Zoo Removing Image Of Confederate Flag From Carousel Horse
SAGINAW (WWJ/AP) - A Michigan zoo is removing an image of the Confederate flag from a carousel horse at the attraction.
The decision by the Saginaw Children's Zoo came after recent complaints about the horse on the Celebration Square Carousel, which opened in 1998.
The zoo's executive director Nancy Parker said the carousel "is all based on history," but she understands it can make some people uncomfortable.
"If you look at the running boards, all that, it's all Saginaw history. But we're not a museum, we're a zoo," Parker told WNEM-TV. "We really are a community place and we really are a public place, so we really want the community to come in here and be comfortable. It's very different than being in a museum."
The flag's use spurred protests since the June killing of nine black worshippers at a church in Charleston, South Carolina.
The carousel includes animals made to resemble carousel figures of the early 1900s as well as panels with local historical scenes.
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