International Animal Rights Day 2017: 10th December
Picture the scene. Babies taken from their mothers and slaughtered, covered in blood, another victim of human tyranny. Wailing animals crying out in pain, animals abused and silenced, animals taken for granted and their free will taken away. You hear their cries but your tears mingle with the crowd, already you are turning away, running from what you don’t understand. You have pets at home, a dog and cat that you love and cherish,that you shower with love. If anything happened to your babies you would feel broken, a former shell of yourself, they are your children. But then something does happen, a burglar breaks into your home and takes your babies away; like the calves that are taken from their mothers, your babies are without their mother. Suddenly it all clicks and you realize your hypocrisy; you preach about ‘how much you love your pets’ and yet you were supporting causes that inflicted pain on the animals you loved.
How Anyone Could Kill & Torture Our Pets Is Beyond Me.
You spent hours researching reports on animal cruelty, watching documentaries on how animals are electrocuted, shaved, gagged and injected, before being thrown in the ‘trash’ to dispose of their dead bodies. You see baby monkeys being taken from their mothers, being housed in cages where they can’t even stand and feel your heart breaking as you watch them cry out in pain. It’s not enough to abstain from just eating meat, you are using products that are testing on animals too and even in the middle of the night you feel nauseous that even the toothpaste that you use has resulted in a dead, tortured or seriously ill animal, who was taken from their home and kept in squalid conditions just so you could have the ‘brightest smile’. You pack away all your designer leather handbags and throw out all the make up that has been tested on animals. Even the shampoo you had been using was not cruelty free and you hurl violently, feeling ashamed that you called yourself an animal lover and yet unknowingly participated in the destruction of animals for the sake of your own vanity.
More Than 22,000 Cats Are Abused In US Laboratories Every Year, Where Tens Of Thousands Of Cats Are Killed And Sold To Schools For Cruel And Crude Classroom Dissections. Many Of These Beautiful Cats Are Homeless & Betrayed By Animal Shelters. One Mother Cat Was Pregnant And Gave Birth The Same Day Yet All Her Eight Kittens Were Killed In A Brutal Act Of Cold Blooded Murder. Read More From PETA HERE
But it’s never too late to stand up for animal rights and make a difference. I wasn’t always a vegetarian, I wasn’t always cruelty free and I too would enjoy visits to the zoo and aquarium until I educated myself on what these poor defenseless animals go through on a daily basis for the sake of our own entertainment value and vanity. You don’t have to be vegan or vegetarian, but please I beg you, think about what you are wearing and what you are using to clean your home, do your make up and treat your skin. Because even the smallest change like boycotting brands that test on animals can make a difference. Do the right thing. Be cruelty free.
History Of International Animal Rights Day
More than 61,000 Beautiful Dogs Are Purchased From Animal Shelters And Then Tormented In U.S. Laboratories Every Year. Read How PETA Uncovered Abuse Of Dogs. Image Credit Goes To Luna The Bear Bear.
To some the 10th of December might seem like any other day, but here is where I tell you to sit up and listen. For it is today that animal activists lobby worldwide for the protection and humane treatment for animals, that are often tortured, killed and jeered at while they are still infants. It is today that we show animals the same respect and consideration that we show our human friends and shower them with love, instead of treating them like the dirt under our shoes. Today it is International Animal Rights Day an observance that coincides with the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights declared in 1948, and this has been made deliberately.On December 10, 1948 the UN General Assembly adopted and declared the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to prevent the repetition of World War II and concentration camps. Yet it wasn’t until 1970, 22 years after the Declaration of Human Rights by the UN, that the term speciesism was coined in order to talk about discrimination of sentient beings due to the species they belong to. This means that as humans we think that we are superior and see animals as ‘lesser beings’ which means that we rationalize having more power and status as an excuse to pillage animals homes, take infant animals from their mothers and kill animals so that we can appear to be more ‘powerful’.
So although ‘speciesism was coined in the 70’s, it took 20 more years for International Animal Rights Day to be created to contest centuries of incessant animal abuse and cruelty. Activists will chant, create demonstrations and write poems, but why should you do the right thing and stand up for animals on International Human Rights Day? From protecting baby monkeys from becoming depressed and anxious to wearing clothing that has not killed innocent animals like Angora Rabbits and Minks, read on to find out the horrifying truth of animal cruelty and the changes you can make to prevent animal abuse.
Noone Should Ever Be Treated Like Anything Other Than Equals. Animals Are Our Friends & Deserve To Be Treated With Compassion. Image Credit @charliethehotdiggitydog
Animal Cruelty: Baby Monkey’s & Lab Testing
Baby Monkey’s Are Taken From Their Mothers And Are Subjected To Inhumane Treatment.
