YOUR GUIDE TO CAMPAIGNING FOR ANIMALS
Contents
Why Help Animals?
Animals Feel 3
The Way Animals Are Treated 6
Busy People 13
‘What About People?’ 13
‘We Need To Use Animals To Benefit People’ 14
How You Can Help
Consume Ethically 14
Spread The Word 24
Campaigning 30
Political Campaigning 35
Local Ways To Help Animals 35
Campaign Planning 37
The Positive Page 39
Useful Information 40
Why Help Animals?
When I tell people I’m trying to help animals, I often get comments such as ‘what about all the people suffering in the world?’ ‘animals don’t really suffer’ or ‘they’re there for our use’. These are all fair comments, they’re people’s opinions and everyone’s entitled to them; they’re also the reason I’ve put this chapter in this book; just in case someone’s picked this up out of curiosity but doesn’t know too much about the animal rights/ welfare movement. If you already know and want to do something to help animals, then you could memorise some facts from this material for future conversations with someone who’s asked about why you care about animal welfare or to create your own leaflets/ books if you want to. It would also be a useful perspective of another person’s point of view which will better enable you to explain your side of the story.
T
"The
time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of
animals as they now look on the murder of men."
-
Leonardo
da Vinci,
artist and scientist
Animals Feel
So, we’ll deal with each concern, one by one. Firstly, the matter of animal emotions and intelligence. Descartes famously reported that animals ‘act naturally and mechanically, like a clock which tells the time better than our judgement does. Doubtless when the swallows come in Spring, they operate like clocks. The actions of honeybees are of the same nature and the discipline of cranes in flight, and of apes fighting. All originate from the corporal and mechanical principal.’ Fortunately, today it seems most people have moved far from this belief. Humans also need to be able to do these things but we know it's our feelings that drive us to do them. It would, according to nature, make sense for animals to have similar feelings to humans as it would make it much more likely that animals would carry out the functions necessary for survival. An animal's more likely to run away from danger if it's afraid, more likely to look after it's young if it feels love for them, more likely to mate if it feels attraction and more likely to play and learn survival skills, if it has fun doing this.
Perhaps when people see animals acting quite violently in the wild by killing another animal for meat or territory, they feel animals lack compassion but if we were in their situation we’d have to do the same. Our lives are much easier; we’re less likely to starve, loose our homes or be killed. If we were in the same situation as animals, we’d kill animals for food and kill humans to destroy the competition for food and housing. Instincts and the need for survival cause animals to kill and hurt leaving us in doubt that nature itself is cruel. It’s humans who are capable of cruelty by killing animals when it’s not necessary and by the way we treat them.
Many Scientists argue that it’s not necessary for animals to feel emotions and that they’re programmed to run from danger and look after their young etc. The same could apply to humans. There’s no need for humans or animals to feel emotions; if we were all programmed to do what was best for our survival with no feeling behind it at all, we could survive like we do now, but the world would be a boring place. Emotions enrich our lives so much and make it so much more meaningful, maybe that’s the simple reason for us and animals having them.
However, when animals act in a way that isn’t to their benefit through emotions, this proves how they are more feeling than ‘programmed’, otherwise they’d be acting in a way that works best to aid their survival. For example, when animals freeze in fear, this puts them at greater risk of being caught by the predator. If they were programmed as some Scientists suggest, they would run as fast as they can (which they sometimes do, but then so do humans!). When an animal looses someone close to them they often give up eating and drinking and often die; if they were programmed to survive, they would carry on regardless.
It's also important to remember just how convenient the theory of animals having limited emotions is, particularly to the people who claim it! If people felt the capacity of emotions in all animals was similar to that of humans, animal experiments or the treatment of farm animals could no longer be seen as moral.
During the slave trade, it was believed by most that slaves had no feelings as they 'didn't blush'. We now know all people blush when embarrassed but it's simply harder to see on darker skin. Women were seen as inferior and less intelligent than men. Until quite recently, it was believed premature babies couldn't feel pain as they showed no signs of stress when given injections etc. Therefore, operations and procedures were carried out, often without
anaesthetic. It has since been proven otherwise.
B
"There
is no fundamental difference between man and the higher animals in
their mental faculties... The lower animals, like man, manifestly
feel pleasure and pain, happiness, and misery."
-Charles Darwin
Did you know that?
Most dog owners will probably agree that dogs are able to feel happiness but some scientists still dispute this. Dogs have a hormone called dopamine as humans do. This hormone actually increases when dogs chew. If a dog feels anxious after an owner has gone out for the day, they'll chew cushions and shoes to increase their level of dopamine.
In October 2001, a study undertaken by the University of Cambridge, revealed that sheep, when isolated from the rest of their flock, showed signs of extreme distress by bleating, increased level of stress hormones and heart rate. When shown photos of sheep they knew, they experienced a reduction in the previous symptoms. Cows also showed intelligence by learning that they needed to press on a panel to open a gate to obtain food. Studies at Oxford University found that Betty, a Caledonian heifer, instinctively bent a piece of wire, using a gap in her food tray to create a hook that allowed her to scrape food from the bottom of a jar. They also form grooming partnerships as do chimps and gorillas. Battery chickens and birds caught from the wild and sold as exotic pets will pull out their feathers, so much so that battery chickens are ‘de-beaked’ to prevent this from happening. This isn’t natural behaviour for birds; this is a sign of extreme distress; similar to that of self-harming carried out by humans. It’s a sad reflection on farmers that when their animals are distressed enough to carry out such acts, they then pull off their beaks to prevent it rather than improving conditions for the chickens.
