Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe wants to do the right thing for the animals of his home of Greece, and so he has called for the government to end donkey taxis officially.
Tommy Lee has called for an end to the cruel treatment of donkeys and mules on the Greek island of Santorini. His wish is for the government to officially cease the practice of using the animals for transportive “taxi” rides.
The drummer — who was born in Athens, Greece — laid it all out in a letter to Greek parliament member Mavroudis Voridis, who is the Minister for Agricultural Development and Food. In the letter, he says that during a trip to Santorini, he witnessed an uncomfortable amount of donkeys and mules struggling with weight and luggage. Now he is joining PETA in an attempt to spread the message.
“I was especially angry to learn that a law passed just a few years ago to help the donkeys, isn’t being enforced,” Lee says in the letter, “Tourists … pile on to struggling donkeys, who are forced to carry humans up and down the 500 steps from the port to Firá’s old town several times a day.”
In their report, the infamous PETA noted that “taxi” donkeys in Santorini suffer open sores and bloody injuries; and are denied food, water and shade.
You can read the full letter below:
“Dear Minister Voridis,
Love Classic Rock?
Get the latest Classic Rock news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more
I’m honoured to have been born in Athens, and wherever I tour with Mötley Crüe, I proudly proclaim my Greek heritage. But there’s an issue souring the reputation of Greece that I hope you’ll help resolve: the sickening abuse of broken-down donkeys and mules made to lug tourists up steep hills on Santorini. I visited the island this summer on a yacht trip—we docked there for two days, and I refused to ride a donkey up to the city centre.
I just saw this story about it on CNN and decided to join my friends at PETA in trying to stop this cruelty. I was especially angry to learn that a law passed just a few years ago to help the donkeys isn’t being enforced. Tourists should take Santorini’s cool cable car! Instead, they pile on to struggling donkeys, who are forced to carry humans up and down the 500 steps from the port to Firá’s old town several times a day. Ill-fitting saddles cause inflamed wounds that often go untreated. Animals have no protection from the scorching Greek sun and are only rarely granted short breaks. They’re even denied food and water. The video footage of these suffering animals haunts me.
I understand that you have the power to stop this cruelty and make Santorini hospitable to both tourists and animals. Please put an immediate end to the old-school cruelty of “animal taxis.” I look forward to your response. Thanks for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Tommy Lee”
Mötley Crüe have just recently reunited for a massive stadium tour with Def Leppard, Poison and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.
