Taylor Swift has been praised by PETA after cancelling her scheduled appearance at the Melbourne Cup in Australia.
Taylor Swift
The 29-year-old singer was due to perform at the horse racing event on November 5, but it was announced this week she would no longer take to the stage, citing touring conflicts as the reason for her cancellation.
Music booking agency Mushroom Events said: "Regrettably, Taylor is no longer able to make it to this year's Melbourne Cup. Changes to her Asian promo schedule have made it logistically impossible for her to be here."
Prior to her cancellation, animal rights groups had accused her of "endorsing animal abuse" as six horses have died at the Cup since 2013, and now that she will no longer perform, PETA have applauded her decision.
Emily Rice from the organisation said in a public statement: "Taylor Swift dumped the Melbourne Cup and PETA couldn't be happier. The event is riddled with horse breakdowns and death and is linked to the bloody horse-slaughter industry, which PETA most recently exposed in South Korea.
"None of this cruelty is consistent with the kind person we know Taylor to be. PETA - whose motto reads, in part, that 'animals are not ours to use for entertainment' - opposes speciesism, which is a human-supremacist worldview."
Shortly after it was announced that the 'ME!' singer had agreed to the headline slot, Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses slammed her for taking part and begged her to reconsider her part in the controversial event.
They said on Facebook at the time: "Taylor Swift has put money before compassion by agreeing to perform at the 2019 Melbourne Cup.
"An event where at least 6 horses have been killed over the past 6 years. If Taylor Swift cares at all about other animals the way she appears to care about cats, she will cancel her show and make a strong statement that animal abuse is unacceptable."
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