Cows are artificially inseminated in order to keep up with the demands for milk making the calf produced from this, a ‘by-product’. Usually within the first twenty four hours, the calf is removed and fed on a substitute while the milk is kept for human consumption. This is very detrimental to both the mother and baby. Both parties are said to bellow incessantly for days after the separation. The cows also show the whites of their eyes at an increased percentage. This is a known sign of frustration, when their calves have been taken from them.
In England a calf had been bought and trucked to another farm. The next morning the people who had bought the calf came in to find him suckling from his mum in his stall, the gate having been knocked down. The cow had travelled several miles overnight to find her son. Similarly in West Virginia, a cow called Winnie was sold without her calf, Beauty. She escaped and was found twenty miles away with her calf in his new placement.
In one experiment on fifteen rhesus monkeys, they were trained to pull either of two chains to get food. After a while a new aspect was introduced; if they pulled one of the chains a monkey in an adjacent compartment would receive a powerful electric shock. Two thirds of the monkeys preferred to pull the chain that gave them food without shocking the other monkey. Two other monkeys, after seeing shock administered, refused to pull either chain. Monkeys were less likely to shock other monkeys if they had been shocked themselves.
Until very recently when studies proved otherwise (2004), people considered fishing to be humane as they claimed fish don't feel pain. In fact, fish respond similarly to fish hooks as they do to an electric shock in the roof of their mouth. Fish have pain receptors and respond to pain in similar ways to humans. Morphine administered to fish, reduced the behaviour they display when put in a painful situation and reduced their gill rate. When acid or bee venom was injected into the lips of fish, they rubbed their lips against rocks and their gill rate increased by 80%. Where maggots and worms are used as bait, it seems the fish aren't the only ones who suffer. The earthworm's nervous system secretes an opiate substance, used by humans to calm down pain, when it has been injured. The fact that they wiggle on the hook should also be a clear sign of discomfort.
Pigs share the same mental capacity as a three year old child.
Fish play and can produce endorphins (feel good hormones) and cortisone (chemicals produced by stress).
Sheep and cows recognise other members of their flocks and herds and have specific friends and grooming partners?
Chickens can learn to operate switches and levers to change surrounding temperatures or open doors to feeding areas.
People who believe strongly in animal emotions and intelligence can be frowned upon for being anthropomorphic or over-sentimental but why shouldn’t’t an animal’s feelings be considered? More zoologists are starting to believe and write freely of animal emotions.
There are plenty of intellectuals who have and do freely talk of animals having emotions; Francois Voltaire, Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton and John Locke to name a few. All feeling beings have the right to live a happy, peaceful life no matter what their species, race or gender.
The Way Animals Are Treated
Farming
To
save farmers money, hundreds of animals are kept in cramped,
unsanitary conditions, many never getting to see the outside world.
Due to the bad conditions, many animals quickly catch diseases and
are left to carry on living with healthy animals who inevitably later
catch the diseases themselves. Farmed animals are also killed young
as this makes for tender meat, if they haven’t already dies from
the conditions in which they’re kept. With a rota of 500 animals to
kill a day, abattoir workers have to work quickly, often resulting in
animals not being stunned properly before their throats are slit and
they’re therefore left to bleed to death, often for hours. As with
any other mammal, cows need to be impregnated in order to produce
milk. As dairy and beef cattle are so different, male cows produced
as a by-product of milk, are seen as surplus and are simply killed
immediately or sent to be used as veal. The calf is immediately
separated from their mother so that we can use the milk while they
are fed a substitute. Chicks are also disposed of by being gassed or
shredded alive for the same reasons. Free-r
"The
greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the
way its animals are treated…To my mind, the life of a lamb is no
less precious than that of a human being."
-
Mahatma Gandhi,
statesman and philosopher
Leather and fur are sometimes said to be a meat by-product. Leather products aren’t cheap and make as much money as meat for farmers; the dye used on the coats is also tested on animals. For Indian leather, dozens of cows are crammed into small lorries where their limbs are often crushed and elder or weaker cows die during the journey. Animals who are too sick to walk are beaten or have chilli peppers rubbed into their eyes. Once at the abattoir, cows are bound by all four feet and thrown onto the blood covered floor where their throats are then slit and they are left to die in front of all the other cows who are now painfully aware of their own fate.
At around fourteen to fifteen months, is the average age at which a sheep is first shawn and then every year afterwards. They are shawn early in the spring when conditions are often still wet and cold causing severe chilling and infections such as mastitis and sometimes even death.
Basic Ways You Can Help
Go vegan or eat less meat, fish, eggs and dairy.
If you do continue to buy meat, fish, eggs and dairy, ensure the animals have been free range.
Spread the word.
Keep up to date on legislation surrounding farmed animals.
Seafood
Farmed fish are kept in appalling conditions, with as many as twenty seven trout being kept in the equivalent of a bath tub. Fish tend to be farmed now due to over fishing putting some species at the risk of becoming endangered. Farmed fish often suffer from open wounds on their heads which often reveal skull. This is due to the constant rubbing against the side and other fish due to lack of space.
Seine nets are often used to catch fish. These nets trail for miles of the sea entangling any animal unfortunate enough to come near them. Many animals such as dolphins, whales and turtles drown in these nets and are tossed back into the water as they will not be eaten; they’re bodies are completely wasted.
Caught fish suffer excruciating decompression when hauled out of the water. This can cause their eyes to pop out and their innards to come out through their mouth.
In order to limit the amount of diseases farmed fish can catch, they are given vaccines, antibiotics and chemicals with known human health risks. The smell of fish we so often come across is actually the smell of their saturated fats turning rancid. Thirty per cent of the fats in fish can be saturated, leading to cancers, obesity and heart disease. These fats soak up toxins such as mercury and some cancer causing dioxins from polluted oceans.
