Animal Rights Activism Everyone Can Do

Introduction

On this page are different types of animal rights activism that everyone can do. You can help stop animal abuse by raising awareness of it. Animal rights activism can be subtle, right up to much more visible methods.

The more people who know about animal cruelty, the more people who will want to help stop it.

There are a number of different ways you can raise awareness of animal cruelty and suffering through animal rights activism. You will be able to learn about many of them on this page.

Image: Animal rights activism – being advocates for animals. Source

What Is An Activist?

An activist is a person who campaigns to bring about political or social change. An animal rights activist is campaigns for animal rights.

There are many different types of animal rights activism. Here are just some of the ways you can raise awareness of animal cruelty issues:

• Using the web
• Giving out leaflets and flyers
• Putting up posters
• Using your voice
• Doing presentations at school, college, or to community groups
• Displaying messages on your clothing / other accessories
• Taking part in, or organising, protests and demonstrations

You can learn about different types of animal rights activism on this page.

Image: Animal rights and climate change activist at a demonstration. Because the biggest difference one person can make to save the planet and for animals is to go vegan, animal rights and the environment often cross over. Animal agriculture does more damage to the planet that every single type of transport on earth combined. Source

Raise Awareness Online

You can help raise awareness of animal cruelty issues by sharing information and images online. You can do this on social media websites, on blogs, and file sharing websites, such as YouTube. Sharing information and images from websites such as this one, and other animal advocacy sources, will help raise awareness.

Online activists can also be known as e-activists, and sometimes armchair activists. The latter term can be used in a derogatory way. It may be used in the context of “just” being an armchair activist and not really doing anything useful to help the issues. This is wrong, because raising awareness of the issues is helping. It is certainly more helpful than doing nothing at all.

Posting On Social Media

When you post links to website pages on sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc, write an explanation of what you are posting, with them. Write something that will make people want to click on the link to find out more.

If people read your post, it may make them feel like they want to do something to help stop animal abuse. It is therefore good to also include links to web pages about how they can help stop animal cruelty.

Sign & Share Petitions

Petitions to stop animal abuse are good to post on social networking website pages. Make sure you include an explanation of what they are about. Petitions are a great way to raise awareness. Beware though, some petition sites are fraudulent. See the Campaigns and Petitions page for more information. There are also instructions on that page on how to automatically fill in petitions. This means you avoid having to enter your details each time. If you share that information on social media, it may encourage people to sign more petitions.

All these things are also good to do if you wanted to create a blog or glog (graphic blog) to raise awareness and encourage people to help stop animal abuse.

Report Internet Animal Abuse

When you see evidence of animal cruelty on the web, there is a way to report it that could get it actually investigated. If you want a chance for the perpetrators to be brought to justice, find out how, here.

Report Animals For Sale On Social Media

If you see an animal for sale in a Facebook selling group, there is the option to report it to Facebook.

You click the arrow at the top right of the post, then select “Report Post” from the drop down menu. Then select ” This is an animal for sale”.

Unfortunately, if the pet for sale is posted in any way other than through Facebook Marketplace, that reporting option is not available.

Post In Pet Selling Groups

Tactfully and respectfully post in pet selling groups encouraging people to save innocent lives. Ask them if they would consider adopting a rescued pet. Give them a link to our list of animal rescues page. Post in the groups telling people how they can save an innocent life by adopting or foster 

Many people do not realise so many innocent, adoptable pets are put to death at UK pounds. Letting people know that may encourage them to adopt. Be careful to put things in a friendly, gentle, non-aggressive and non-accusatory way. Getting the backs up of people could get you banned from the group. It also works against your message.

When you see people advertising a pet for a low price, or free, politely alert people to the dangers of that. Share a link with them to the free to a good home warning page.

Image: Sharing information from this, or other animal advocacy websites, on social media raises awareness. Source

See the next section for how to reach people who do not want to know about how they cause animal suffering with their every day choices.

How To Get Through To People Who Simply Don’t Want to Know

Many people choose to be wilfully ignorant about what happens in the animal agriculture industry. They would simply rather not know. They prefer to be able to carry on making the choices that cause terrible suffering, without feeling guilty.

We have a page explaining the most effective ways to cause change, here. The page also helps animal activists know the importance of looking after their own minds. It explains how that helps animals.

