The propaganda of humane treatment of animals becomes a global trend
Marches, pickets and other events aimed at the rejection of cruel treatment of animals and the end of senseless killings, which take place in America and Europe, Asia and Australia yield results. Ukraine keeps up with the modern tendencies as well: animal protection campaigns take place in Kyiv, Kharkiv and other big cities.
Every year, more and more international and local animal protection campaigns are conducted worldwide. The struggle against the use of fur pieces is only one of the directions of the animal protection movement. More and more people worldwide support the idea that animals have the same right to life as people. This means their decent life, the understanding of fundamental rights and needs of all living creatures, including the prohibition of senseless killings and tortures for fun, the professional assistance to animals in trouble, the provision of wild animals with the necessary habitat, and domestic ones with shelter and proper care. As the result, there is a complete or partial prohibition in some European and African countries of sport hunting; (after the mass protest campaigns) a prohibition or partial restriction of corrida, animal fights and other similar entertainments up to the rejection of the use of animals to entertain people in circuses; the increase of protected areas worldwide; the constant increase of the number of organizations dealing with the solution of the problem of stray animals with the help of humane methods.
Animal protection movement becomes popular and influential
Animal protection organizations turned from marginal groups into mass, prestigious and influential national and international organizations. The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) unites 900 organizations supporting the protection of animals in 150 countries of the world. The Humane Society of the United States, which is considered the world’s largest animal protection organization, has 8 million members. The most notable organization in Europe dealing with the arrangement of animal protection campaigns is People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) with 800,000 followers. The Party for the Animals (the Netherlands) is represented in the country’s parliament and in the European Parliament.
Animal protection example is set by celebrities.
Brigitte Bardot is widely known for her long struggle against the killing of animals. A legendary musician Paul McCartney makes a lot for the propaganda of humane treatment of animals. During the recent years, the range of top celebrities, who not just decided to reject the natural fur coats, but also became the active participants of the animal protection movement, increases constantly: Pamela Anderson and Pink, Alicia Silverstone and Eva Mendes, Khloé Kardashian and Christina Aguilera, Penélope Cruz and Dita von Teese, Artemy Troitsky and Vera Brezhneva.
Fake fur supplants natural one; leading fashion designers refuse to use animal fur
Not so long ago, natural fur coats were not only the sign of wealth, but also the standard of good taste. Now, natural fur coats are considered bad manners in the majority of civilized countries. Fake fur is firmly in the list of key winter trends: the most advanced fashion conscious women prefer these coats, not the natural fur ones. In 2016, the bold statement about the rejection of animal fur in the collections was made by the Giorgio Armani fashion house. According to the words of Armani, the technological progress allows the usage of alternatives, which make the cruelty towards animals needless. Many such brands as Hugo Boss, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, Zara, Mango Guess have rejected the use of fur earlier.
Mass campaign of animal protection activists take place all over the world
Animal protection movement in the USA and Canada has a long history. Now, these are not just street protest actions carried out by the activists and aimed at the solution of specific problems of animals, but also the respectable parties with the participation of celebrities, the news about which are highlighted on the first pages of tabloids. The Greenpeace movement that originated in Canada is respected around the world. The mass campaigns carried out by animal protection activists every year in dozens of countries and cities assemble thousands of participants. They include “Open You Hearts – Close Slaughterhouses,” the campaign, during which thousands of people who care marched in many cities of the USA, Canada, Japan, Portugal, Australia, Germany, New Zealand, Russia and Turkey; “Animals are not clothes!” the campaign supported by the countries of Eastern Europe (in Ukraine it was the city of Kharkiv); “I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur,” the startling performances from PETA.
Development of animal protection activity in Ukraine
Ukraine is not on the sidelines of the global animal protection tendencies. In particular, the big number of campaigns is conducted by the All-Ukrainian Service for Wild, Exotic and Domestic Animals Rescue “Feldman Ecopark Good Home.” One of the recent large-scale events was the Cry campaign, which was conducted in Kharkiv under the support of the International Charitable Foundation “Oleksandr Feldman Foundation” in the middle of October.
It is aimed at the propaganda of humane treatment of all representatives of fauna around us, including the domestic, abandoned and wild ones. “We want to declare loudly that animals in Ukraine need help. We should not forget about this despite our own difficult situation. Everyone is able to take care of our four-legged or feathered friends living near us: in our homes, in our city, on the same street and on the same planet. If we pay no attention to the fact that it is more and more difficult for our four-legged friends to survive in the conditions of technological development, we risk not only to lose the entire species of animals, but also to lose humanity in ourselves,” the organizers emphasize. The activists tell that the idea of the Cry campaign was inspired by the work of the Rescue Service.
“During three years, the Feldman Ecopark Good Home rescued thousands of animals, many of which got into trouble through human’s fault. I’m talking about hunters and poachers, negligent owners of domestic animals, cruel people and those who are indifferent to the problems of animals. We cure them, nurse them, and then release them to the nature or find new caring owners for them. Our activists purchased horses subject to butchery, saved Arctic foxes and Silver foxes caught for their fur, found and nursed injured eagles, swans, foxes, raccoon dogs and many other animals.Our specialists are ready to come to the rescue not only in Kharkiv oblast, but also in any place in Ukraine. It’s not important where the animal in trouble is, as there were occasions when the activists took them from Kyiv to Kharkiv by their personal transport, and brought the victims from Lviv, Poltava, Dnipro and many other cities by any available means. Volunteers are people with big hearts; they put their heart and soul helping those who need this; they spare neither strength nor resources, nor personal time. In order to attract as much attention to the animal issue as possible and to find new like-minded persons we decided to carry on the Cry campaign, and we hope that it will find a widespread response,” the head of the Feldman Ecopark Good Home Service Iryna Podvoiska told. During the last five years, Olexandr Feldman Foundation donated over UAH 3.5 million to the animal protection activity. These means were directed at the assistance to different animals. The Good Home does not divide them into the ones, which deserve assistance less or more. This help is often needed by foxes, deer and boars, dogs and cats, parrot and monkeys.
Words of the participants of animal protection campaigns: “Mink coat presented to a woman is very expensive: it costs thousands of hryvnias, it costs thousands of cries, it costs tons of sufferings and despair… if any woman wearing a fur coat heard the cries of suffering and pain of an animal, perhaps, there would be no need to write this slogan,” the Real Price of Fur campaign conducted at Khreshchatyk in Kyiv. “It is important for us to inspire other people to struggle against the use of animals. We believe that everyone can make own contribution into the rescue of the situation,” campaign carried out by Open Cages community in Poland. “The problem of provision of assistance to animals remains urgent, and it is possible to solve it only by joining the efforts of animal protection organizations and activists. It is necessary to raise the level of public awareness of animal rights, to foster the culture of care of and tolerant attitude to them from the childhood,” the Cry campaign in Feldman Ecopark (Kharkiv).
Источник: РБК-Україна