Unfortunately, three quarters of prawns are caught using trawlers and large nets which catch many other sea animals as well as prawns which are known as ‘by-catch’ and are tossed back into the sea, dead. As you can imagine, this has very dangerous implications on our beautiful range of sea life. The rest are farmed using a method called aquaculture. 90% of these farms are in developing parts of Asia where child labour is routinely used and workers are poorly paid. Often land will be destroyed to make way for these farms and the harsh chemicals and fertilisers used often seep into the local water supply.
Lobsters are very complex animals; they flirt, they can be right or left handed and they have been known to hold hands with their partners! They are also vertebrates, who, like us, feel pain. When put into boiling water, they have been known to scream and their claws scrape the side of the pan as they struggle to escape what must be the most unbearable pain. Invertebrate zoologist Karen G. Horsley said of lobsters who are cut in half while still alive (another, less used, killing method), "The lobster does not have an autonomic nervous system that puts it into a state of shock when it is harmed. It probably feels itself being cut. ... I think the lobster is in a great deal of pain from being cut open ... [and] feels all the pain until its nervous system is destroyed during cooking."
Lobsters and other crustaceans contain excessive amounts of proteins and cholesterol. They are also often highly contaminated with pesticides, bacteria and many other toxins. If you give up seafood, you can still get omega three from foods such as spinach, soybeans, walnuts, rapeseed oil and flaxseed.
Basic Ways You Can Help
Opt for a seafood-free diet or stick to organic farmed fish or fish with the blue tick which is the mark of the marine stewardship council (MSC), ensuring the fish has come from sustainable resources.
Log onto www.fishonline.org to see fish which aren’t sustainable as there are so few of them and avoid them, encourage others to avoid them and complain to restaurants/ supermarkets that sell them!
Write to DEFRA requesting their support in a ban of seine nets at; Defra Customer Contact Unit, Eastbury House, 30 - 34 Albert Embankment, London, SE1 7TL.
If you see restaurants selling live crustaceans, boycott them and let them know why; if they realise they are losing business by carrying out this cruel act, they will soon stop.
Spread the word.
Keep up to date on legislation surrounding sea animals.
Fur
Be wary of mistaking real fur for fake fur; real fur that’s made using stray cats and dogs is sold cheaply. Spot real fur by feeling it; it will feel particularly soft and be very fine. Animals are usually kept in appalling conditions when farmed for fur. Wolves, coyotes, rabbits, mink and many other species are kept in cramped, unsanitary conditions where they barely have enough room to move. Animals in these conditions show signs of extreme stress with acts such as self-mutilation and cannibalism. They are then killed by neck dislocated, gassing, anal electrocution or lethal injection. In some countries, animals have the skin taken off them while they are still alive as this keeps the fur ‘springy’ and soft. Some shops that sell fur claim the fur is a by-product from animals that are killed for meat but this is simply not the case. Animals killed for meat are usually killed at a very young age; rabbits, for example, are usually killed for meat aged around six weeks old. Animals killed for fur are much older so that the fur has had time to grow; rabbits for fur are on average killed at the age of five to six months.
Basic Ways You Can Help
Shops that still sell fur at present are Harrods, Kurt Geiger, Josephs and Burberry; boycott them and let them know why. Log onto their websites for contact details.
Spread the word about fur and be wary of buying it.
Keep up to date on legislation surrounding fur.
Vivisection
If medicine works well for your pet goldfish, would you use the same medicine to help your pet rabbit? Of course you wouldn’t! But this same theory is applied to animal testing!
Not only is animal testing cruel, it’s also detrimental to human health because animals’ and humans’ bodies are so different. Here’s some reasons why animal testing is considered inaccurate by many scientists and doctors;
Animals don’t get the same diseases as humans and even when they are given similar ones, their bodies deal with them in a completely different way to humans.
There have been variations in results from animal testing according to different breeds and even genders.
As the animals used are much smaller than humans, a formula ratio has to be estimated and has never proven to be accurate.
There is a lot of evidence to suggest animal tests are detrimental to human health;
Prescription drugs are the fourth biggest killer in the UK.
Four out of ten patients who are given pills suffer from painful side effects or even death.
The European Medical Journal and the British Medical Journal published a survey answered by 500 doctors. They were asked whether they agreed or disagreed with the following statements;
1. Laboratory experiments performed on animals can be misleading because of anatomical and physiological differences between animals and humans. 88% agreed.
2
“Vivisection is the blackest of all
the black crimes that man is at present committing against God and
His fair creation.”
- Gandhi, Mahatma
3. Patients would suffer fewer side effects if new drugs were tested more extensively on human cell and tissue cultures. 51% agreed.
4. Too many experiments on animals are performed. 69% agreed.
But How Else Do We Find Medicines To Help People?
There are alternatives to animal testing which are;
Complex computer models which can determine and calculate the effects specific chemicals have when combined appropriately
Volunteers (when it is safe to use them!)
Test tubes with proteins and enzymes
Human cells and tissue.
So Why Test On Animals?
Animal testing is cheap and can be used to make drugs sell whatever the consequences. For example, if a drug helps the animals it’s tested on, people can claim the drug works and can sell it. If the drug harms the animals it’s tested on, the drug company will still put the drug on the market, claiming that animals and humans are too different and therefore the result is irrelevant!
Are Just Drugs Tested On Animals?
Pet food, beverages, cosmetics, household products and clothes dye are all tested on animals; none of it is required by law. Although it is illegal to test on animals for cosmetics in Britain, it isn’t illegal in other parts of Europe and many well-known cosmetic companies have their ingredients and final products tested on animals abroad to sell in England to unsuspecting customers.
