'Hump Day' Event Canceled After College Students Protest

A “Hump Day” event featuring a live camel at a college campus in Minnesota was canceled after students launched a protest on Facebook complaining that it was culturally disparaging, inhumane, and bad for the environment.

According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the event was organized by a student social committee before finals at the University of St. Thomas, offering students the chance to meet the animal and take pictures.

Event organizers told the Star-Tribute that angry students protested the event in the comment section, suggesting that it was disparaging to Middle Eastern cultures, an example of animal cruelty, and environmentally unfriendly.

The Facebook Group called “Protest Hump DAAAAAAY!” was deleted after the event was canceled, but a copy of the description of the page still exists on Feest.

Read the description below:

DO NOT take pictures with a REAL Camel on Hump Day. Here is why:

This event is not in line with the UST mission and, frankly, is completely asinine.

We do not need to be spending our money on events like this, especially in light of tuition increases. Can we not have community events without abusing an animal with no agency? 

Is the camel and transportation going to be calculated in the carbon footprint for the university? 

The animal’s owner says it treats the animals in a humane way, but is it humane to have a bunch of students come gawk at this poor creature? Or the fact that this animal has been taken from its natural environment so privileged students can take pictures with the exotic animal from Africa. It is time we started using our brains in a more critical way.

Let’s ask ourselves a question: what would Jane Goodall say?

This event is only one of the MANY events that RHA and STAR put on that are a complete waste of money and make Saint Thomas look like a joke.For those who are ACTUALLY concerned for the Camel:

We don’t care what wildlife park they are working with. The owners of this park have exploited animals for 20+ years. They made these animals travel far away from their natural habitats. We know what they are doing is wrong.

They don’t care for the animals, and do everything they can to assure they get a paycheck at the end of the day regardless of how the animals are being treated.

POSTER MAKING FOR PROTESTING WILL OCCUR THIS COMING SUNDAY IN THE PR ROOM ON CAMPUS. IT’S LOCATED IN THE LEADERSHIP CENTER WHICH IS IN ASC. WE’LL BE IN THERE MAKING POSTERS FROM 6 TO WHENEVER NEED BE!! BE THERE!

This event was created in response to the St. Thomas RHA event Hump DAAAAAAY! : https://www.facebook.com/events/304571159701485/