ALDF Urges Lancaster Mayor to Drop Abusive Chimpanzee 'Trainer' From California Poppy Festival
April 19th, 2006The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) sent an urgent letter to Lancaster
Mayor Frank Roberts this week, urging him to respect the spirit of
Earth Day—and protect the safety of his community—by dropping
chimpanzee “trainer” Sid Yost from the roster for this weekend’s
California Poppy Festival. Yost, who is currently the subject of a
lawsuit filed by ALDF and several other plaintiffs based on eyewitness
accounts of him regularly and viciously beating several chimpanzees in
his possession in order to "train" them for television and public
appearances, has a long history of being fined and placed on probation
for animal-related offenses. Yost fled the state of Tennessee after an
animal he was exhibiting bit a child, and many people have been bitten
by the chimpanzees in his possession.
A counterclaim filed by Yost against ALDF was recently thrown
out by the court in response to a motion filed by ALDF, which argued
that Yost’s claim was a "strategic lawsuit against public
participation" (SLAPP) attempting to silence the animal protection
group from speaking out about his violent "training" methods, including
savagely beating a chimpanzee with a large stick until it broke across
the animal’s back. The judge’s written orders in response to ALDF’s
anti-SLAPP motion noted that "animal welfare is an issue of public
interest," and ordered Yost to pay the group’s attorney’s fees related
to his counterclaim.
"The California Poppy Festival—historically tied to Earth Day—is a
celebration of our planet and its diversity of plants and animals. It’s
no place to promote a man who is a danger both to animals and the
general public," says the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s Executive
Director Stephen Wells. "Mayor Roberts can show his respect for the
spirit of this event by refusing to condone Yost’s ongoing abuse of
chimpanzees for the sake of profit and ‘entertainment.’"
ALDF was founded in 1979 with the unique mission of protecting
the lives and defending the interests of animals through the legal
system. For more information, please visit ALDF's website. A copy of ALDF’s letter to Mayor Roberts can be downloaded here.
