The PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has launched a new protest against the video game world, this time focusing on Mario Kart World. Specifically, the organization has formally asked Nintendo to remove the nose ring from Cow, one of the game’s drivers, saying it symbolizes cruelty and mistreatment of animals.
To give context, we are talking about a brass ring that is mainly used to control animals, exploiting the sensitivity of the nasal septum. It is most commonly used on bulls, to lead them safely with a rope. More rarely, it is applied to adult cows, mainly to stop them from sucking milk from other cows, a behavior that can cause pain and damage.
PETA’s Official Statement
On PETA’s official blog, the organization explains that nose rings “are used by the meat and dairy industries to exploit, control, and even drag cows and bulls to their deaths. Workers crudely stab these brass rings through the sensitive septums of cows and bulls, which can cause lasting pain and discomfort.”
For this reason, the organization finds it inappropriate to represent such a painful tool in a video game. As a result, it has sent a letter to Shuntaro Furukawa, the president of Nintendo, asking to redesign the Cow character in Mario Kart World by removing the nose ring.
“The brass ring in Cow’s nose glosses over real-world violence,” Bartlett wrote in the letter. “Let Cow race freely—without reminders of the industries that treat animals like machines.”
“We know Mario Kart World is just a game—and that’s exactly why Cow’s nose ring needs to go. Mario Kart is supposed to be a fun escape, not a reminder of the painful tools used on cows in the meat and dairy industries. No one wants to think about animal suffering while zipping around a race track.”
A History of PETA vs. Nintendo
This is not the first time PETA has protested against video games, especially Nintendo titles. In the past, the group accused the company of promoting ‘animal fighting’ in the Pokémon series and criticized Animal Crossing for the way it depicts fishing and bug catching. In other cases, instead of protesting, PETA has suggested alternative ways to play while respecting animals (often with an ironic twist), such as in Hogwarts Legacy
