Aleksandra Pajda
Thanks to a campaign by animal activists, a zoo in Shropshire, England has abandoned its annual Easter sheep race. A petition urging Hoo Farm Animal Kingdom to call off the senseless event was signed by more than 52,000 people concerned about the practice and the animals used in it.

The zoo’s Grand National and Gold Cup is seen as one of the biggest days in the sheep racing calendar and had been held for nearly 30 years, The Times reports. This year, however, the organizers had to give in to the overwhelming opposition to the race and to campaigners from the Lambentations group which focuses on sheep racing.

Pressure from activists has successfully shut down four other sheep racing events, as well as a pig race. As the campaigners emphasize, the practice is unnecessary and cruel, and it is aimed solely at human entertainment, which is not an…