The page is aimed at people who would normally turn away from anything educating them about the cruelty involved in animal agriculture. By piquing their curiosity with certain styles of headlines, they will be tempted to look, which means they will learn as a result.

Warning: on the pages there are graphic content which more sensitive people may find distressing.

Image: Reach people who do not want to know about the animal suffering their choices cause

Use Your Mobile / Cell Phone To Broadcast Animal Rights Activities

There is animal rights activism you can do using your mobile phone to film and broadcast. Whether you know a bit about journalism or not, you can use your mobile / cell phone as an effective tool against animal cruelty and suffering.

Television Does Not Want To Lose Advertising Revenue

Main stream media (TV) do very little coverage of animal rights activism, events and activities. They are reluctant to cover animal rights issues because they do not want to lose the revenue from advertisers. Many of their advertisers products involve animal suffering. These include meat, dairy, eggs, and pharmaceutical products.

Use The Internet To Expose The Truth

Because the animal rights message cannot get to people through television, it is up to activists to use the internet to let people know the truth.

You can use their mobile or cell phones to film and/or report on animal rights issues and events that would never be covered on television. Some ideas are that you may want to document activities of the Save Movement, film animal rights speakers giving talks, or report on protests and demonstrations, or broadcast about any animal rights issue that concerns you. Filming and/or reporting on any animal rights issues will bring it to many more peoples attention. It does not even matter how big or small an activity is.

Join Online Animal Rights Channels, Or Have You Own

You can be a contributor to an online network like JaneUnchained.com, or you can have your own YouTube channel. Be sure to share your work on social media, as that is a big part of it.

Get Ideas From the Work Of Others

Have a look at JaneUnchained to see other people using their mobile and cell phones for animal rights activism. Viewers usually decide whether a video is worth watching or not within the first three seconds, so make sure you hook them in that time. One thing that is recommended is to invest in is a stabiliser for your phone. Examples are this one or this one. Shaky jerky camera work puts people off watching and stabilisers stop this. The better the camera work, the more professional it looks and watchable it is.

Do not be afraid to speak your true feelings when filming. You do not have the constraints you would have if you were trying to get it shown on TV. At the same time, keep in mind that you do not want to leave yourself exposed to being sued! Speaking on your video with an animated voice, varying tones and pitches, keeps the viewer more engaged.

Video: Jane Velez-Mitchell from JaneUnchained is a former television anchor and reporter. She explains how to make your phone your best animal rights activism tool.  Source

Animal Rights Posters, Flyers, Leaflets And Stickers

To encourage people to help stop animal abuse, distribute material which helps raise awareness of animal cruelty. Posters, flyers and informative leaflets are available from a number of major animal charities. You can find them here. You can actively hand them out to people, or simply leave or display them where they will be seen.

Information stall And Leafleting

Setting up an information stall is an idea. You can display posters on it. You can alternatively, or additionally, give out leaflets, flyers and posters to members of the public on the street. If you have a flair for design, you can use that in your animal rights activism. You can design the leaflets and posters yourself using information and images you find on the internet. Alternatively, you can find ready made materials from animal charities to distribute, here.

Image: Example of a poster urging people to adopt pets instead of buying them or breeding more.

Maybe on the stall you could give out free samples of vegan cruelty-free food and drinks. People often think that they would not like food that did not contain animal products. This would help to show people how delicious it can be. They then may be less reluctant to make the change.

I have even seen these information stalls with a small tombola on them. on cold winter days I have seen such stalls offering cups of vegan soup, tea and coffee for a small donation. However, you would need to check if a license is required for accepting donations.

Image: Example of a poster or flyer to raise awareness of legalised animal abuse. This one is protesting against animal testing. Source

Display Posters For All To See

Here are some ideas of where you could display posters and flyers:

• Public or community notice boards
• Shop notice boards
• Shop windows
• Workplaces
• Community centres
• Church halls
• Your car windows
• Your house windows

Leave Materials For Others To See

You could also leave flyers and leaflets in your workplace, medical waiting rooms, and anywhere else people are likely to see them. If you receive animal charity newsletters or magazines, do the same with those.

Some animal charity and animal rights websites offer leaflets, posters and flyers to download and print. You can find those here.

Stickers

Some animal charities give stickers away for free. People can use them to stick on items they send through the mail, on notepads, files, the back of their phones, their laptops, and anywhere else they can think people will see them. Some people stick them in public places, such as on benches, bins, and sign posts. However, they do that at the risk of getting in trouble with the law.

