Seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton has once again been urged by activists from PETA to break his silence and condemn Liberty Media’s sponsorship of the Iditarod, which results in dogs suffering from fear and, more often than not, horrific deaths.
PETA campaigners previously sent Formula 1 CEO and former Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali a dead dog prop, and a letter, in which they asked the Italian to put an end to Liberty Media’s sponsorship of the event.
The Iditarod is a 1,000-mile dog-sled race which takes place in usually sub-zero conditions, in some of the harshest areas on the planet.
The dogs used in the event are typically subjected to harsh winds, and horrendous snowstorms, something no animal should be made to work in, let alone compete.
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Unsurprisingly, given the terrifying conditions, over 150 dogs have died as a result of the race since the first edition of it took place in 1973.
Whilst Liberty Media continue to support the race, multi-national corporations, including, ExxonMobil and Coca Cola, both pulled their sponsorship of the event, putting further pressure on Liberty Media to follow in their footsteps.
Hamilton once was PETA’s Person of the Year and is known to be a keen dog-lover, with the 37-year-old being an owner himself.
Despite this, the most successful F1 driver of all-time was spotted dining with Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei, something which comes as a disappointment to the campaigners.
With that in mind, PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk sent a new letter to the Mercedes driver, in which Newkirk urges the famous driver to use his incredible platform and help put an end to the suffering of dogs in the race.
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“Please, stop ignoring our desperate appeal for help in preventing more dogs from enduring hideous deaths in a dreadful race sponsored by F1’s owner,” Newkirk wrote in the letter to Hamilton, which was sent exclusively to Formula1News.co.uk.
“A word from you could save dogs every bit as precious as Roscoe, who you share your home with.”
The letter delves into the conditions the dogs are subjected to during the race, including, temperatures as low as -50 degrees, with the animals forced to soldier on and work even harder when many are pulled due to illness and injury.