Are You Not Entertained? A Conversation with Elizabeth MeLampy on Animal Festivals

From the Iditarod Dogsled Race to Groundhog Day, from rattlesnake hunts to frog jumping contests, and from camel races to butterfly parades, we humans across the country use animals to say something about ourselves, our communities, and our history. But why? What value do these animal festivals and their rituals hold, and why, when animals are in distress, do we insist that the show must go on? In the forthcoming book Forget the Camel: The Madcap World of Animal Festivals and What They Say About Being Human, lawyer and animal advocate Elizabeth MeLampy explores how these spectacles—where animals become both unwitting performers and powerful symbols—illuminate the complex intersection of animal welfare and cultural tradition.