Simple But Effective Notices

The Vegan Punk website makes simple notices available for downloading and printing. It also offers instructions on how placing the notices next to products in supermarkets is effective activism.

Sadly it is likely that it won’t be long before they are taken down by shop staff. That means more people are needed to keep putting them back up.

Image: Simple but effective animal rights activism. Source

More Covert Methods

In order to fly below the radar of shop staff, there are QR codes you can stick on products. They do have a small cost, but they can be effective.

Here is one that tells people they have been lied to. When the QR code is scanned, it opens up the documentary Dominion.

Here is another that asks people to scan for details of how they can have a discount next time. When they scan the code, it shows a short video about what happens to male chicks.

They also have this one, which asks people to scan the QR code for a discount. When scanned, it opens up the video “Dairy Is Scary”.

There is an added advantage of buying these QR code stickers: 20% of the profits go to Farm Animal Rescue Sanctuary in Warwickshire, UK. The sanctuary cares for over 400 animals.

Hang Banners From Bridges And Railings

Fixing banners  to bridges over busy roads can bring the vegan and animal rights message to a lot of peoples attention, You must be careful that it is securely fixed and does not pose a danger by potentially becoming loose.

You can also tie banners to railings next to roads. Old bed sheets can be used but you have to make sure you pull them evenly taut so your message is easily legible.

Banners can be created by spray painting on them free hand, or there are stencils you can buy which you can use over and over.  You can also use the stencils for street art,  protests and demonstrations placards, banners, posters, body art, on clothing and bags, or as a projector.

You can purchase the stencils, here

Image: A stencil to help with animal rights activism

Raise Awareness With Clothing, Accessories, And Body Art

Awareness of animal cruelty can be raised if people display messages on them that are against animal cruelty. This could be such things as clothing, bags, accessories, car stickers, pet clothing/accessories, or even your own skin.

Image: “Don’t Shop, Adopt” animal rescue necklace available in our fundraising store. 

The message you are displaying may prompt people to ask about it and you can expand on the message, giving them the full story. Once they hear the true horror, it may motivate them to help stop animal abuse themselves.

Many major animal charities sell this kind of items. Not only are you donating money to the charity when you buy these products, but you are raising awareness whenever you go anywhere displaying them.

We have a fundraising store where you can purchase some such items, and help animals at the same time. If you’d like to make your own, see the previous section, above, for stencils you can use over and over again.

Image: An example of a T-shirt in our fundraising store, raising awareness of animal cruelty and suffering. Wearing it is a form of animal rights activism, as it helps animals by educating people about animal cruelty issues. A portion of the cost also goes to help stop animal suffering. Source

Some people even have tattoos against animal abuse, which can certainly be a good talking point.

Source

Do A School Or College Project

Raise awareness of animal abuse by doing a project on animal cruelty at school or college. You could choose to base your project on one aspect of animal cruelty, or many aspects of it, depending on how big your project is.

There is plenty of information about animal cruelty issues on this website to base your research on. If you would like to include ways of helping to stop animal cruelty, there is a lot of information on ManyWaysToHelpAnimals.

If it is a presentation that you have to present to the class, that is a fantastic opportunity to spread awareness of animals’ desperate plight. This is also true of items you can display to the class.

Class Project

Maybe you could persuade your teacher to make it a class project. Climate change is a prominent issue at the moment, and since animal agriculture has a worse effect on the planet than all the transport in the world put together, maybe your teacher could be persuaded that way.

A class project will being awareness to more people. As a result, it may produce more people who may want to help stop animal abuse. Some animal charity websites provide free lesson plans and materials for teachers.

Image: High School senior Robyn DiFranco displays her project on animal cruelty.  Credit: Kristi Garabrandt

Do A Presentation or Talk To Community Groups or Schools.

There are often groups and clubs in communities which ask speakers to give them talks, or presentations, in exchange for a donation. You could do a presentation about any of the information you find on this site.

I did a presentation to the University Of The Third Age about animal rescue, and used the information on the How Animal Rescue Works Page.

You could also approach schools to ask if you can do a talk to the children about animal rescue. Adjust the style of your presentation, depending on which age group you are talking to.

By giving a talk, you are helping animals by spreading awareness, and if you get a donation for your chosen animal charity, that is a bonus.