Animals are put through painful experiments to ‘prove’ the benefit of healthy pet foods or beverages such as fruit juices. For example, in one experiment, a juice company paid researchers to cut open dogs’ chests and damage critical arteries to induce blood clots. They were then fed grape juice to see the effect this had on the blood clots.
Products Tested On Animals
Every day chemicals are forced into the eyes of rabbits and applied to animals' shaved and raw skin. Laboratory workers place the animals in restraining devices so they cannot struggle while the workers apply the chemicals, which burn into the animals' eyes and skin. Many animals aren‘t anaesthetised or given any pain killers. Animals sometimes break their necks or backs attempting to escape the pain.
What’s worse is that a lot of this is carried out for cosmetics, household products and pet food when this isn‘t required by law and there are plenty of alternatives available. Although it is illegal to test on animals for cosmetics in Britain, it isn’t illegal in other parts of Europe and many well-known cosmetic companies have their ingredients and final products tested on animals abroad to sell in England to unsuspecting customers. There are plenty of ingredients that can be used in household products and cosmetics that don’t need to be tested on animals as they have already been deemed safe. In order to gain the ‘new and improved’ label, companies test new products on animals rather than use old safe ingredients.
Pet food can also be tested on animals. Many well-known pet food companies have animals tested on for their pet food. Unfortunately, this requires much more than the animal being fed the food to see if they like the taste. For nearly 10 months in 2002 and early 2003, a PETA investigator went undercover at an Iams contract testing laboratory and discovered a dark and sordid secret beneath the wholesome image of the dog- and cat-food manufacturer: dogs gone crazy from intense confinement to barren steel cages and cement cells, dogs left piled on a filthy paint-chipped floor after having chunks of muscle hacked from their thighs; dogs surgically debarked; horribly sick dogs and cats languishing in their cages, neglected and left to suffer with no veterinary care. PETA’s video footage shows Iams representatives touring the facility and witnessing dogs’ endless circling in barren cells, sweltering in the summer heat. Iams knew the truth yet did nothing to protect the animals. Many of these companies hand the dogs and cats over to a ‘retirement centre’ when they are finished with them but reports reveal these are actually other laboratories so they can be tested on further.
The following companies test on animals; Hill’s Pedigree Nutrition, Iams, Nestle Purina and Pedigree. Fortunately, there are plenty of other pet food companies that don’t test on animals.
Basic Ways You Can Help
Log onto www.buav.org to find out which products (cosmetics, household products and pet foods) are cruelty free.
Write to companies that still test on animals and ask them to use ingredients that are old, proven effective and don’t need to be tested on animals.
Write to your MP requesting research into the effectiveness of animal testing and for an alternative research centre.
Spread the word.
Keep up to date on legislation surrounding testing on animals.
Animals Used In Sport
Needless to say, hunting and killing any living being and to deem it a ‘sport’ isn’t a healthy attitude. However, other sports considered humane, such as greyhound and horse racing, are anything but. The British Greyhound Racing Board admits to 500 greyhounds being put to death every year because (usually between the ages of 2-3) they are no longer fit to race. Ferdinand, a Derby winner and Horse of the Year in 1987, was retired to Claiborne Farms and then changed hands at least twice before being “disposed of” in Japan; a reporter covering the story concluded, “No one can say for sure when and where Ferdinand met his end, but it would seem clear he met it in a slaughterhouse.”(23) Exceller, a million-dollar racehorse who was inducted into the National Racing Museum’s Hall of Fame, was killed at a Swedish slaughterhouse.
Basic Ways You Can Help
Don’t watch animals being used for sports and encourage others not to.
Go along to demonstrations outside race tracks. Log onto http://www.veggies.org.uk/arc.php to find out about demonstrations in your area. Also log onto www.greyhoundaction.org.uk/ for demos and more information.
Spread the word.
Keep up to date on legislation surrounding animals used for sport.
Entertainment That Uses Animals
Zoos, aquariums and circuses all claim to have high animal welfare standards and zoos often claim they are of benefit to endangered species due to rehabilitation programmes. A lot of animals don't make it through their first year after being released into the wild. Out of the 120 endangered species which are currently under the international zoos breeding programme, only 16 species have been introduced back into the wild and these haven't always been successful. Circuses don't offer particularly pleasant lives for animals; they're constantly travelling in cramped conditions and forced into completely unnatural situations, for example, tigers are afraid of fire and are made to jump through hoops of fire. An estimated 95% of animals used in aquariums, come from the wild and 49-80% of these animals die on the journey to the aquarium.
Basic Ways You Can Help
Don’t visit circuses that use animals; the animals usually have a very unpleasant life.
Log onto http://www.captiveanimals.org/ for more information on how you can help.
Spread the word.
Keep up to date on legislation surrounding animals in entertainment.
Exotic Pets
Every year, thousand of animals are made to suffer or die due to the exotic pet trade. The process used to catch the wild birds is to take a wild bird, chop off their wings and peg them into the ground. This causes other wild birds to come over and these are then caught in a net. As many as four birds will die for every one that makes it to the pet shop. Those that do make it go from a life of freedom to cramped, unsanitary conditions where many will die due to lack of food or water, suffocation, extreme temperature changes or shock. When the ‘pets’ finally find a home many die as their owners don’t realise how complex and difficult it is to look after an exotic animal. It’s only illegal to capture endangered species to be kept as exotic pets. These unfortunate animals are crammed into hair rollers and pipes or sewn into the lining of coats with their mouths taped up so they can be transported long distances to be sold as pets abroad. Victims of the trade include finches, parrots, exotic birds, chipmunks, monkeys, tamarins, scorpions, marmosets, polecats, snakes, tortoises, turtles, terrapins and large spiders. The best way to stop this trade is to avoid buying any exotic pets and encourage others to do the same.
