Animal welfare is a growing priority
News
We help the world to see how important animals are to all of us and we inspire people to change animals’ lives for the better. Why? Because the lives of animals and people are inextricably linked. A sustainable future for the planet can only be achieved if animals are part of the solution.
The Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR), renowned for informing and inspiring social change leaders in the non-profit, business and governments sectors recently published on its blog a piece from World Animal Protection highlighting that animal protection is a growing and global priority.
With the momentum behind animal welfare increasing, now is the time to drive lasting change. Below is an excerpt:
“Those of us working to advance animal welfare in America currently find ourselves in an exciting—and unusual—moment. The most mainstream of audiences are seriously considering stances that just a few years ago might have seemed extreme.
Just look at the carriage horse debate currently swirling in New York City, which reached its apogee during last year’s mayoral elections; voters prompted candidates to voice their position on the treatment of the city’s horses. Meanwhile, leading media outlets are devoting increased air time and column inches to animal issues: Influential columnists Frank Bruni and Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times, for example, have both devoted pieces this year to animal sentience and welfare.
And SeaWorld continues to endure an ongoing firestorm of criticism following last summer’s smash documentary Blackfish, which changed viewers’ perceptions—seemingly overnight—about the keeping of marine mammals in captivity. These examples might seem disparate, but taken in sum, they show a shift in perceptions of animal welfare by thought leaders, governments and businesses, and consumers. And make no mistake: This has never been the norm.”