We're on a roll! Over 7000 signatures added in less than 12 hours!! Stop Pig Wrestling Fort Wayne, IN Jul 14, 2015 — THANK YOU to EVOLVE Campaigns and Animal Place on Facebook for your continued efforts to bring awareness! There was a very poorly written, poorly researched, and poorly reported story in the local newspaper a few days ago that stated of the 10,600 signatures (at the time) that only 5 were local. I know for a fact that a much larger percentage are from local people. My challenge to you is this: https://www.facebook.com/147698951989988/photos/a.159851574108059.36765.147698951989988/863343090425567/?type=1&theater Visit this thread and let them know that people ALL OVER THE WORLD care about animal welfare, and that this petition is showing the world what kind of a backwards state we are living in, where people think of pigs (and other farm animals) for one thing only - which is food. We know that pigs are extraordinarily intelligent. They are curious and insightful animals who are widely accepted as being smarter than young children of at least 3 years of age, dogs, and even some primates. Please contact Mayor Ryan Daniel, (R) Columbia City, to uphold the city ordinance against animal cruelty. The mayor's contact information is below: Office e-mail: rdaniel@columbiacity.net Campaign e-mail: ryandanielformayor@gmail.com Campaign Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ryan-Daniel-for-Mayor-Campaign/147129862003437 Personal Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ryanldaniel1984?fref=ts Personal Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryanldaniel Cell Phone Number: 260-229-8138 Office Phone Number: 260-248-5111 "Dear Mayor Daniel, I am writing to urge you to uphold your city's animal cruelty ordinance and cancel the Whitley County pig wrestling event scheduled for July 20th. The time has come for you, as Mayor, to take a firm stand against ALL animal cruelty. There is no difference between pig wrestling and dog or cock fighting. Pigs are sentient, intelligent beings who feel pain and fear. Everyone involved is surely aware of the trauma, both physical and emotional, that this event causes for the pigs. Everyone can see and hear the terror. These poor animals are terrified and physically tortured - for what purpose? Is this purely entertainment? If it is a fundraising event, there are a myriad of other ways to raise money without hurting any animals. You signed a legal ordinance on February 25th, 2014, in which section 90.03-E states that, "Every owner or his or her agent residing within the corporate limits of the city shall see that each of his or her animals (E) Is not beaten, ill-treated, overloaded, over-worked, tormented, or otherwise abused or neglected, or involved in a dog fight, cockfight, bullfight or any other combat between animals and humans." It is clear that pig wrestling falls under this ordinance due to: ill-treatment, tormenting, abusing, and combat between animals and humans. Why are you ignoring this important piece of legislation? Is it not a legal document that must be upheld like every other piece of legislation? With participants as young as 9 years old, as well as the younger children in attendance, I am deeply concerned about the message being sent to this generation. These children are your future farmers, doctors, teachers, parents, and politicians. If you teach them now that cruelty to animals is fun, indeed gratifying, you are teaching them to be cruel for a lifetime. Why wouldn't a child who was encouraged to participate in this event not go home and think it fun to wrestle his pet dog? Why wouldn't the farmer's child go home and think it morally acceptable to injure the pigs or cattle on her farm? You are teaching the children in your community to see animals as inanimate objects that can be tormented, abused, and neglected without a second thought. I urge you to stop this cruelty once and for all. You could be remembered for being the man who saw the pain and suffering of another being and did something to help them. Please, be the man who starts a new, cruelty-free event that will be treasured for years to come." The ordinance that the mayor passed and adopted into law in February 2014 is below: http://www.columbiacity.net/pdf/new%20ordinances/ANIMAL%20ORD%202014-1_201403131125.pdf