THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, August 3, 1996 TAG: 9608030003
SECTION: FINAL PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: 20 lines
Regarding the annual pony penning in Chincoteague, where terrified ponies are ripped from their families and forced to swim as a tourist attraction: Your July 24 editorial argues that the organizers of this event are protecting the ponies by auctioning some of them off to keep them from overpopulating.
Auctioning off some of the ponies is not going to keep the herd from continually growing. If Chincoteague firefighters were really concerned about pony overpopulation and starvation, they would investigate sterilization options. But ``Virginia's saltwater cowboys'' aren't out to help animals. They're out to use ponies to make a profit. Let them find a more-humane fund-raiser.
JENNIE E. TAYLOR
Virginia Beach, July 30, 1996 by CNB