Tilikun and Harambe are honored at Carnival in Brazil in a show without feathers

SAO PAULO, Feb. 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Brazil's Carnival is recognized worldwide. It astonishes the world with its beauty, grandeur and the joy of all those people, as the biggest Carnival celebration in the world. It has years and years of tradition behind it, with all kinds of celebrations all over the land. But undoubtedly, the parades that take place in the sambadromes, both in Sao Paulo as well as Rio de Janeiro, attract the most international attention with the shows they put on. Defying Brazil's Carnival conventions, and embracing a greater awareness of animal rights, the Paulistana samba school, Aguia de Ouro ('Golden Eagle') - www.aguiadeouro.com.br - has teamed up with one of the country's major activists to help increase the visibility of this subject. The school will not use any feathers at all in its show, which is a difficult feat for any carnavalesco (Carnival producer) to bring off.  

With the slogan "Love is repaid with love," it will bring to the avenue a variety of references touching on this subject. Dogs, because they have such a strong bond with people, are in first place, but many other animals will also put in an appearance. Among the big creatures celebrated are the whale Tilikun and the gorilla Harambe. The orca from SeaWorld, featured in the documentary 'Blackfish,' appears on the same float as the gorilla, who was killed in a zoo in Cincinnati (OH) after he grabbed a 4 year-old boy who fell into his enclosure.  

Tilikun and Harambe will be represented so that their stories, as matters of worldwide concern, can be told so as to draw in an ever increasing number of persons to reflect on how much animals suffer when kept out of their natural habitat, which often leads to their death.  

"Animal rights have made it to samba," exclaims the school's carnavalesco, Amarildo de Mello. He goes on to say that this giant step forward proves how Brazil is on the path to greater awareness, but makes it plain that the country is still a beginner in this subject when compared to the rest of the world. "We are continuing in the effort to prove to the greatest possible number of people that animals deserve our respect," concludes Luisa Mell, ambassador of the school and one of Brazil's leading activists in this cause.  

Your Pet on the Avenue

Another float will be devoted to stories from the movies featuring animals as great stars. It will be carrying a big screen displaying more than 80,000 photos of persons engaged in the cause with their pets. The project "Your Pet on the Avenue" will help the school, and some of the proceeds will be allocated to the Rancho dos Gnomos Ecological Sanctuary Association (Associacao Santuario Ecologico Rancho dos Gnomos), which takes in animals of various species.  

To participate, just click on the link www.petintheparade.com, fill out the registration form, make a donation of US$15, US$30 or US$60 via Paypal, and send the photo you'd like to see appearing in the parade. Aguia de Ouro will be the 7^th samba school to appear on the Avenue on February 24, on the first day of parades by the schools in Sao Paulo's Special Group. When the school enters the avenue, the participants will receive an e-mail announcing the start of the parade. "We want the whole world to be on the avenue with their pets, whatever they may be," Amarildo exclaims.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaTP43nUMXU&feature=youtu.be

A Carnival without feathers

It is estimated that every year, the 26 parades of special groups in Sao Paulo (14) and Rio de Janeiro (12) cost something on the order of US$35 million. In this setting, more than 19 tons of feathers are used for embellishment and to make the party happen from an aesthetic standpoint. A Carnival without feathers seems impossible to most carnavalescos, who use them in countless circumstances - whether it is to produce more dazzling costumes or even to hide the trim on the floats.  

In each parade about 750 kilos of feathers are used, selling at an average rate of US$330 per kilo, in other words, each samba school consumes more or less US$330,000 in feathers, which works out to more than US$8.5 million just for the major productions. "These statistics are just for the special groups, but throughout all of Brazil there are so many celebrations with shows, and feathers are always present. It's an endless story," as carnavalesco Amarildo explains.  

Specifically for the festival, the most commonly used are duck, pheasant and ostrich feathers. The ostrich feathers are grand and imposing. Contrary to appearances, though, they are not "given away" by the creature as if they had fallen out naturally. On the contrary, they are mostly pulled out by force. Ostriches go through this process their whole life long. Pheasants, on the other hand, and also geese, are often bred in captivity to just have their feathers yanked out. "We had to do a lot of work to develop alternatives for a Carnival without feathers. We replaced them with elements made from plastic PET bottles," he concludes.

Attractions

A number of different stories will be represented in the parade. Besides the movies, the school also addresses the issue of circuses, emphasizing that the ring is not the forest, and taking a position against the use of animals in circus spectacles. There will also be a wing of the parade in honor of seeing-eye dogs leading blind people and their relatives.  

The Brazilian jaguar, Juma, will also be honored. Her story, which had enormous repercussions in Brazil, was a milestone for defenders of animals. This mascot of the Brazilian army was killed after the Olympic torch passed through the city of Manaus in the 2016 Olympic celebrations. She was shot with a pistol for threatening a soldier at the event.   

Characters such as Snoopy, Scooby-Doo, Rin Tin Tin, Santa's Helper (from the Simpsons), as well well as animals created by Brazilian cartoonist Mauricio de Sousa, will also appear.  

Samba-enredo 2017 - Aguia de Ouro

Dawn has broken, the sun is up
I'm a passionate one in the parade
Who truly loves you
And will never make you suffer
If a flood comes I won't forget you
Like Noah did
Lost in towers of Babel
But I will always be with you
Character of great stories
Thrills on the silver screen
Star that inspires
It's yours, the walk of fame of my carnival

Makes children laugh
When the villain fails
A valiant hero, and oh so funny
Attraction of animated cartoons

Today my Aguia comes to ask
For mankind to reflect
It is a new era, a new view
The ring is no forest
Nor is the pool an ocean
Like Luisa Mell does
Defend all animals
Protect these companions
Who guide and assist
And who risk their lives for us
They are angels sent from heaven
Who clamor for a better future

An artist's soul
Lady or the Tramp
Friend of the world
Your gaze is a caress
Court the moon in my shed
Love that never ends

Technical Sheet

Aguia de Ouro
Sidnei Carriuolo | President
Amarildo de Mello | Carnavalesco
Renato Candido | Director

Activists
Luisa Mell | Instituto Luisa Mell
Luli Sarraf | Celebridade Vira Lata
Mariana Castro | ItPetBlog

Contact: Lola soares, [email protected], +55 11 30469575 | +55 11 959043004

SOURCE Escola Aguia de Ouro