A heartbreaking PETA investigation uncovered footage from NIH testing lab facilities that were testing on monkeys, housing them in claustrophobic, anxiety inducing conditions. Baby monkeys were kept in cages, where they couldn’t even stand, they were that small. Baby monkeys were taken from their mothers and startled with loud noises that would result in serious cases of anxiety and depression, which would plague those monkeys for the rest of their short lives. When baby monkeys were kept in ‘cages with their mothers’ the mothers were heavily sedated and had their ‘nipples taped over’ which meant that the baby monkey’s could not suckle at their mother’s breast. In one terrifying video I watched a baby monkey squeal in pain, as ‘mechanical snakes’ which monkeys are naturally afraid of were released into the cage. Because the baby’s mother had been sedated, the infant was shaking and terrified, trying to get his mother to wake up but unaware that the lab had sedated its mother.The baby monkey had thought that his mother was dead, and when the mother came around from her sedation, she struggled to comfort her infant, which the experimenters had laughed at.
How can these monsters live with themselves, knowing that they are tormenting baby animals and their mothers for the sake of their entertainment. How can they go home and hug their children with a smile on their faces knowing that they have blood on their hands?These baby monkey’s are isolated from their mothers and treated little better than dirt, forced to consume substances like alcohol that worsen their depression and forced to rip out their own hair, attack their own limbs and become desensitized to the world around them. Although the monkey’s can live up until they are 30 in the wild, many monkeys fail to live past their 8th birthday, when they are killed once the laboratories have got bored with their ‘latest toy’. It sickens me knowing that these ‘lab testers’ are regular people like me and you and yet lack the basic human values of ‘compassion and empathy’ that make up our society. It saddens me that NIH has acknowledged that these ‘experiments’ have no relevance to human need and yet continue to splurge $30 into animal testing, each year.
Animals & Fashion: Skinned Alive
Angora Rabbits
Angora Rabbits Cry Out In Pain As Their Fur Is Ripped Out & Their Throats Are Slit After Years Of Cruel And Barbaric Torture: NY Times
And it’s not just monkeys: minks are slaughtered to make fur coats, Angora Rabbits are skinned and have their fur ripped out to make wool sweaters as they scream out in pain. I watched the video footage obtained by PETA who videoed Angora Rabbits screaming as the workers ripped out their hair violently, showing no compassion for these beautiful and gentle animals. It was a hard thing to watch, but I am glad I did because it showed me that making the decision to be cruelty free and abstain from leather, suede and wool was the best decision that I could have ever made. With 90% of Angora Rabbit farms being in China-where there are no penalties for animal abuse on rabbit farms, these beautiful creatures endure this cruelty roughly every three months, for two years before their throats are slit and they are murdered, being skinned alive.
Reptiles & Ostriches
Beautiful & Intelligent Alligators Are Stabbed, Shot & Tortured For Designer Brands Like Hermes Who Turn Their Skins Into Designer Handbags. Its 2017 So Why Are We Still Slaughtering Animals For Fashion? It Just Doesn’t Make Sense To Me?!
While we automatically think of animals like ‘bunnies and monkeys’ (which are seen as cute and cuddly) as fashion victims, what about reptiles like crocodiles and Alligators, who are made into bags and purses for luxury brands like HERME’S ? In a 2014 PETA US Investigation titled ‘Belly Of the Beast’ investigators discovered the dark ‘underbelly of the fashion market’ where baby crocodiles and alligators were slaughtered for designer powerhouses like Hermes and Prada. With huge factory farms like Bodega in Zimbabwe, which creates 43,000 alligator and crocodile skins a year, crocodiles and alligators are kept in crowded concrete pens and are often killed when they are just three years old.
What many consumers don’t know is how compassionate and loyal these creatures are; fascinatingly intelligent and fiercely maternal it beggars belief how anyone could buy a bag, knowing that a ‘three toddler alligators’ were killed to make one designer handbag. It’s disgusting; toddlers have scalpels plunged into their spines and have their brains taken out, while they are still alive. Although Bodega claimed that they are stunned before ‘being slaughtered’ when investigators traveled to a Lone Star Farm in Texas, the reality of alligator and crocodile farming was far more grim then they could have ever imagined. Shot in the back of the head with a bolt gun and sawed into the back of their necks with a box cutter to sever their blood vessels some alligators survived in agony for several minutes. It was horrifying to watch but nothing could have prepared me for the agony of what happened when the bolt gun had been misplaced by the manager. Four conscious alligators had been stabbed with a knife in an attempt to dislocate their cervical vertebrae, but the workers admitted that the alligators continued to live after cervical dislocation, meaning that their last moments on earth was plagued with incessant pain and suffering.
