On March 20, MeatOut celebrated its 35th, and perhaps most successful, year.
MeatOut is an annual international campaign supported by the non-profit organization Compassion Over Killing. The event encourages people to explore vegan eating and learn about the benefits of a plant-based diet on personal health, the environment, and animals.
Additionally, vegan food samples are given out and restaurants are encouraged to offer vegan menu options. This year, over 100 events were held around the world by restaurants, advocates, and organizations.
MeatOut was also celebrated on social media this year. Jessica Carter, COK’s Vegan Food and Lifestyle Coach, hosted a live Facebook cooking tutorial demonstrating a variety of delicious vegan recipes, including sloppy joes, loaded tater tots, and coney dogs.
To show their support for a vegan lifestyle, social media users included the hashtag #MeatOut on their posts.
Multiple cities and one county around the U.S. declared March 20 as official MeatOut Day, including Philadelphia, PA; Pittsburgh, PA; Montgomery County, MD; Takoma Park, MD; Ithaca, NY; Kent, OH; and Albuquerque and Santa Fe, NM.
COK’s Director of Outreach and Education Simone de Lima summarized MeatOut’s success in a recent press release: “MeatOut 2019 has empowered thousands to spring into action by trying vegan eating or helping others in their community to choose healthy and sustainable vegan foods — and engaging their local governments to do the same.”
MeatOut was first celebrated in 1985 and occurs on the first day of Spring every year. It has spread to over two dozen countries throughout the world, including Germany, France, Spain, and Israel, and has gained the support of numerous celebrities, including Joaquin Phoenix, Alicia Silverstone, and Bill Maher.
French clothing brand American Vintage sells jumpers made of angora, despite knowing that rabbits are commonly “live-plucked” for their soft fur – a process they endure repeatedly for two to three years before ultimately being killed.
PETA’s ground breaking exposé of the Chinese angora industry has caused demand for angora to plummet over the last few years, and hundreds of companies – such as Calvin Klein, H&M, ASOS, and Lacoste – have made the compassionate choice to ban the cruelly obtained material.
However, millions of terrified rabbits are still confined to barren cages, their fur is violently ripped out every three months, and once they’re no longer profitable, they’re killed – all to supply angora to holdout companies such as American Vintage.
Take Action
Please send a message urging American Vintage to go angora-free.
Breaking News
Seoul to offer subsidized insurance for stray dog adoptions
Seoul Metropolitan City, the capital of South Korea, where quarter of Korean citizens reside is now taking action to improve animal welfare and reduce pet abandonment.
The Korea Times reported on March 19, 2019, “Starting late March, Seoul residents who adopt stray dogs from shelters can enroll in a city-subsidized insurance plan regardless of the dog’s age, breed and medical history, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced.“
This is proof that our campaigns work. We need the city of Seoul and all of South Korea to stop consuming dog meat. So let’s keep up the pressure by taking action! Thank you.
We are putting out this appeal for Animals Asia; as I (Mark) have a real problem with bear bile farming – I want to do all I can to stop it asap with your help.
“Over my dead body will you get the rest of those bears…”
…that’s what the bile farmer said.
Authorities were forcing him to give us two of the eight bears on his ‘farm’.
Of course, he chose the weakest, sickest bears. The ones whose emaciated little bodies he’d plundered almost to death… Myrtle (pictured) and Amelia.
By 2022, bear bile farming will be illegal in Vietnam. No loopholes. No exceptions.
Now the race to save the last bile bears in Vietnam has begun. It’s why I’m turning to you today…
Because ‘bile bears’ like Myrtle are in more grave danger than ever.
Today you can help ensure that as many of Vietnam’s last bile bears make it out of this dirty trade with their precious lives as possible.
Will you join the fight to save Vietnam’s
last bile bears with a donation today?
Please, give now. Before it’s too late for even one more bear.
Too weak to eat. A single claw remained on her right paw, she was the long-ago victim of a bone-crushing snare.
But nothing… not even the agony of steel on bone and nursing her raw stump alone…
Nothing could have prepared gentle Myrtle for the torture she suffered since the moment they captured her.
Only with your generous love and gifts of hope could we take Myrtle away that day. Without you, who knows what could have happened to her…
Because somefarmers could try to kill and sell their bears before they can be rescued.
Paws,
teeth,
claws,
gall bladder,
and bones…
all can be harvested to sell on the black market.
Half of bile farmers have admitted doing it. They see this blood money as compensation for their soon-to-be ‘worthless’ bears.
