Oxford Police Chief Joey
Nixes Kangaroo Bout
by Sarah Reddick
Kimberly Spiegel of Oxford reported a victory on her Change.org petition to stop the Star Family Circus from bringing their kangaroo boxing act to town on February 13. The petition reached 1,619 signatures. According to the Clarion Ledger, Oxford Police Chief Joey East issued the following statement: “We have spoken with the owners and managers (of the circus). There will be no kangaroo boxing match of any kind.” After viewing a video of a past performance, Spiegel decided to create the petition, which emphasized the dangers of these events for the kangaroos, “Boxing matches are extremely stressful for kangaroos, who, despite their size, are delicate and skittish animals. Given the choice, they would rather flee than fight, and they must be harassed and bullied into defending themselves in boxing matches. Not only are these events inhumane, the conditions under which the animals are held are also unnatural and detrimental to their health, especially since stress-related illnesses are common in kangaroos and can be fatal.” Petitions to stop kangaroo boxing have recently been started in other states the circus visits as well.
Thanks for the coverage of this issue. I first heard of the practice of baiting kangaroos into ” boxing” matches decades ago, when I was a child. I was appalled then, but hadn’t thought of it in years. I would have thought the practice had died years ago due to a developed sense of kindness and fairness by the public. It’s distressing to know people still do this, but my faith got a real boost seeing that Oxford supported the petition and ended this cruelty. Thanks again for covering the story.
Meg Graney