Crocodiles Are An Intelligent Maternal Species And Yet Many Are Killed When They Are Just Three Years Old.
When the gun had malfunctioned on more than five days, the manager ordered workers to cut into more than 500 conscious alligators in a crude attempt to dislocate their cervical vertebrae. More horrifyingly the workers were then told by the manager to plunge a rod into their skulls to ‘scramble their brains’. But these animals were not just killed barbarically, they were also kept in dank, dark pits that were filled with murky brown water that were ‘full of putrid excrement’ and conditioned into a life of loneliness, isolation and heartbreaking torture. But for what? All so they could pander to the luxury consumer?
And don’t even get me started on ostriches. Killed before their first birthday and orphaned from their mothers,this is the true story of the horror behind the ostrich/leather industry in South Africa. In 2015 PETA uncovered that the Western Cape of Africa is the Ostrich killing capital of the world, with 75% of the world’s ostrich leather, feathers and meat coming from slaughterhouses in this region. On production farms chicks never get to meet their parents and are tagged as though they are nothing more than ‘walking merchandise’. Imagine the horror of being a baby chick, forced into barren, dirty ‘feedalots’ knowing that you will be killed before you are even one years old. Workers push baby ostriches through a herd chute and force them into a box to be electrically stunned , while baby ostriches who are next in line are forced to watch their friends be slaughtered in the doorway. Once the babies are stunned, another worker then cuts their throats, before hanging them up while they are still warm to be turned into watches,bags and more.
Baby Ostriches Are Killed Before Their First Birthday. Chicks Are Housed In Squalid Conditions & Tortured While They Are Still Alive.
Animal Testing In The Cosmetic Industry
No Bunny Rabbits Should Have To Be Tortured For Our Cosmetic Needs
It is shocking that in 2017 we still have to contest the inhumane treatment of animals who are still being tested on for the sake of huge cosmetic companies like MAC, Benefit And Revlon who all ‘sell in China’, where there are no laws against animal testing. Millions of animals have been injected, force fed substances and tortured or killed to make cosmetics. While in the UK testing cosmetic products and their ingredients on animals was banned in 1998 and across the EU in 2013, in China more than 375,000 animals were tested on in 2015 to meet so called ‘pre-market test requirements’ . This means that any company that enters into the Chinese Market has to abide by ‘China’s Food and Drug Administration’ which requires all imported cosmetics, new cosmetic ingredients, and “special-use” cosmetics such as hair dyes, deodorants and sunscreens, to undergo animal testing before being sold. In other words companies like Benefit and now NARS (who recently lost their cruelty free status) sell their products in China, which means they are tested on animals.
In June 2014 CFDA introduced regulatory reform that removed the mandatory requirement for ‘pre-market animal testing’ for non-special-use or “ordinary” cosmetics manufactured in mainland China. Although this rule change could potentially allow for some animal reduction in animal testing, this only providing that Chinese domestic companies choose to conduct or contract for non-animal product safety assessments, which being ‘expensive’ is not often a choice that Chinese domestic companies levitate towards.
Big Brands That Test On Animals
Revlon,NARS, Benefit, Maybelline, Max Factor, Loreal, Proctor & Gamble- Which Owns Herbal Essences, Pantone & More.
Big Brands That Don’t Test On Animals
Limecrime, Lush,Barry M, Makeup Revolution, Elemis, Colorpop, Anastasia Beverly Hills Among Others.
Notable Demonstrations Against Cosmetic Testing On Animals Throughout History
Tigers Are Breathtaking Yet So Many Are Skinned Alive For Fur Jackets
While International Animal Rights Day was only created a few years ago, throughout history there has been notable demonstrations against cosmetic testing on animals. From candle light vigils to the dead animal victims in Madrid (video linked at the end of the post) in 2011 to Performance Artist Jacqueline Traide Getting Tortured Like an Animal to Raise Awareness for Animal Cosmetics Testing in Regent Street, London, read on below to find links on where you can obtain information on animal rights demonstrations and find out how you can get involved.
1. Lush Fighting Animal Testing: Live Demonstration At Regents Street
2.History Of Protests Against Animal Tests
How You Can Make A Difference On International Animal Rights Day
1. Commit to a vegan or vegetarian diet. If being a vegetarian or vegan is something that you would struggle with, only purchase food from brands that are dedicated to the fair treatment of animals.