Because when our emergency response team receives a call about a bear, or two, or ten, in urgent need… we must act fast.
Your gift could fund the urgent rescue missions to help save as many of Vietnam’s last bile bears as possible.
Your cherished gift could fund the trucks to rush survivors to safety…
or the urgent pain relief these battered bears desperately need…
or the fresh food and water after a lifetime of eating grey sludge…
or our amazing team who undertake these difficult, urgent rescues…
…No bear left behind.
Please donate what you can today.
The coming months and years will be filled with uncertainty, as we try to save Vietnam’s last bile bears. But one thing I do know for certain is this…
Your dedication and love for these magical animals has already saved the sweet lives of Myrtle, Amelia, and hundreds more beautiful bears.
No bear should die alone. Unnamed and unloved. And if your gift today saves even one more gentle bile bear, yours will be a blessing like nothing they’ve ever known before…Just ask our little Myrtle.
Please give today and help save Vietnam’s last bile bears, before it’s too late.
With the very warmest bear hugs of hope,
Jill Robinson MBE, Dr med vet hc, Hon LLD
Founder and CEO
PS I promised the rest of the bears we would be back for them. And you made that promise come true. Because every rescue starts with you.
As Vietnam’s bear bile industry collapses, we cannot allow the very victims of this disgusting trade to be the victims of its downfall too. Please, donate now and help save the last bile bears in Vietnam. Thank you so much for caring.
WAV Comment –
We have done our bit today by giving to help this rescue mission; we ask please that you try to don the same.
Thanks on behalf of the bears in need; Bear hugs
Regards Mark
Dear Mark,
When bears like Myrtle need you… there you are.
Your gifts of love and hope send healing hands… life-saving medicines… fresh, nutritious food… and above all, the rare and precious chance to escape the torture of bile farming.
Thank you so very much for your recent donation.
Without you, gentle souls like Myrtle would have no hope. But today, Myrtle, who lost a paw in the bile-wars, is surrounded by love and joy. Her gentle brown eyes, once filled with such fear and sorrow, today twinkle like stars… all because of you.
To bears like Myrtle, your kind gift brings salvation. Sanctuary. Everything.
Below is a summary of your generous gift for your records:
Xxx xxx xxx
With bear hugs filled with gratitude,
Jill Robinson,
Animals Asia, Founder and CEO
PS Visit http://www.animalsasia.org/MyGift to see the impact of your treasured donation and a serious dose of cuteness! Thank you again for your wonderful gift.
Here are just a few videos from AA regarding their superb work to rescue Vietnam bears in the past.
These DO NOT relate to the current rescues which we are now asking you to support. Please use the above links to give a donation for the latest work. – Mark (WAV).
We are forwarding here a short video, which could perhaps still one or the other to encourage or rethink.
In this impressive video you can see in 6 minutes all the madness of industrial meat, dairy and egg production via slaughterhouses, supermarkets and fast-food “restaurants” to the belly of the consumer, which then at the end of beauty surgery removed.
Selfridges has said it will ban the sale of exotic animal skins such as alligator, crocodile and python.
From February 2020, the luxury London department store will only sell leather from agricultural livestock.
The Humane Society International said the move was the “natural next step for a responsible retailer” and would save “countless” crocodiles and snakes.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) has urged rival stores, such as Harvey Nichols, to follow suit.
Yvonne Taylor, director of corporate projects at Peta, told BBC News: “Hats off to Selfridges – which had already banned fur, angora, and foie gras after persuasive talks with Peta – for now ending the sale of wild animals’ ‘exotic’ skins.”
The industry is not only “heartless”, but “extremely wasteful”, Peta claims, saying it can take the skins of four crocodiles to make a single bag.
The BBC understands that the ban will mainly affect sales of very high end, expensive accessories, particularly shoes and handbags.
The move follows an announcement from designer Victoria Beckham that she would stop using exotic skins in her designs from her autumn/winter 2019 collection onwards.
Beckham joins Vivienne Westwood, Diane von Furstenberg and Chanel in the ban – alongside high street brands such as Topshop, H&M and Adidas.
The company’s head of fashion, Bruno Pavlovksy, said it had become harder to source such skins ethically.
Meanwhile, British designer Stella McCartney’s “vegetarian brand” has never used leather, skin, fur or feathers.
The brand uses leather alternatives such as recycled polyester instead of Brazilian calf leather – which it claims has a high environmental impact.
Selfridges, which banned the sale of fur in 2005, said banning exotic skins was part of a “long-standing commitment to place ethics and sustainability at the heart of commercial decisions”.
