Please help us urge convention organizers to exclude any exhibitor who uses live animals, such as wolf dogs, as “props” for photos at their events. Animals can experience stress when they are forced to interact with strangers in an unfamiliar, noisy environment that can overstimulate them. Animals have individual needs and desires, and when they are exploited for money in these photo ops, their needs are not being met.
Exploiting them for photo ops is a form of speciesism—a human-supremacist worldview—and has no place at a convention or anywhere else.
In previous years, Con of Thrones, a fan event celebrating George R. R. Martin’s fantasy world of Game of Thrones, has partnered with a photo booth exhibitor that uses wolf dogs, along with birds such as crows and owls, as “props” for photos so that people can pose with them. We have reached out to the company behind Con of Thrones, Mischief Management, but have not received official confirmation from them that they will not have any animals for photo ops at their future events.
You may be thinking, "Wait a minute, this isn't Wizarding World related at all!" And on the surface, you'd be right. But a closer look reveals that this issue might actually affect our fandom in the future. Con of Thrones is owned by Mischief Management, the same company that owns the popular wizarding convention, LeakyCon (or as it will be known after this year, EnchantiCon). If Mischief Management allows Con of Thrones vendors to bring animals for photo ops, who's to say they won't allow something similar in the future at their other conventions?
We have also received reports that other convention organizers, such as Fan Expo Denver and LiteraryInk, have allowed exhibitors to bring live animals, such as baby alligators, snakes, and kangaroos who are too young to be away from their mothers, at their events.
We need to make a stand NOW.
Put your Care of Magical Creatures knowledge to good use and speak out by urging convention organizers to exclude any exhibitor who uses live animals as props for photos from all future events.
Exploiting them for photo ops is a form of speciesism—a human-supremacist worldview—and has no place at a convention or anywhere else.
In previous years, Con of Thrones, a fan event celebrating George R. R. Martin’s fantasy world of Game of Thrones, has partnered with a photo booth exhibitor that uses wolf dogs, along with birds such as crows and owls, as “props” for photos so that people can pose with them. We have reached out to the company behind Con of Thrones, Mischief Management, but have not received official confirmation from them that they will not have any animals for photo ops at their future events.
You may be thinking, "Wait a minute, this isn't Wizarding World related at all!" And on the surface, you'd be right. But a closer look reveals that this issue might actually affect our fandom in the future. Con of Thrones is owned by Mischief Management, the same company that owns the popular wizarding convention, LeakyCon (or as it will be known after this year, EnchantiCon). If Mischief Management allows Con of Thrones vendors to bring animals for photo ops, who's to say they won't allow something similar in the future at their other conventions?
We have also received reports that other convention organizers, such as Fan Expo Denver and LiteraryInk, have allowed exhibitors to bring live animals, such as baby alligators, snakes, and kangaroos who are too young to be away from their mothers, at their events.
We need to make a stand NOW.
Put your Care of Magical Creatures knowledge to good use and speak out by urging convention organizers to exclude any exhibitor who uses live animals as props for photos from all future events.
Show your support by wearing a shirt!
Let convention organizers know that we won't stand for animal abuse at their events by wearing your very own "Defend the Dire Wolves" shirt!
Available as either a white logo on a black tshirt or a black logo on a white shirt, you'll surely start a few conversations about your fan activism while wearing one of these shirts (and you'll look pretty stylish, too)! Defend the Dire Wolves and make conventions safe spaces for all creatures, regardless of their size, species, or magical ability! |
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