2. Use Cruelty Free Cosmetics, Skincare, Cleaning Products That Do Not Test On Animals.
3.You can help save an animal life by becoming a foster parent for a shelter.
4. Adopt An Animal From The Animal Shelter instead of buying animals from the pet shop.
5. Organize a demonstration that lobbies for animal rights & raises awareness of animal cruelty worldwide.
6. If like me you are not able to keep a pet in the house, sponsor an animal like a tiger instead, and help them have a better life.
7.Choose an animal sanctuary instead of a zoo or choose a film that uses a CGI animal instead of an animal actor.
8. Get On Social Media, Write Blog Posts & Sign Petitions To End Animal Abuse & Raise Awareness Of Animal Cruelty.
Even Beautiful Birds Like The Kingfisher Have Historically Been Used In Animal Testing
Videos That Raise Awareness Of Animal Cruelty (Warning Contains Graphic & Heartbreaking Content)
(Video is at the bottom of the page- a moment of silence in Madrid, where 400 activists showed dead cats, dogs, pigs, pigeons, rabbits and more that had been killed for fashion, medicine and more. )
http://www.internationalanimalrightsday.org/
A Real Look Into Alligator & Crocodile Farms & How Toddler Reptiles Are Killed For Luxury Fashion. Watch On Youtube HERE
A Real Look Into Ostriches Being Killed For Hermes & Prada. Watch on Youtube HERE
Baby Monkey Experiments Exposed: National Institutes Of Health. Watch On Youtube HERE
Make This Puppy Happy. Be Cruelty Free.
What Are Your Thoughts On Animal Cruelty? Were You Aware Of What Happens To Animals On Production Farms, Labs And Factories For Our Cosmetics, Fashion, Medicine & More?
*Since writing this article I have discovered that in 2015, a year after PETA’s campaign into ending Monkey testing, Stephen Suomi’s laboratory was closed down, and he will no longer be involved in any experiments on animals.
Its sad that in this day and age animal cruelty is still part of daiy life. When its actually absolutely preventable. People forget that every single person makes a difference. Thanks for sharing that inspiring blogpost 🙂
What an interesting post. It shows how animal cruelty goes WAY beyond the ‘not tested on animals’ stuff.
I am a huge animal lover and it breaks my heart to hear about animal cruelty! I give to PETA and hope that someday this will all end and animal can just be left alone.
It is sad that this day even has to be a thing. My fur baby is part of my family. My kids love her and she was my baby before I had human babies. It is hard for me to imagine someone being cruel to animals.
How can somebody think that it is ok to torture animals? I am always wondering if the girls who own Hermes bags would ever touch a reptile at large?
Why would somebody want to carry a bag made out of dead cow’s skin? or carry pieces of her body in the stomach.
It’s wonderful to see people active in this field. What’s happening with animals nowadays is absolutely awful, we must do something against it! Thank you for bringing up the topic 🙂
Such an interesting post 🙂 As a vegetarian animal cruelty is something I think about a lot and it’s heartbreaking!
One of my good friends used to work for a pharmaceutical company that tested on monkeys while she was waiting to start vet school. She is a vet now and her whole life is about animals, but she doesn’t seem concerned about the monkeys, so hopefully at least some labs are treating their animals well. As for makeup and fashion stuff… not really sure why we need animals involved in that at all!
I think people must be psychopaths to do the things they do to animals. I mean just look at their adorable faces! How could they?
I’m totally with you, as a vegetarian and animal lover I strongly believe in making a stand against animal cruelty. Thank you for highlighting this.
I still think it is mad that animals are still being used in these ways when it is completely unnecessary. It is great animals have a voice and a group who will stand up for them.
A great post as too many prefer to “forget” the cruelty involved rather than be proactive. It is so sad
We are living in the developed world. But animal cruelty still exists. It’s sad and unfortunate.
Animals are best friends to the humans especially our pets. I love them & support your efforts, suggestions for preventing the animal cruelty.
This post is really inspiring. Well written.
Take care,
It’s such a sad state of affairs that Animal Cruelty is still a “thing”. We try to buy only from places that are cruelty free, we are careful to buy products that are not tested on animals. This really brings light to the cruelty that is beyond “testing on animals”
Product wise I do always try and use products which haven’t been tested on animals and it’s great how many brands are going vegan and cruelty free x
Thanks for this open-minded post, it’s great, full of content and very well-written. I have seen a lot of animal cruelty during my travels. Whether it’s cats without tails in Indonesia, streetdogs that are kicked by strangers in Senegal or even animals in small cages all around Japan, I think everyone should do something against that. So yes: well done and thank you for speaking up!
