Radio crew launch online petition to save benjy the bull

There has been yet another twist this afternoon to the story of ‘Benjy’, the gay Mayo bull, whose owner has decided to fatten him for the factory after he displayed sexual urges for other male cattle rather than cows or heifers.

A petition has been set up to save Benjy from becoming beef on website ipetitions.com after his plight was featured on a radio programme in the UK.

Leeds-based Charlie Smith, who is among those behind the petition, runs an LGBT radio show each week on the University of Leeds' radio station. She featured Benjy’s story on Sunday’s show, and subsequently set up the petition alongside the people who work on the show with her as they were upset by it, as were listeners.

She explained: “We felt that, if he was a human, this would never be allowed to happen, so we did not see why he should be killed because of his sexuality. We would like him to end up in either an animal sanctuary, or offer him to another farm who would be willing to look after him (instead of just deciding his fate for him).”

As of lunchtime today, there were 20 signatories to the petition, including one from Brazil. One person who signed the petition made the following appeal: ‘Let him live…save Benjy! Another commented: ‘Animals shouldn't be killed when they're not ‘useful’ any more! Gay bulls deserve love too.’

As reported earlier today, animal rights John Carmody, founder of the Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN), has also already initiated moves to save Benjy, saying he wants to get the bull into a sanctuary either here or in the UK, where it can peacefully live out the rest of its natural life.

You can support the petition at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/save-benjy-the-gay-bull​