Ban the Chicken Toss at Ridgeland Wisconsin Pioneer Day

Chickens should never be treated like disposable props for entertainment.

But every year at Ridgeland, Wisconsin’s Pioneer Day celebration, terrified live chickens are thrown from a rooftop into a screaming crowd below in an event known as the “chicken toss.”

These animals are not toys. They are living, feeling beings — and witnesses report that the birds are crammed into bags and crates, exposed to freezing temperatures, and subjected to extreme fear and stress before being hurled through the air.

Many suffer injuries like broken bones, frostbite, or worse.

This is not “tradition.” It’s cruelty.

And it doesn’t stop there. Pioneer Day also includes events like greased pig chases, where young pigs are frightened, chased, and grabbed for sport.

Let’s be clear: animals should not be abused for laughs.

These spectacles send a disturbing message — especially to children — that causing fear and harm is acceptable as long as it’s part of a festival. But compassion is not outdated. Cruelty is.

Ridgeland can celebrate its community without terrorizing animals.

We are calling on Pioneer Day organizers, local officials, and community leaders to immediately end the chicken toss and all animal-exploitation events at the festival — and replace them with humane activities that reflect basic decency.

No animal should suffer for a crowd’s amusement.

Sign now to demand an end to the chicken toss — and to show Ridgeland that kindness belongs in every community tradition.

The petition to event organizers and city leaders reads: We call on the organizers of Ridgeland Pioneer Day and local city leaders to immediately end the “chicken toss” and all other events that exploit or endanger animals. Throwing live chickens from rooftops and chasing frightened pigs for entertainment subjects animals to unnecessary fear, stress, and potential injury. We urge you to replace these cruel spectacles with humane, family-friendly activities that reflect the community’s values of compassion and respect.
_______
Photo by Unparalleled Suffering

Sources:

https://www.ridgelandwi.com/pioneerday

https://www.unparalleledsuffering.org/pioneerday-portfolio

https://www.idausa.org/campaign/justice-for-animals/latest-news/ridgeland-wisconsin-pioneer-day-chicken-toss/

https://www.upc-online.org/entertainment/260215_stop_the_chicken-toss_and_other_animal_abuse_at_ridgeland_wisconsin_pioneer_day.html