Reading this makes me want us to go back to the hunter gathering days. Why do we torture animals for beauty. There has to be another/alternative way. Thanks for raising awareness!
This was a hard read but an important one. I wish more people knew more about how far animal cruelty actually goes!
it breaks my heart that people can be cruel to animals. I think the law needs to be tougher on those that do.
This was very interesting. I think it is easy to forget that cruelty doesn’t just apply to family pets that we are familiar with. Sadly the world has a long way to go.
We are huge animal rights supporters. They can’t speak for themselves, so they have to have people speak for them! However, I had no idea that there was an international day! That’s great.
I found this such a difficult read, you must have had a really hard time watching & writing this 🙁 I am vegetarian, a total animal lover & a member of a range of animal charities. A great post to raise awareness to others xx
I thank you as a fellow vegetarian for taking the time out of your day to read this post because I know how hard it must have been to read it. It took me two days to write and do research for this post and honestly the research broke my heart. I couldn’t stop crying, we wouldn’t do this to our pets so why should we let other animals be treated so horrifically? It just does not make sense to me. I am so proud to hear that you are also committed to being cruelty free, thank you for your kindness and support xxx
I cannot believe the pain and torture these animals go through! I’ve always heard brands claim “not tested on animals” and I didn’t really think about it so much. This opened my eyes. I’d be paying more attention now that’s for sure.
It really is sad and pitiful that a person would pick up a cat or an animal and slit their throats with no feeling at all then walk around advertising a product made from the animal itself shows how inhumane this world has become.
I must confess even though I consider myself an animal lover, I havent really boycotted the brands that test on animals mostly because I didnt take the time to search which brands do and which dont test on animals. Great post Ana
I’m so sad and outraged right now. Besides reading your article I clicked on some of the links you shared and it’s just horrible! I wish there was more I could do except for speak out about it and change my own habits. 🙁
It’s heart breaking to read about what they do to animals I’m in tears reading this. I have been working on using on products that are not tested on animals as much as possible.
I really hate when people are cruel towards animals. I always try to shop cruelty free. I’m glad Lush is part of that. I shop there often!
Gosh I can’t believe that in 2017 we are still allowing animal cruelty to take place. I love how passionate you are about animal rights, just as you are in every aspect of your life, and I admire and support you in this.
I’m not very good and don’t make a point of looking, this is bad of me as I hate the thought of what animals go through for us. Just wish they would test things in another way though
This subject has always been heart wrenching for me. Every living thing has value and has it’s place in the world’s natural order. It’s just a shame that people can have such little regard for innocent animals.
Thank you for sharing this! As a vegetarian I often get heartbroken over animal cruelty.
You’re so right, it is heartbreaking and so unnecessary for the sake of cosmetics, although I am firmly in favour of medical trials. Animals ought to be treated respectfully at least.
When I learned about how animals are being treated in laboratories, I started reading labels. I always picked products that did not test on animals. Thanks for raising awareness. Animals have rights too.
It’s sad that in this day and age animal cruelty is still part of daily life. It makes me happy seeing someone stand up for the animals.
I really enjoyed reading your post. I also believe that no animal even reptiles, bunny, dogs, cats, or monkeys should not be tortured or tested it is very unfair and mistreating because they can’t talk to us. I also believe fashion and cosmetic industry is huge with misusing animal fur and skin or makeup product. This MUST stop! Thanks for the amazing inspirational post!
I totally agree with you. Animals should be also treated right, I have cats and dogs in the house and I love them so much, never ever would i treat them, they are so precious and lovely and adorable animals, It’s really sad for those animals that was treated bad with some cruel people who doesn’t have a heart for the pets.
Thanks for sharing this.
I think we haven’t paid enough attention to help protect the animals that live in this world. It’s really nice that you’re spreading this awareness. This isn’t just for the pets that we have at home.
I have a different view on this as I grew up in very rural farming community where my father, grandparents and great grandparents were farmers and our lives were sustained by farming. As an adult, I try to teach my children the difference of cruelty to animals to what farmers actually do for society. I in no way support cruelty to animals because that is not how I was raised at all. My father and grandfather greatly respected the animals they farmed, and that is the lesson I hope I am teaching my children as well.
This is so sad! I love animals so much so I hate to see them be harmed.
I didn’t really care about animals before, but I’m glad that social media is giving more attention to these issues that it made me realize just how important they are as much as people. It’s sad that many animals have to experience such cruelty. I will take note your list of advice and do as much as I can to contribute to change.
Thank you so much for making this post. I am a life-long vegetarian and serious animal lover! I am a travel blogger, and I have been thinking more and more about making posts that speak out against the injustices I’ve seen against animals around the world. Thank you for doing your part and making a responsible post like this 🙂
I think it is so sad that we are still doing these things. With all of our technology we should not have to harm innocent animals.