Selfridges’ buying director Sebastian Manes said the brand was fixed on being at “the very forefront of future thinking retail”.
He added: “For us, that’s a future where luxury is defined by craftsmanship and material innovation.”
In 2015, the store removed single-use plastic water bottles from sale and made its signature yellow paper bags from recycled coffee cups.
Since the beginning of this year, all clothes bags have been made with used plastic bottles.
In the charity sector, the British Heart Foundation will not accept real fur or fur-trimmed items, or anything made from ivory.
Oxfam told the BBC it does not sell products made from crocodile or alligator skin, angora wool or fur.
It also checks legal regulations for items made of snakeskin, tortoiseshell and coral, and will only sell ivory if it can be proven that the product was made before 1947.
Peta’s Ms Tayor said conscientious and informed consumers “absolutely reject the exotic skins trade, which invariably torments and kills crocodiles, snakes, lizards, and other sentient, beautiful animals in appalling ways for fashion”.
She added: “Peta urges other department stores, like Harvey Nichols, and brands such as Louis Vuitton to follow Selfridges’ business-savvy example.”
A spokesperson for Harvey Nichols told the BBC: “Harvey Nichols requires any brand that uses fur or exotic skins to adhere to the Animal Sourcing Principles as set out by the Responsible Luxury Initiative (ReLi)”.
The ReLi claims to have set “high level principles” for the sourcing of leather, fur and exotic skins, but Peta maintains that there are “few laws” to protect reptiles from abuse.
According to Peta the illegal trade in exotic skins is “rampant” – with an estimated US $1bn worth of python skins imported into Europe illegally each year.
The group also claims that many of the millions of reptiles whose skins are exported from Southeast Asia each year belong to endangered species, whose numbers in the wild are “drastically dwindling”.
Department store John Lewis told the BBC that it does not sell any products with exotic animal skins.
Many of us have made the decision to go vegan. Whether this is for health reasons, compassion for animals, a desire to reduce planetary footprint, or all of the above, choosing to be meat-free is good for the world. What’s even better than an individual going vegan? An entire company making that commitment. And recently a few big companies have done just that, moving toward a more plant-based planet.
MorningStar Farms, a subsidiary of Kellogg, will go completely vegan by 2021. Though the brand has been around for years, their decision to go 100% animal-product free comes with a growing market for vegan food. Shoppers care about the welfare of animals and are savvy enough to notice if a product is vegan or just vegetarian. MorningStar Farms wants to stand out among other veggie meat options on the grocery store shelves.
Beyond Meat will release a completely vegan ground beef this year. Made from pea, mung bean, and rice proteins, the “beef” will be located next to animal meat in the grocery store. Created to embrace the versatility of ground beef, the plant-based product can be molded and cooked in a variety of ways: to make burgers, meatballs, tacos, and more.
Another perspective on going meat-free, WeWork, the coworking and office space company made an astounding call to become a meat-free organization. They will no longer serve meat at meetings or functions, all meat was removed from on-site food kiosks, and they even went so far as to stop reimbursing employees for meat consumed on business trips. The company wanted to reduce its impact on the planet and set a new standard for sustainability.
If you live in Los Angeles or another big city, vegan restaurant options are fairly easy to find. But in most of the country, classics like pizza can be hard to find without animal products. But Pieology just became the first national pizza chain to offer plant-based proteins. Though the chain is not vegan or even vegetarian, having vegan options creates a more inclusive environment and normalizes the choice to decline animal products. Other companies could also go further toward a plant-based planet. Boca recently released a 100% vegan ‘Turk’y’ Burger, but has yet to eliminate cows’ milk from all of its products.
Why go meat-free?
Studies have shown our meat-eating habits are contributing to pollution, poverty, and climate change. Moving toward a plant-based planet could help feed the hungry, end the suffering of millions of animals, and help to clean up our water and air. Eliminating meat is a start, but going from vegetarian to vegan can make an even bigger impact. MorningStar Farms says by going vegan, 300 million egg whites will not be used in their products. This puts an end to the suffering of thousands of laying hens as well as eliminating the use of a lot of water and land.
Going meat-free may be good for business as well. Data has shown that demand for plant-based meat went up 24% last year. And the longtime vegan staple, Tofurkey, has received a loan of $7 million to expand production. More and more grocery stores are putting meat-free options on their shelves and marketing them next to meat. When consumers push for plant-based options and businesses deliver, people, animals, and the planet all win.
World Animals Voice 