Animals Freezing In Nativity Scene, Activists In Poland Say

WARSAW, Poland — Animal rights activists are protesting the use of live animals amid freezing temperatures at an outdoors nativity scene in northern Poland.

Renata Cieslik of the Animal Protection Guard in Slupsk said Thursday the llamas, donkeys, sheep and Shetland ponies in the scene are overly exposed to damp and cold, which is dangerous for their health.

She said they should at least be moved to a warmer place for the night.

Miroslaw Wawrowski, whose company arranged the scene, says he has a permission from the city's veterinarian. The animals are kept in wooden sheds and are fed five times a day.

Earlier this month, an Arctic chill killed more than two dozen people in Poland.

Comments

[Edward Standley]

08:01 PM on 12/28/2010

I'm offended by people using animals for any kind of entertainment, as I think it's degrading to both people and animals. That said, I don't think we have enough information to determine whether or not the animals were "freezing".

[Chris Fraas]

05:46 PM on 12/27/2010

Jak straszne!

[ThomasPaine1776]

04:27 AM on 12/27/2010

Animals
------------
Humans

[wdw505]

12:52 AM on 12/27/2010

too funny

[onwisconsin]

09:40 PM on 12/26/2010

Not only that but they are being forced to endure religious indoctrination!!!

What if the donkey is a wiccan and the sheep is an atheist?

[elcerritan]

12:45 PM on 12/27/2010

They're Polish animals. They're probably all Catholics.

[onwisconsin]

02:57 PM on 12/27/2010

Never been to an animal christening. I imagine it's quite a scene. ;-)

And what about the First Communion? If I were a priest I'm not sure I'd be sticking my hand near a donkey's mouth to place a communion wafer!

[Earthling1125]

11:47 AM on 01/02/2011

I'm a Polish animal too (albeit a human one), and I'm NOT Catholic. I'm an atheist! (Thank the-lack-of-god)

[John Mainstream]

12:01 PM on 12/24/2010

There aren't any protests over the dozen people that froze to death.

[Atomkinder]

12:18 PM on 12/24/2010

Maybe if they'd been housed in a mocked-up manger to appease tourists there would be.

[temenos]

01:16 AM on 12/25/2010

Oh no, not that old straw man yet again!

[peacekitten]

12:20 PM on 12/25/2010

no kidding.

[Atomkinder]

03:11 AM on 12/24/2010

I find it fairly disturbing that so many folks commenting on this article seem so ridiculously calloused towards the treatment of these (and we could presume any) animals. No one reading this article has first-hand evidence that they are not being treated poorly, whereas the activists are on-site and can see what is happening (or in this case, perhaps NOT happening).

It bothers me that so many (probably) think so highly of Descartes's view on animals.

[Charles Elk]

04:09 AM on 12/24/2010

It bothers me that you assume anyone who doesn't pamper farm animals automatically believes the animals don't feel pain and therefore want to vivisect them. Someone is jumping to extreme conclusions and you wonder why your ilk can't be taken seriously.

[Atomkinder]

12:17 PM on 12/24/2010

You're jumping to similar conclusions that you think I am.

The Descartes comment was more of a litmus test to see if anyone was paying attention. You seem to be... sort of paying attention, but it's aimed at the wrong sentence.

[temenos]

12:53 AM on 12/25/2010

I fail to see any mention of vivisection in Atomkinder's post. It would seem that you are the one jumping to "extreme conclusions." This is not surprising as hyperbole is a device often used by people of your "ilk' to bolster a weak argument.

[nikanj]

02:13 PM on 12/24/2010

As long as they are provided with shelter from wind and rain,
and fed plenty of good quality hay with a little grain, and
watered regularly, it is better to keep these animals in an
unheated environment. More dangerous to move them in
and out of a heated barn.

From someone who raised ponies and donkeys in Fairbanks.

Our animals loved the cold. Made them frisky !

[Charles Elk]

02:12 AM on 12/24/2010

Its funny how animal rights activists seem to be the least informed about animals.

[peacekitten]

06:24 AM on 12/24/2010

fail.

[Charles Elk]

06:20 PM on 12/24/2010

Thats cute.

[Earthling1125]

11:54 AM on 01/02/2011

Your comment is simply a load of cra-p! Most animal rights activists hold their strong beliefs because of their love and respect for animals. As a result, they tend to own, care for, or pursue careers centered around animals. Their knowledge of animals is, in many ways, far superior to those who may even have a "degree" in the biological sciences (not all scientists are animal-lovers), not to mention a MUCH more pervasive understanding of compassion.

[BlackYowe]

12:58 AM on 12/24/2010

This is so stupid I live where it gets below zero quite often and I mean Fahrenheit not Celsius. My donkeys go out and play and so does the horse and sheep. They are never locked in they are free to go in the barn or stay out and many days when its bitter cold and windy they are outside just hanging out.

[Charles Elk]

11:01 PM on 12/23/2010

I think every time animal rights groups complain, all animals (except human of course) involved should be slaughtered which in turn makes the problem go away. No animals no problems. Gotta get extreme these days.

[peacekitten]

06:25 AM on 12/24/2010

humans are animals too.

extreme means no exceptions.

[Charles Elk]

06:23 PM on 12/24/2010

Yes humans are animals that is why I had to exclude them from the "all animals involved" because I prefer not to harm my kind.