I couldn’t stop tears rolling down my eyes at teh scenes you’ve shown and yes they are all true when the animals are slaughtered to give you the best meat and yes a sparkling smile. I didn’t knew that 10th was Animal rights day , but now I stand for this. The reason why I am Vegan is to not let any animal lose its blood just coz of my taste. I also ensure to use natural plant based products which are rid of animal cruelty.
I felt that. It is beyond me how people mistreat, abuse, and abandon the best part this world has to offer. I’m the end these three remain; faith, hope, and dogs. Great post!
You clearly are not aware of how tightly regulated US laboratories are when it pertains to lab animals. Sometimes the final results are not pretty, but it is the price that comes with modern medicine. Have you lost family or loved ones to cancer? Do you judge them for undergoing treatments whose studies were done on said animals? While I am opposed to animal cruelty overall, I don’t appreciate being judged for experiments that have saved peoples lives.
When I did my research I did read about how tight US laws are so in regards to medicine I do appreciate that sometimes animals do need to be tested on in order to save lives so I completely understand. I am not judging anyone, like I said you don’t need to be vegetarian or vegan in order to raise awareness of animal cruelty. For me I feel more strongly about it in regards to fashion and makeup as in that case it is not necessary. And yes I have lost loved ones to cancer but there is no need to bring that into the equation. I can appreciate that modern medicine has in part become successful because of experiments on animals but in many cases like fashion it is not necessary to harm animals just because someone wants a handbag made of crocodiles. So likewise I don’t appreciate being judged either. We are all entitled to our opinion, that is the beauty of humanity and if I can respect and understand your opinion you can also respect mine. Thank you for your honest view though, it did make me think more about examples of how modern medicine has helped our society. Have a wonderful and positive week.
It saddens and amazes me that people can be so cruel to animals. I will never understand what drives people to be cruel to innocent animals.
Animal abuse and cruelty is something that we have to address. I am glad that there are more laws these days that help protect the animals that live with us, but it’s not enough as so many are still dying and suffering. We need more people to understand the importance of saving their lives. These animals deserve to live their lives.
It is so important to raise awareness of Animal Abuse and Cruelty. I have stopped using products that do animal testing and I feel that it is high time that there should be stringent laws against these companies. It’s heartbreaking to see that that animal abuse is still present in our society.
Humas are becoming too greedy because of consumerism. Poor animals, if only you guys could talk back. I think it starts to share awareness and education at home, so the kids will grow up having that attachment to animals and other living creatures.
What awful amounts of animals are being hurt. This is shocking and so sad 🙁 I can not imagine how people could hurt anything. You are doing a great job to raise awareness Ana.
My parents raised me in a way that I’ll appreciate all the forms of life that we have here, and that means the animals too! I think it’s really important that we raise awareness on animal cruelty because there’s so much that we need to learn from how to treat animals the right way.
I agree with you! Animals have feelings, they feel pain too and they should be treated with respect and kindness.
This is just so sad to read. I have been a vegetarian since I was 10, and I also do use animal cruelty free products. But there are so many items out that that have been tested on animals and I think it’s about time we put a stop to this
I do try an avoid products that have been tested on animals and don’t buy any toiletries/ make-up etc that have been tested on animals ever since I was a teen. It is sad that it is still happening all these years later x
What an interesting post . Animal cruelty goes way beyond what we think it is . Really enjoyed reading this lovely
This is a brilliant post, for such an upsetting reason. I can’t believe at this time, animal cruelty still takes place. It’s horrendous and I just don’t understand the logic or reasoning. I try and do all I can to help, but I must admit I could definitely do more x
Thank you for highlighting such an important issue! I once went to an animal ‘handling’ session at a zoo, where you could hold some animals including a beautiful snake and one woman actually said “That would make a nice handbag!” I was speechless.
Your article is amazing and raising awareness which is fab. It is extremely sad how in this day and age animal cruelty is still rife – Simply not acceptable x
It is so sad what happens to our beautiful animals! If we don’t stand up for them then who will!
It is a sad state of affairs that there are people who don’t value other lives. This post is very informative. Thanks.
I don’t know how people who do this for a living can handle torturing an inocent animal. I’m trying my best to switch to cruelty free products
I had no idea there was a day dedicated for animal rights but I have always felt very strongly for this cause. I try to do every tiny bit I can against animal cruelty like picking cruelty free cosmetics and saying no to real fur and leather. We adopted our pets and didn’t buy them. I feel so sad seeing (or even reading about) all the torture that an animal goes through so we can use some fancy products that make us look fashionable or beautiful! Not worth it! 🙁
I wasn’t aware of a lot of these ways that are animals are treated cruelly. This is really eye-opening. I’m definitely going to have to be more conscious of some of the brands that I use.