Basic Ways You Can Help
Don’t buy exotic pets unless you know where they came from and how to look after them properly.
Spread the word
Campaign against pet shops that do sell exotic pets that have been caught from the wild.
Keep up to date on legislation surrounding exotic pets.
Busy People
Many people have very busy lives and getting into all this animal welfare business brings about the fear of a new lifestyle (i.e. new diet, new clothes choices) and lots of work (i.e. writing letters, leafleting, spreading the word etc). The most effective thing you can probably do for animals is to go vegan (or maybe vegetarian), by doing this you will be saving millions of animals form suffering within your lifetime and thankfully, this is the most easy (time-wise!) option! There are plenty of charities that focus on veganism and vegetarianism and can support you to make a quick and easy diet change, then it’s simply a case of buying different food at the supermarket! I’m not going to say the diet change is easy because I’m still struggling to be vegan now but even by eating less dairy, eggs and meat you are doing your bit! Other activities that help animals you can just squeeze in if and when you have the time. Many animal activists suffer from ‘burn-out’ at some point as they feel there is so much to be done and there are so few doing it. You need to be happy and healthy to be able to do your bit for animals effectively!
‘What About People?’
There are so many problems affecting many souls across the world today. Many people can’t understand why people focus on the rights of animals while children and people are dying from starvation and war. Thing is, can we really say one species is more deserving of life or a decent existence than another? And is there anything to stop you from helping everyone? Isn’t every person and animal deserving of happiness and to be free from pain? What’s even better, is the happiness of people and animals usually goes hand in hand. In countries where some people live in poverty, these people will be more likely to kill an elephant for ivory, for example. No matter how much you love animals, can you honestly say you wouldn’t do the same if you and your family desperately needed the money to survive? So by solving the problem of poverty in certain parts of some countries, you’re solving some animal welfare issues at the same time. It is always possible (and more likely to get other people on your side) if you consider the people who are involved in an animal welfare issue as well as the animals. For example, farmers who raise animals using factory farming could be seen as cruel and you could insist on trying to shut down their farm. But the farmer’s trying to make a living and the supermarket will only give them 3pence per chicken – how are they supposed to give an animal a good quality of life for under 3pence? Perhaps a more practical way of dealing with this situation is to support the farmer in selling his food directly to people (without going through the supermarket) so that he can afford to give the chicken a good quality of life. There’s more about this later in the book so I won’t bore you with it now!
Furthermore, many industries that exploit animals also exploit people and children. Many designer shows which use fur also still use child labour, eating meat affects the welfare of animals and affects global warming for the worse and land cleared for farming/ logging in rainforests affects animals and global warming.
‘We Need To Use Animals to Benefit People’
Many people tell me how saddened they are by animal testing but that if a member of their family was ill, they would want animal testing to find a cure for their relative. Equally, many people don’t like the way animals are treated on farms but want to eat meat for protein and good health. I believe that meat is extremely bad for you. Cortisone, the stress hormone, was injected into guinea pigs; it killed them immediately – can you imagine what eating a previously stressed animal does to us? It’s exactly the same – every time we eat meat, we are having cortisone injected straight into our systems.
"If an animal does something
we call it instinct; if we do the same thing for the same reason we
call it intelligence"
-
Will Cuppie
As for animal testing; do you know that an animal: human ratio hasn’t even been devised yet? If something actually works for an animal, we STILL don’t know how much of a dose to give a human before it might work?!?!? (I use the word ‘might’ very purposefully given that what helps an animal won’t necessarily help us given that their bodies get different diseases to ours and deal with them in totally different ways).
How You Can Help Animals
Consume Ethically
Veganism
Easy, Nutritious Vegan Meals
It can seem daunting to get all your essential vitamins as a vegan but we wanted to make it really easy. Most of these meals incorporate all your essential vitamins but if we couldn’t squeeze them all into one meal, we’ve added some extra snacks so you can still meet your daily requirement. To ensure you get all your vitamins, it’s important to eat cereal with fortified B12 (in either the soya milk or cereal) everyday and make sure you eat lots of leafy green vegetables.
Avocado salad - avocado, tomato, lettuce, cucumber, roasted seeds and nuts, butter beans and mushrooms with a splash of vinegar.
Handful of roasted nuts and seeds sprinkled with salt - as long as you have this and some dried apricots, fruit and green leafy vegetables at other points throughout the day, you will have had all of your essential vitamins and minerals!
Sweet potato with veg and fake meat of your choice - baked sweet potato with butter, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and broad beans.
Baked potato with beans and side salad - baked potato with margarine, beans and a salad of your choice - as long as it has lettuce in it, you have met your daily vitamin requirements.
Lentil soup - cook the lentils for as long as required before adding black pepper, beans and chopped tomatoes, then liquidising. Add parsley as a finishing touch and to meet all your vitamin requirements!
Shepherd’s pie with lentils - cook the lentils before adding carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, chick peas, beans and chopped tomatoes. When it’s all cooked, pop it in a casserole dish and pop mashed potato on the top. A sprinkling of vegan parmesan cheese (available in most supermarkets in the free from section) makes a particularly tasty dish! Add with a side salad for good measure!
Chilli - multi coloured peppers, vegan ‘mince’ (available from most health food shops including Holland and Barrett), chopped tomatoes. Boil the mince first, adding the others later and chilli powder, garlic and mixed herbs. Serve with side salad.
Roast dinner - soya ‘meat’, brussel sprouts, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, roasted potatoes, peas and swede with vegetable gravy.
Stew - sprouts, potato, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and broad beans boiled with a vegetable stock cube.
