Forget the Camel The Madcap World of Animal Festivals and What They Say about Being Human

About this book

"a call for a different world, one where humans might see animals less as symbols, and more as organisms in their own right.”
– Bethany Brookshire, author of Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains

"I can only hope that McLampy’s detailed and compelling exposé of what goes on these human-centered events will force people to reassess what the animals feel and put an end to them once and for all."
– Marc Bekoff, Ph.D., author of The Emotional Lives of Animals

As the gates open at the racetrack in Virginia City, Nevada, three camels stumble out, ridden by amateur jockeys. A crowd of roaring spectators looks on gleefully, but as the camels approach the first turn, one loses its footing and crashes to the ground. While the camel's handlers rush to the animal, the race's emcee calls out in defense of the jockey, "Check on Charlie! Forget the camel!"

The International Camel and Ostrich Races is just one of hundreds of animal festivals that take place around the world every year, each putting animals on display for humans to gawk at, demonize, or adore. But why? What value do these festivals and their rituals hold, and why when the animals are in distress do we insist that the show still must go on?

In Forget the Camel, Elizabeth MeLampy meets the groundhogs, butterflies, rattlesnakes, lobsters, sled dogs, and other creatures we use to build community, instill fear, and transmit meaning. She shows how killing rattlesnakes in Texas represents a triumph over the Wild West; how lobster boils on Maine's Atlantic coast show solidarity with the working class; and how the celebration each February of a single groundhog reminds us of our reliance on nature. In the process, she uncovers the symbolism we attach to animals and the stories we tell to rise above them.

Forget the Camel is an immersive entry into the sights, smells, tastes, and noise of animal festivals across the country and an important step toward a compassionate future.

Contents

Preface
Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race

Part I: Dominance
1. Rattlesnake Roundup
2. The Maine Lobster Festival

Part II: Humor
3. The International Camel and Ostrich Races
4. Jumping Frog Jubilee

Part III: Reverence
5. Groundhog Day
6. Butterfly Days

Scopes Trial Plan and Festival
More Animal Festivals
Notes
Acknowledgments

Customer Reviews

Biography

Elizabeth MeLampy is a lawyer whose work focuses on animal rights and protection. A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, she was named an Emerging Scholar Fellow by the Brooks Institute for Animal Rights Law and Policy in 2020 and received an award for her work with Harvard Law's Animal Law & Policy Program in 2021. She clerked for judges in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and the Federal District Court in Arizona and litigated with the Natural Resources Defense Council. She currently lives in Boston, MA.