What's the issue?: This year, for Anthrocon 2026, one of the largest furry conventions in the world, they chose a charity that decided to bring live animals into the convention, including a horse named Ronny. Now, on the outside that doesn't sound so bad, so what's the problem?

Concerns for the animals: The biggest shared concern most people have with this situation lies with the horse brought to the event. Horses are very large prey animals, and horses, like most prey animals, have a flight response when it comes to being spooked or scared. This horse was left in a pen, inside of the dealers den, the largest and most crowded, busy room of the convention. Horses are easily prone to stress from crowded environments like these. A lot of people may tell you that horses can be desensitized to situations like this. While this can be the case for some horses, it doesn't make it right to dress up an animal, take them from their "sanctuary" and haul them to events to be dressed up and used as a photo prop, no matter how well trained they are for it. Video evidence also appears to show the horse rocking their body and head side to side, while trying to avoid touch by fursuiters taking photos and interacting with Ronny. Ronny the horse isn't the only animal who is attending this convention though. Con-goers have stated they saw a turkey with a balloon tied to their leg walking around, a lethargic looking duck wearing a human diaper (duck and other bird diapers do exist, but for some reason they chose to use a human one, one seemingly not tied on properly), and chickens (because of years of selective artificial breeding, most chicken breeds tend to not do well in the heat and are more easily prone to heat related ailments). The duck mentioned prior, if as sick as witnesses say they seemed to be, should be no where near a conspace, let alone outside the sanctuary or a vet office at all. This year, during AC (Anthrocon) 2026, there was a heatwave that caused temperatures in the 100's (Fahrenheit) or 37 degrees (Celsius). While the animals were inside in an enclosed space with air conditioning, con goers have stated that the convention space has been way hotter this year than other years due to the heat wave, and many other con-goers have stated they saw many of the animals there panting, or "gular fluttering" more specifically for the birds. Another big concern is the fact it's the weekend on the 4th of July, where fireworks are constantly going off. Fireworks have been known to cause immense stress in animals, and has even killed animals from heart attacks and other panic related catastrophes. While the Anthrocon fireworks aren't every night, nearby private houses or events tend to shoot off fireworks in the days leading up to the holiday, and the days after. If you ask most Americans, they will tell you the fireworks start going a day or two before the actual holiday, and can continue for days after. 

Concerns for the humans: If a loud noise were to occur, or if some other element scared Ronny (the horse) enough, he could become spooked, run amok, and seriously hurt, or even kill someone, and harm himself. Horses have been known to kill humans and animals alike when they become spooked and run. Many of the con-goers are also fursuiters, and fursuits are extremely hard to see out of. If an animal were to be walking around and a fursuiter didn't see them, not only could the animal be stepped on, but the human in the suit could trip and injure themselves too. If Ronny, the horse, were to become spooked and run, fursuiters with limited vision might not see the horse coming at them in time, and might not be quick enough to respond in time before a catastrophe could occur. There are also concerns with those who may be allergic to the animals present at the con. Some con-goers who are allergic to horses or bird dust could easily fall ill since these animals aren't just at the charity booth, but being walked around the con. The area the charity is also set up in is right next to the food vendors in the dealers den, where there is a huge risk of food contamination, mainly with bird dust. This poses a huge risk to those with food sensitivities or allergies related to these animals.

Concerns for the "sanctuary": Writing this petition as someone who has volunteered and worked in the field of animal rescue, rehabilitation, and sanctuary (specifically with farmed animals, especially horses, and wildlife) there are a LOT of red flags with this specific charity. For one, no true animal sanctuary would ever put an animal that is meant to spend the rest of their lives free from harm or exploitation, into a setting like this. Looking at the "sanctuary's" social media pages, there are some things to note that are of concern. For one, they tend to dress up their animals when they take them to events. Most animals are naturally reluctant to being dressed up, and while they can be trained for this, at the end of the day just because we can do something doesn't mean we should. Animals are not props, they're not toys, they're living beings. It's also stated on their social media that Ronny has swayback, a back condition that causes the spine to sway below a natural line. While this in itself isn't an issue, as we don't know Ronny's past, they seem to think the solution would be to make Ronny "work" as a form of exercise to strengthen back muscles. They do this by forcing Ronny, and another horse they have, to pull a cart with a human inside. There exist many means of exercise for horses that do not include exploiting their bodies for human gain. Most people do not realize this, but horses are naturally reluctant to being ridden from birth, as they are not robotic vehicles, they have to go through a process that equestrians quite literally call "breaking the horse" by putting them into a learned state of hopelessness, to allow tack to be put onto them, and to allow humans to sit atop, to be ridden. While horses should be trained to at the very least have a halter put on them for safety reasons, it is completely unnecessary for a human being to tack up and ride a horse, even less for them to pull heavy loads. True animal sanctuaries exist around the world that take great care of their horses, and get them plenty of exercise without the use of exploiting their bodies for human gain. This "sanctuary" also does not appear to have a USDA "exhibitors license" and no history of USDA inspection reports. Without this license, they cannot legally exhibit animals to the public, meaning this was an illegal operation. A USDA exhibitor's license is required for individuals and businesses that exhibit warm-blooded animals to the public for compensation (including tips, ticket sales, or donations).

Why should I be concerned?: Whether you are a furry, someone attending the con, or simply someone with concerns for animal rights or welfare, this issue can bring upon ideologies that normalize the exploitation of animals for human entertainment purposes. While it might not seem like such, allowing ourselves to be okay with forcing animals into stressful situations, no matter how well "trained" they are for it, pushes the idea that animals can be used as "things" to be put on display, rather than living, breathing beings like you and I. If we allow this to happen, Anthrocon, along with many other furry conventions, might follow in their tracks, causing more animals to suffer for the sake of human entertainment. Humans can also suffer due to issues like this too, as mentioned prior with the human related concerns. 

What is our goal?: We want Anthrocon to end the use of live animals for their conventions for the foreseeable future. No matter how well desensitized or trained an animal could be for these situations, there is just too big of a risk and liability. If AC (Anthrocon) continues to allow this to happen, it also means Anthrocon is okay with the exploitation of animals, something that is quite ironic for a convention made for animal-people. A con about anthro-animals should have the wellbeing of real animals in mind, rather than continuing the support for a charity that doesn't seem to mind dressing up their animals and putting them on display in an area no animal should ever be put in. The fact this charity doesn't even have an exhibitors license means this was an illegal operation under the Animal Welfare Act of 1966. We hope Anthrocon will make the right decision, and ban live animals for the foreseeable future.