Stir fry - pop onions, peppers, cabbage pieces, green beans, sweetcorn, mushrooms, beansprouts, peas and chopped carrot into the pan. Fry in a little oil and add soya sauce later before serving.
Tortilla bean wrap – pop lettuce, tomato and cucumber into the bottom of a tortilla wrap. Add beans of your choice, chickpeas and egg free mayonnaise.
Fruit salad - apples, mango, banana, strawberries, kiwi fruit and oranges all provide you with some of your necessary vitamins. However, as they can’t provide them all, it’s also good to have a salad with roasted nuts and seeds at another point during the day.
As a vegan, it’s essential that you ensure you eat plenty of foods rich in calcium as follows;
Calcium Rich Foods;
Fortified soya milk
Almonds and almond milk
Green leafy vegetables such as kale and spinach
Swede
Broccoli
Tofu
Cheap Vegan Products
Although by cooking you can usually eat vegan food fairly cheaply, it’s tough if you’re not a natural cook! Unfortunately, vegan treats and ready to eat meals can be expensive as they’re not mass produced. However, there are some treats that you may be surprised to know are vegan and you can usually get them for pretty cheap!
Chocolate - Lots of health food shops such as Holland and Barrett sell vegan ice cream (which isn’t much more than dairy ice cream and tastes great!), vegan chocolate and you can get many dairy free chocolate products from your local supermarket in their free-from range. Most bourbon creams are actually vegan at as little as 40p a pack and Ruffles, most mint thins and Oreos are also vegan. Cocoa powder is vegan and can make you a lovely warm chocolatey drink. Also, most dark chocolate has no dairy in it! If it’s too bitter for you, try melting it with some soya milk and sugar before pouring it on whatever you fancy or leaving it to cool and eating as a bar of chocolate later. It’s particularly nice on chopped banana!
Cheese - there are many dairy free cheeses available from health food shops such as Holland and Barrett but they taste best melted onto or into food. To really sort your cheese pangs, try vegan cream cheese with garlic and herbs (also available from health food shops).
Milk – soya and rice milk is now sold for a reasonable price in most supermarkets.
Eggs – egg replacement powder, egg free mayonnaise and tofu for scrambled egg.
Sweet cravings - many sweet things contain dairy and eggs. So, if you don’t want to buy the more expensive vegan alternatives, you’ll be pleased to know many jam tarts bakewell tarts, apple pies and strudels are vegan.
Wool/ leather etc - There are plenty of items you can get that aren’t made of wool. However, when it comes to shoes, that’s a little trickier! The Vegan Store is an online store where you can buy many synthetic leather shoes and belts. Otherwise, check out cheap clothes and shoe shops for plastic alternatives!
Easy Vegan Tasty Recipes
Although you can get some pretty tasty vegan foods, it can be hard to resist the taste of gooey chocolate cookies and brownies once you’ve had a taste for them! So, we’ve compiled a batch of delicious, easy recipes so you can feel free to give in to your temptation with no guilt!
Fried Bean Curd with a Sweet and Sour Sauce;
Although there are quite a few vegan fake meats out there, fried bean curd has that chewy texture you may miss from most meats and melted cheese and it can really absorb flavours. This is one of my favourite bean curd recipes although there are many - a search on the internet can give you many different tasty ones to try!
The sauce:
1.5 teaspoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons plus 3/4 cup vegetable stock
3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
2 tablespoons Chinese thin soy sauce
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 clove garlic peeled
1/4 inch slice of fresh ginger
1 carrot
1/2 small fresh sweet red pepper
1/2 medium sized green bell pepper
2 scallions
3/4 pound firm tofu cut into 1 inch cubes and fried in oil until lightly browned
2.5 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Mix the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of the stock in a small cup. Combine the 3/4 cup stock, vinegar, sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoons salt, cayenne pepper and black pepper in a bowl. Heat 1 tablespoons oil in a small pot over a medium flame. When hot, put in the garlic and ginger. Stir. As soon as the garlic browns, take the pot off the flame and pour the vinegar mixture from the bowl into it. Put the pot back on the fire and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer very gently for 4 minutes. Give the cornstarch mixture a quick stir and add that to the pot. Remove the garlic and ginger. Peel the carrot and cut into 1/16 inch thick diagonal slices. Cut a few slices at a time into very thin strips. Cut the red and green peppers into very thin strips. Cut the scallions into 1.5 inch lengths. Cut each section lengthwise into very thin strips. Put the cubes of fried bean curd in a bowl. Add 2 teaspoons salt to 6 cups of water and bring to a boil. Pour boiling water over the bean curd, dunk the bean curd cubes a few times and then leave them in the water. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok over a medium high flame. Put in 1/2 teaspoons salt and the carrot, red and green pepper and scallions. Stir fry for 30 seconds, turn off heat. Heat the prepared sauce over a low flame. Take the bean curd out of the water. Squeeze gently to get rid of extra moisture and put cubes on a serving platter. Spread the vegetables over the bean curd. Pour the sauce over the vegetables. Serve with rice.
Melty Cheeze;
1 cup of nutritional yeast flakes
1/3 cup white flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups water
1/3 cup margarine
Mix dry ingredients in a saucepan. Gradually add water, making a smooth paste and then thin with the remaining water. Place on heat and stir constantly until it thickens and bubbles. Let it bubble up for about 30 seconds and remove from heat. Whip in the margarine.
Good on pizza, casseroles, open-faced tomato sandwiches, grilled cheese sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, and enchiladas.
Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies;
50g margarine (vegan)
50g self raising flour
50g sugar
50g cocoa
Handful of vegan chocolate chips/ pieces
Mix it all together in a bowl. If it has trouble sticking, adding a little soya milk will help. Break the mixture into balls, flatten slightly and cook for about 10 minutes!