I am a big supporter of Lush as they are local company to me and I really respect their ethics
It saddens me to think about how some people and organizations treat animals. I am glad you are shining a light on this topic.
A wonderful post. What breaks my heart is the fact the almost all products like shampoo or soaps etc. are first tested on animals. This is a disgrace to humanity. Like why would you sacrifice an animal’s eyes just for the sake of looking good.
I am a big animal advocate. This is a great post about WHY we need to be more aware of what is going on in this world. Thanks for sharing this.
Oh my gosh, this breaks my heart. I’m such an animal lover. We have dogs and I can’t imagine anything like this happening to them. People are so cruel.
I love this so much! We’re a huge animal loving family here. We have two dogs and I’m still trying to convince my family to get one more!
I can’t stand cruelty towards animals. And I still don’t get why you would test on animals. They are different from humans so what happens on them might be different to what happens on humans anyway. I am glad more and more brands go cruelty free
There are some horrible crimes committed against animals in the world. It makes us very angry. Our cat was from a shelter and found in a black bin bag 🙁
Animal cruelty is so disgusting. I love that through this awareness day and your blog post that you are helping to push awareness.
There really is no excuse for torturing or experimenting on animals. It’s just sadistic. I do understand why some medical research is performed on animals, yet I still think it should be done humanely. I also don’t think animals should have to suffer just so we can eat them or so we can have the coolest lip color or skincare. We need to do better by all the creatures on this planet.
Great post. This is why I became vegan many years ago but now I am not. I do pay close attention to where my food comes from and I don’t buy anything leather or that isn’t cruelty free. There’s so much and sometimes all you can do is your own small part.
I’m not vegetarian so I know I’m going to sound a bit hypocritical here as I do eat animals and that’s hurting them but something I’ve never ever been able to comprehend is how people can abuse/hurt and starve an animal, any animal but especially a pet. You see so many horror stories about dogs dying because they’ve been starved and abandoned, I’m a dog owner and the guilty I feel if I’m even 15 minutes late with my puppies food is horrendous. I sit and look at her and wonder how anyone could ever hurt or beat her. She’s just too precious as are all animals. It really sickens me.
Your post touched a nerve for me and I love the awareness you’re raising. These poor animals need more love!
I dont know what’s with me. But I easily feel comfortable, glad and warmth with people who have the heart for animals. On the contrary I feel bad and irritated with those who are cruel to them – I feel like they are innocent and does not deserve any harm from human. I have huskies and they are treated as family members not just pet.
A really powerful post, it’s great to spread awareness when it comes to animal cruelty. I don’t know how people can hurt animals either, truly such an awful thing to do. I’m glad this post is out there and will hopefully stop and make people think.
Wow that was a hard read. I’m always shocked when I hear what people do to animals.
What a great post for awareness. We are huge animal lovers and raise our boys to be too. They need us to be their voice
We’re huge animal lovers at our house and I have to admit, there were parts of this post, I simply couldn’t read. It’s heartbreaking, to be honest. Even though you know you’re writing to raise awareness (thank-you, btw), was it gut-wrenching to write and research? I’m so glad you included a list of action items reads are able to take. Sometimes, when a problem feels too big, we don’t know how to get involved. This past year, thanks to your blog, I’ve completely switched all of my beauty products to those that are cruelty-free, and am doing it with everything else we purchase as well. I can’t say we are vegetarian or vegan, although we now purchase our meat from a local locker where we know the the animals are treated in the best way possible. x
This was so difficult to read at times, Ana! You’re so right and I’m glad you’re bringing this to everyone’s attention. So sad x
It’s awful that animal cruelty is still a part of the world today. I always look to choose cruelty free products over products tested on a animals. I’m shocked Benefit is on that list so that’s a brand I won’t be re-buying from again!
Ana, thank you for speaking up for the Animals and for spreading knowledge about what goes on in the world right now ♥
I believe in taking a stand for animals and I do not believe in torture. I love animals but I am not vegan or vegetarian. There is a lot of unnecessary cruelty being done and it is heart wrenching. and sad.
It’s so upsetting the way some animals are treated. I think the punishment for animal abuse needs to be higher.
Animal cruelty is just heart breaking. I always try my best to use products which are environment friendly and animal cruelty free.