[jumbotron16]

04:56 PM on 12/23/2010

Llamas, donkeys, sheep and ponies...all of these are animals that live outdoors. So what in holy h*ll is the problem here???

[Mitch Craft]

10:12 PM on 12/23/2010

um maybe that these animals that they have listed are not wild, and were probably raised by humans. So they are not used to the epic arctic chill that killed 12 large brained, bipedal. wearing of clothes humans?

[BlackYowe]

12:59 AM on 12/24/2010

My donkeys all go out when its way below zero on their own and they don't care.

[jumbotron16]

01:10 AM on 12/24/2010

Raised by humans or not, none of these species are kept in heated buildings. Ever.

[Grracy]

04:32 PM on 12/23/2010

Somehow, because it is said that jesus rode a burro, and the bible claims man has "dominion" over animals, the fake christians have interpreted that to mean "the bible says I can be cruel to animals." I don't recall the bible stating it's okay to be cruel to or torture animals. I could be wrong though.
Look, do animals live outside in the cold yes. Do some freeze to death yes. Do they choose to be tied to post? no. When donkeys llamas horses, etc. (herd animals) are outside/in the wild, they stay warm and survive by moving, running, and crowding in the herd.
Some people will make up any excuse for the stupid pathetic cruelty.

[JeanRR]

05:56 PM on 12/23/2010

But you show no concern for the more than two dozen people who died of the cold in Poland.

[pageleft]

06:28 PM on 12/23/2010

"In Poland, police reported 12 deaths overnight, raising the death toll there to 30 over the past three days. Police were carrying out street patrols in hopes of getting drunks and homeless people into shelters since they make up the bulk of those who freeze to death each year.

Animal lovers in Poland were also mobilizing, with some opening their cellars to stray cats and others pulling ducks from frozen lakes. Foresters have also been putting out fodder for bison, elk and other forest-dwellers."

[Chironomid]

09:41 PM on 12/23/2010

Yes, of course... We can only care about one form of life at a time, so we must make our choices.

[Imago]

10:19 PM on 12/23/2010

Actually, donkeys and horses stay warm by eating -- their digestive systems kick off heat when they are digesting food. That and shelter from rain/wind are the biggest things that keep them warm, not running or huddling with a herd.

I'm not sure about llamas, but am guessing that they have similar systems.

These animals have feed 5x daily and the protection of sheds -- this is what I provide for my horses and they are thriving in NY state cold (after being CA horses their whole lives)

[Chlowina]

11:35 PM on 12/23/2010

I'm sure you allowed them to acclimate to the NY environment through the summer into the fall then winter.

We hear many stories of people who get fed up with their dogs or cats and toss them outside if the critters have accidents in the house. If wintertime, they almost always die because they weren't given the opportunity to grow the appropriate coats and find protective shelters such as barns, etc.

[BlackYowe]

01:09 AM on 12/24/2010

Llamas live up in the Andes where it gets a whole lot colder than Poland. They have wool and they could care less as long as they are not in a draft and have food and water.

[EcoCatLady]

03:51 PM on 12/23/2010

OK... when I first glanced at this I thought it said "Live Angels freezing in Nativity Scene"! The smoke was starting to come out of my ears picturing that one!

[CJCalgirl]

03:16 AM on 12/24/2010

Eco, Why is no one addressing the totally ridiculous idea of recreating a 'nativity scene', when history shows that St. Francis of Assissi created that whole scenario out of 'whole cloth' in the 12th century?

[peacekitten]

06:29 AM on 12/24/2010

thank you for one of the few genuinely intelligent comments on this thread.

[EcoCatLady]

04:30 PM on 12/24/2010

Ha! I fear much of Christian dogma was created out of said "whole cloth" centuries after the fact! I'm still wondering what live angels freezing would look like though...

[DebbyM]

02:14 PM on 12/23/2010

I gotta tell you folks, most animals live outside through the winter. My horses, cattle, deer, moose..... and they do just fine if they've got shelter from the wind and are able to stay dry and get 5 square meals a day. Our temperatures will probably drop to -14 centigrade and my horses will not be in the living room with me nor is my barn heated. If it gets to -5, I will throw their blankets on them but in poland right now it is only at the freezing level. So as long as the animals aren't standing in the wind or rain and they are getting lots of food, they are ok from a temperature standpoint. My bigger concern really would be the overall environment, levels of traffic, protection from stupid sight-seers, etc.

[KarlaElisa]

01:46 PM on 12/23/2010

yet one more reason to despise christianity and christmas. what a pile of s story anyhow. virgin birth my a.

[Bflogal99]

02:01 PM on 12/23/2010

As with many religions, the underlying message of peace, love and compassion is an awesome one; the trick is getting people to practice it.

[sean62965]

04:24 PM on 12/23/2010

Back to the original post. Christians haven't been "christians" for over 30 years now. They lost the message and cherry pick the lines they can use as weapons.

[KarlaElisa]

05:36 PM on 12/23/2010

people don't need a fairy tale to be decent to one another. the trick is getting them to stop being delusional about this stuff and learn we're in this world together with ONE life, ONE planet and limited resources.

[Libertarian09]

02:10 PM on 12/23/2010

Hi Karla, I hope the day is treating you well.

"I like your Christ, but I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
~Gandhi

This quote neatly sums up my thoughts on Christianity.

[sean62965]

04:24 PM on 12/23/2010

And many others as well. I'm with you.

[peacekitten]

06:30 AM on 12/24/2010

totally agreed.

good to see you.