Caramel Slices;
Sweetened Condensed Soy Milk:
1 cup powdered soymilk
3 Tbsp (45 ml) vegan margarine
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 cup boiling water
or 2 cups of sweetened condensed soy milk with 3 Tbsp vegan margarine and vanilla as above
Caramel:
1/8 cup vegan margarine
2 tbsp golden syrup
2-3 Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot powder
Base:
Vegan digestive biscuits
Vegan margarine
Topping:
250g (8 oz) vegan dark chocolate
First make the sweetened condensed soy milk. This can be made the night before, if you like. In a medium saucepan melt 3 tbsp margarine on low heat. Add sugar, vanilla and salt and stir until sugar has dissolved. Add powdered soy milk and boiling water and whisk vigorously until no lumps remain. Chill in fridge until ready to use.
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease a 20cm (8 inch) square brownie tin and line with baking paper.
To make the base, put about half a packet of digestive biscuits into a clean bag, seal the open end and crush. Melt the margarine and once the biscuits have been crushed enough, mix them into a paste with the melted margarine. Place the paste into your baking tray.
In a medium saucepan melt an 1/8 of a cup of margarine and the golden syrup. Add the condensed soy milk mixture and cook over low heat for approx 8 minutes. Place 2 tbsp cornstarch in a small bowl, add a few spoon-fulls of the caramel mixture and mix until cornstarch is dissolved. Add this back into the saucepan of caramel and heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens (be careful to scrap the bottom of the saucepan cos the mixture tends to stick there). The mixture should be very thick. If it hasn’t thickened enough repeat the procedure with another tbsp of cornstarch. Once the caramel is done pour over the base and bake for another 10-12 minutes, until the rim of the caramel is slightly browned. Let the slice cool to room temperature.
Once slice has fully cooled, melt the chocolate in your preferred method, taking care not to burn. Pour evenly over the slice and place in the fridge to set for at least an hour. Check the slice every 10 minutes or so and when the chocolate is still soft but cool enough to keep it’s shape, run a knife just threw the chocolate layer in the sizes that you would like your slices to be (I suggest small squares as it’s very rich). This will stop the chocolate layer from cracking when you try to slice it later. After an hour you can cut the slice to your desired size, and store in a tightly sealed container in the fridge.
Cherry Chip Brownies;
1⁄2 cup packed pitted dates
1⁄2 cup packed pitted dried plums
1 cup barley flour
1 cup brown rice flour
1⁄3 cup carob powder (or cocoa powder)
11⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
2⁄3 cup maple syrup
1⁄4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
3⁄4 cup chopped walnuts
1⁄4 cup vegan carob (or vegan chocolate chips)
1⁄2 cup dried pitted cherries
Place the dates and dried plums into a small saucepan and cover with 11⁄2 cups water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 minute, then remove from heat, cover, and let the dried fruit soak while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9 x 9-inch baking pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
Sift or whisk together the barley flour, brown rice flour, carob powder, baking powder, and salt.
Place the maple syrup, canola oil, vanilla, and the date, dried plum, and water mixture into a blender. Process until completely smooth. Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and stir together until well combined. Fold in the walnuts, carob chips, and dried cherries.
Spread the mixture out in the baking pan. Smooth the top using a spatula. Bake for 30 minutes, until the surface springs back to the touch.
Vegan Fudge;
4 cups powdered sugar
1⁄2 cup cocoa powder
1⁄2 cup vegan chocolate chips
1⁄2 cup nondairy milk
2 tablespoons nonhydrogenated margarine
11⁄2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup cut up vegan marshmallows or 1⁄2 cup
vegan marshmallow fluff, like Ricemellow
Crème (marshmallows and fluff are optional,
but sooo good)
1⁄2 cup chopped nuts
Spray a 9 x 9-inch baking pan well with nonstick spray and set aside. (For holiday gift giving, I pour the fudge into seven foil baking cups that I buy in the shape of stars, hearts, and so on.)
Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder together into a large mixing bowl, add the chocolate chips, and set aside.
In a small saucepan, heat the nondairy milk and margarine to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly to avoid burning.
When the milk is at a steady, strong boil, pour it over the powdered sugar mixture and stir well with a wooden spoon until everything is well combined and the heat has melted the chocolate chips.
Stir in the vanilla, then fold in the marshmallows and the nuts. Spread the fudge out into the prepared pan(s) and refrigerate for a day or more to solidify.
VARIATION: One inspired test cook used holiday soy nog for the nondairy milk with great results.
Triple Chocolate Cupcakes;
3 cups all-purpose flour
1⁄2 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed golden brown sugar
2 cups water
1 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
3⁄4–1 cup vegan chocolate chips (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray twenty-four muffin cups with nonstick spray or line with paper cupcake liners and spray the liners with nonstick spray. Set aside.
Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar, water, canola oil, and vanilla. Mix with a handheld beater or stand mixer until well combined and smooth.
Divide the batter evenly into the twenty-four muffin cups (about 1⁄4 cup batter in each cup—the cupcakes will rise to fill the muffin cups). Sprinkle the top of each cupcake with some chocolate chips. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
VARIATION: To make a cake instead of cupcakes, divide the batter between two 9-inch round cake pans that have been sprayed with nonstick spray. Sprinkle each layer with half the chocolate chips. Bake at 350ºF for 40 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick inserted
into the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Products That Haven’t Been Tested On Animals
T
hen
there’s cosmetics and household products; no companies have to test
their ingredients on animals, in fact, they have a long list of all
the ingredients that work and what harmful effects they have, from
previous experiments. It is only when a company wants to use a new
ingredient that they test it on animals and they wouldn’t have to,
if they tried to find an alternative, more effective way of testing.