Reading this was shocking. I hadn’t realised how much animals were suffering and for what? It’s crazy and so unnecessary
This is a very touchy topic with me because I can’t handle animal cruelty. Makes me so upset when I hear and see all the animals that this has touched.
Animals are so helpless and nothing hurts my heart more than animal cruelty. I will and always have lent my voice and will continue to because this is just something I strongly believe in and seeing others speak up for animals is heartwarming!
Good you are raising awareness about animal cruelty. Many are not aware of what actually goes on.
I was aware of these reports, being signed up to Peta’s newsletter. I’ve been vegetarian for 12 years right now and sparing animals from cruelty and sparing all the consequences of this cruelty for humans is one of my main political personal issues! Preserve the world, preserve animals and humans from humans’ cruelty is something we really must struggle for
Ana, I really salute you for talking about a controversial topic without forcing people to subscribe to veganism or vegetarianism. Nevertheless, you still made it a point to ask people to question their ethics and choices such as what they wear and what they eat. 🙂
This is such an important post! It never fails to break my heart seeing just how many cases there are like this around the world. We have to take a stand!
This post makes me so sad, but it’s soooo important to raise awareness and stand up for our furry friends. I’m not a vegetarian but I am a pescatarian (not for animal right reasons) and I do believe in cruelty free, the more research I do the more it saddens me. But agan, so important to raise awareness and inform people.
The numbers are staggering! What have we done to these animals is out of nightmares. I support Peta all the way.
Thanks for the blog post. Its a great post in raising awareness about animal cruelty.
Hi Ana! You are right that these people were horribly cruel to these animals. It’s hard to believe that people can do these to animals and just laugh about it. Although I’ve seen scarier situations where people do horrible things to humans and laugh about it. It’s sad when people don’t see life as sacred and beautiful. 🙁 I don’t know that I could do vegan or vegetarian as I’ve had problems when I’ve tried to do that medically but I certainly will be more conscious about what I use.
Thanks for sharing awareness on animal cruelty. A good reminder that animal rights matters.
Honestly, animal cruelty is one of the things that has always tugged at my heartstrings. I’ll never understand people who mistreat animals or other people for that matter.
I never understood why companies are still testing on animals! With all the technologies we have now, this shouldn’t even be happing.
This is an amazing Post Anna. Kudos to you for writing this. Reading all the stats really made me tear up. I have been a vegetarian all my life and it hurts to see cruelty against animals. One of my biggest moto of 2018 is to shift to Vegan leather and products. I also would like to add a point on the way the animals are treated in Zoos and aquariums. I hate to see animals away from their natural habitat.
Animal Rights Day is such a lovely idea, thank you for posting this. It baffles me how people can support some of these things, but I do think a lot of it comes down to awareness, so these kinds articles are always worthwhile.
It is important to remember on makeup brands that some are not considered cruelty free only because they sell in China. China requires all cosmetics to be tested on animals and the testing is not conducted by the companies themselves. Otherwise, I agree that I don’t see the need.
I love this post, and am vehemently against the torture of animals, barbaric killing of animals, such as trophy hunting/circuses etc., but I also do eat meat. Maybe there is some hypocrisy there, but it’s also the way society has been conditioned – dogs and cats are companions and not food, but cows are food – it’s just the way some view them so that’s why we feel bad when our ‘companions’ are mass slaughtered, but our ‘food’ isn’t. This article definitely raises some interesting points.
First of all, I didn’t even know there was a day dedicated to this. That’s amazing!! The message behind this post actually really hit home for me because just a few days ago I encountered someone who was about to torture a cat. This person had a trap out trying to catch a pesty possum, but a cat ended up getting caught in there instead. Well this guy didn’t feel like working to get the cat out of there so he literally said “I could just take it back by the pool and drown him.” MY JAW DROPPED!! I was so disgusted with what he had just said. What has any animal done to deserve to be abused and tortured like that?! The bottom line, animals rights are so incredibly important. They are a value to our world just as much as humans. Thank you for this wonderful post! ❤
This post is so true. Animal cruelty still exists! It’s so ironic that just a few days ago my coworker and I were talking about this. He adopted a dog who is considered a lab dog since he was used for testing. He also have a tattoo on him which signifies that. It’s sad. I myself have two dogs and I can’t stop to think what If someone used them for that sole purpose.
What a fantastic read. I am a huge animal lover and this is so important x
Being a vegetarian and an animal lover, I find it hard to believe how these innocent animals are being tortured. I hope more people understand animal rights and try to make this world a better place for them.
I am so glad you wrote about this topic! This is something that needs to be brought to everyone’s attention. I am a huge animal lover and advocate for animal rights. Thank you so much for sharing