedly being unavailable for animal welfare inspections. Several years ago, Lepard’s monkeys, dogs, and sheep died in his travel trailer from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Read the full statement from the Humane Society of the United States here.

We ask the Baltimore Orioles organization to please cancel this annual event. Additionally, we ask the Orioles to adopt organization policies to prohibit the cruel use of animals for entertainment, and ask that the Orioles work with reputable rescue organizations to help find appropriate loving homes for the dogs used by the monkey rodeo, and actively help transfer the monkeys and sheep to sanctuaries so they may get the care and medical attention they deserve.

We are including the Governor of Maryland and the Mayor of Frederick, MD on this petition to request that they support legislation ending these forms of animal cruelty.

Signing this petition sends a message to the following:

• Peter G. Angelos; Chairman of the Board/Chief Executive Officer of the Baltimore Orioles
• Kristen Hudak; Director, Public Relations for the Baltimore Orioles
• Larry Hogan; Governor of the State of Maryland
• Michael O’Connor; Mayor of the City of Frederick, MD
• Dave Ziedelis; General Manager of the Frederick Keys