There are
plenty of ingredients that can be used in household products and
cosmetics that don’t need to be tested on animals as they have
already been deemed safe. In order to gain the ‘new and improved’
label, companies test new products on animals rather than use old
safe ingredients. Co-op and Marks and Spencers own brands are
completely cruelty free and BUAV approved.
Aldi and Tescos own brand make up isn’t tested on animals. Also Avon and Revlon no longer test the final product or ingredients on animals. By ordering your free copy of The Cruelty Free Book from BUAV you can find out about many more companies that stock and deliver cruelty free make up.
Home-made Cleaning Products
Bleach and many other chemicals are often poured down sinks and toilets. All this eventually ends up in the water and can have devastating effects on many wild animals. Try some more natural solutions and help the environment and save a few bob!
All-Purpose Cleaner: 1 part distilled white vinegar, 1 part water, and a few drops dishwashing liquid
Bleach: Hydrogen peroxide or borax and water
Carpet Shampoo: 1/4 cup mild detergent or soap, 1 pint warm water, and 2 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar
Deodorizer: Baking soda and/or borax
Disinfectant: 1/2 cup borax and 1 gallon hot water
Drain Cleaner: 1/2 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup white wine vinegar (let sit for a few minutes, then follow with a pot of boiling water)
Floor Cleaner: 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar and 1/2 gallon water
Furniture Polish: 1 part white distilled vinegar and 3 parts olive oil, with a dash of natural lemon oil
Glass Cleaner: Club soda
Oven Cleaner: Ammonia (set a shallow pan in the oven and let stand overnight)
Rust Remover: Salt and lime juice (let stand for several hours)
Tub and Tile Cleaner: 1 2/3 cups baking soda, 1/2 cup liquid soap, 1/2 cup water, and 2 Tbsp. vinegar
Prescription Drugs
Homeopathic treatment is now the second most used treatment in the world. This treatment is reliable, has no side effects and usually isn’t tested on animals although you will need to be sure of this and the fact that they have no animal ingredients. Your GP can refer you to one of several NHS homeopathic clinics around the country in London, Tunbridge Wells, Liverpool, Glasgow and Bristol. The Faculty of Homeopathy can give you details on homeopathy; their number is 0870 444 3955. Alternatively, the Alliance of Registered Homeopaths (Tel no; 08700 736 339) can give you a number of private homeopaths you can use. You can also log onto www.alternative-homeopathic-remedies.com and http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/ for some remedies and more information. Your local health shop is also likely to have a selection of homeopathic remedies.
There’s also many natural readily available foods you can use to help with and prevent illnesses and therefore reduce the need for pills;
Heart problems; garlic, avocado, beet.
Digestive problems; almond nuts, apples.
Problems with immune system; cranberries.
Depression/ anxiety; counselling, meditation, yoga, potatoes (these contain serotonin).
Headaches/ migraines; natural apple cider vinegar can be placed in a pan boiling with an equal amount of water. This can be inhaled, with your head over the pan for around five minutes. Biofeedback (when a person can be trained to control their nervous system), chiropractic care or chiropractic manipulations.
Arthritis; olive oil, ginger, cinnamon, carrots, yellow and orange peppers, oranges, acupuncture.
Shingles; Natural apple cider vinegar can be applied to the skin.
And The Rest…
When consuming, we also need to consider animals losing their habitat so here’s some more tips for consuming without harming wild animals;
Humane Pest Repellents;
Ants dislike the herbs pennyroyal, lavender, garlic and a liquid preparation of ferns. Try liberal applications of these (the more concentrated the better) on a regular basis.
Aphids & White Fly are discouraged from nesting by dew and breezes. Try to recreate these conditions by regular spritsing of plants with water or, for infestations, 1 litre water, 1/2 tsp dish detergent and 1/4 cup vinegar. You could also try a fan for a few hours a day.
Flies and mosquitoes hate the smell of citronella. Try burning citronella oil or basil oil near open windows to prevent flies from entering.
Mice dislike garlic, elderberry liquid or Crown Imperial (Fritillaria). You can also try humane traps although these need to be checked regularly. There are various devices that use ultrasonic sound to deter mice, rats, ants, spiders, moles; one model covers all. Harmless to birds, cats, dogs and people, although might not be suitable for homes with gerbils, hamsters or other rodents. Can be suitable for home, farm, office & warehouse use. Available from mail order companies e.g. Starport www.izola.co.uk tel: 0800 542 5307 or DIY Pest Control Suppliers. www.diypcs.co.uk.
Rats dislike Cat Nip (Nepeta cataria). Many good retailers also sell humane traps.
Slugs & Snails can be deterred using The Flowerfortress - a round potholder that is an “effective slug and snail barrier” for outdoor pot plants. Available mail order from Ladybird garden Essentials, Ladybird House, 27 Harwood Vale, Bolton BL2 3QU. £9. 99 plus £2.95 p&p. Or in person for £9. 99 from David Graham, Tel: 0161 860 4869.
Slug it Out - protective recycled plastic ring that sits around seedlings or plants, its sloping sides and over-lapping lip keep slugs at bay. Available from The Natural Collection, www.naturalcollection.com tel: 01225 404010
Spiders - A spray made with chestnut and clove scents deters spiders. - If you don’t like catching them, The Natural Collection has a ‘Spider & Bug Buster’ - a battery-operated suction device that allows you to gently vacuum up spiders, wasps, and other crawling and hovering insects, and release them outside without harming them. Available from www.naturalcollection.com tel: 01225 404010
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