PETA Begs for Attention with Animal Crossing: New Horizons In-Game Protest

Spencer Baculi |

May 21, 2020

Animal Crossing: New Horizons was the recent digital site of a bizarre in-game protest against animal captivity staged by the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

On May 19^th, the official PETA social media accounts posted a 30-second TikTok video showing members of the organization engaging in a protest inside Blather’s museum on the island of a player, presumably another member of PETA.

In the virtual protest, the PETA members wore custom patterned shirts bearing the four-letter acronym for their organization and ‘shouted’ “Empty the Tanks!” using the game’s chat function:

A cultural reset 🦉🐟 #AnimalCrossingNewHorizons pic.twitter.com/2kfMnTUeRX

— PETA (@peta) May 19, 2020

At the end of the video, PETA attempts to boost the hashtag ‘#BlathersIsOverParty’ in what can only be seen as a request to alter the game’s core mechanics by ‘freeing’ the fish on display across all players’ islands.

Like many of their public ‘protests’, PETA’s attempt to use Nintendo’s famous village building simulator as a platform for their advocacy was met with a wave of ridicule and mockery from members of the general public, with many pointing out that the organization had to contribute and support Blather’s museum in order for them to have the stage for their public display.

PETA kills most of the animals it claims to care for and pockets the funds raised by donations.

PETA is trash. Donate to the ASPCA, or really any other conservation charity.

— SquidRadio (@SquidRadio) May 20, 2020

So you purposefully went fishing
Donated the fish to the museum
and then blamed Blathers?

— pau alcocer (@PauAlcocer) May 19, 2020

Wouldnt screechhing and harassing Blathers count as animal abuse since he is an owl pic.twitter.com/iSy5dWfkeA

— CrosstarEmperor (@CrosstarKingdom) May 20, 2020

>buy game
>upgrade museum
>catch all the fish needed to fill museum
>donate all the fish needed to fill museum
>make video saying it’s bad to do everything you just did
>post video thinking it’s 🔥 and end up getting ratio’d

Wow, top notch cringe even for you, well done.

— Tizok (@PixelBuff) May 20, 2020

In the face of overwhelming criticism, the account responded to players by declaring that they were ‘raiding’ islands to free fish and attempting to direct traffic to the “Vegan’s Guide to Animal Crossing: New Horizons” hosted on their website:

We’re raiding islands to free fish. pic.twitter.com/S0cimQvLVr

— PETA (@peta) May 20, 2020

Now that you’re crying about PETA raiding islands to free the fish from Blathers, wait until you see what else we have to say about #AnimalCrossingNewHorizons 😱 #BlathersIsOverParty https://t.co/3eq0WIzAKd

— PETA (@peta) May 20, 2020

What do you make of PETA’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons stunt?