Elvira NOT Happy with Georgia Aquarium!

“The public should see the aquarium
for the House of Horrors that it is.”

Now this is really spooky…

Cassandra Peterson, AKA Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, is not happy about the Georgia Aquarium’s upcoming Halloween Party on October 30th and 31st…

We have obtained the letter Elvira sent to David Kimmel, President and CEO of the Georgia Aquarium on October 27th, 2011, and have reprinted it below…

Elvira NOT Happy with Georgia Aquarium!

“What are you attempting to run – an
educational facility or a Studio 54 knock-off?”

Dear Mr. Kimmel:

In the wake of the recent controversy over loud party music that distresses the aquarium’s animals, I was surprised to learn about this weekend’s ‘Georgia A-Scary-Um’ bash in which Halloween music will play throughout the aquarium.

What are you attempting to run – an educational facility or a Studio 54 knock-off?

You have stated that caring for the 120,000 wild animals confined in downtown Atlanta is your top priority, but looking at your website, it appears that the aquarium is pimping the critters to lure people to a party, get married, have a bar mitzvah, or liven up a dull corporate meeting.

You’re turning this place into an amusement park, but unlike at Disneyland, the performers are not animatronic, cannot be switched off, and don’t care to live in a haunted mansion 24/7.

Anyone who has even thrown a party knows that loud music and strangers frighten many domestic animals, and caring guardians often put the in a safe room away from the noise.

PETA’s formal complaint states that three separate aquarium employees said that many of the confined wild animals become aggravated and even fight when the music gets pumping – and they have no safe room to escape to.

This disturbs me more than ‘Freddy vs. Jason.’ Perhaps you should consider having Halloween-themed events year-round – at least the public would see the aquarium for the House of Horrors that it is.’

Yours cruelly,

Cassandra Peterson, aka ‘Elvira’

All of this comes on the heels of PETA protesting the Georgia Aquarium’s recent Pride Party (see our Interview with PETA Vice President Dan Matthews).

Elvira, whose Movie Macabre airs in Atlanta on WATL (always a Halloween favorite), was one of PETA’s first spokespeople. She’s lead several Fur Is A Drag club shows, appeared in ads, and hosted other PETA events.

Elvira is the second celebrity to protest parties at the Georgia Aquarium. She joins Martina Navratilova, a long-time animal activist who also commented on October 13th.