Image: Giving a presentation about how animal rescue works to a community group

Take A Rescued Dog Into Schools To Reduce Student Stress

By taking a rescued dog into a school for pupils to interact with and pet, it can reduce pupil stress and anxiety. You can also use the opportunity to talk to the students about pet abandonment and animal rescue.

In the UK you can get your dog registered as a PAT (Pets As Therapy) dog. All breeds of dog can become a PAT dog. You must have adopted your dog more than 6 months ago, and your dog must be over 9 months of age. It must be fully vaccinated and be able to pass the temperament assessment. See the PAT dog website for more information.

You could not only take your PAT dog into schools, but to elderly care homes and others places. If you use the opportunity to educate people about animal rescue, and explode myths about it, then you will make a positive impact for animals. Children may tell their parents what they learned, and the elderly may tell relatives.

Image: This dog was an abused Staffordshire Bull Terrier before getting rescued and becoming a PAT dog. She is an ambassador for the breed and for rescued dogs. Source

Public Protests & Demonstrations

Carrying placards, handing out information, wearing clothes with messages on, chanting, and answering questions while you are taking part in protests and demonstrations helps raise awareness about animal abuse. Protests are often combined with email/telephone/letter campaigns, and petitions.

Find more details on the Protest Tactics page.

Image: Animal rights activists protesting at Merseyside University, bringing it to the publics attention that they do animal testing there. It was got published in the local paper. Source

Pebbles Or Rock Painting

There is a trend of pebble and rock painting, where both adults and children paint rocks or pebbles with any design they like, then hide them in public areas for children to find them. It is an activity enjoyed by many families. So, it is a great way to get the animal rights / vegan message across.

Keep in mind that children may be finding the pebbles and rocks, so it is best to put nothing too gory on the rocks.

It is also very important not to stick anything extra on the rocks, such as plastic googly eyes, or foam shapes, as they have sadly caused many deaths of wildlife when used by other people to decorate rocks.

Image: You do not have to be an amazing artist, like the artist who painted this stone. Source

Whether you are artistic or not, the important part is getting the message across and raising awareness, as shown in the images below.

Once you have painted your rocks, upload a picture of them to the Vegan Rocks Facebook page, then hide them in public places that families visit, for them to find.

Image: Painted rocks with simple messages on encouraging people to watch vegan documentaries online. Source

Write Chalk Animal Rights / Vegan Messages

The Vegan Chalk Challenge is a rapidly growing movement of people raising awareness of animal rights issues and encouraging veganism, all whilst being creative and having fun.

Write your message clearly in chalk where people will see it, then take a photo and post it on social media.

You do not have to have an artistic bone in your body, as all that matters is that the message gets across.

Here is the Vegan Chalk Challenge website, and here is their Facebook group and Facebook page. You can get ideas from them and then upload your pictures of your own chalk messages.

In the video below, activists have been very creative and come up with something hard hitting. They have combined an audio track of pigs screaming while they are gassed in a slaughter house, with a chalk message explaining what people are hearing.

Use Your Car, Home Windows, And Business To Display Messages

If  you own a car, you can raise awareness everywhere you travel in it and park it.

You can buy animal charity car stickers, Animal charities sometimes give car stickers away for free, or when you support the charity.

There are also other bumper and window stickers you can purchase and display on your vehicle or in your vehicle windows.

You can also order your own message to be made out of vinyl stickers to stick on your car. I have found three sellers offering this service for a good low price.

1. First Seller
2. Second Seller
3. Third Seller

You are free to order your own short animal rights or vegan message. If it is a longer message, you could do more than one order, ordering your message in parts, and then display them together in the correct order when you receive them.

You can even make your own car antenna topper with your own animal rights message on. Here is how to go about it.

Image: There are numerous places you can put messages on your car to help animals. Source

You can also use removable chalk ink markers to write your own messages on your car windows.

If you live on a street where people walk passed, displaying messages in your windows can help animals. You can use stickers, posters, flyers (you can find free posters and flyers here), vinyl lettering, or anything else that conveys an animal rights message. You can even find pretty wooden hanging signs that display messages to help animals.

If you have your own business, you can use your walls and windows to display messages.

The Most Effective Way To Tell People About Animal Cruelty

When you are communicating with people online or through speech, the most effective way to get your message across is to use non-accusatory, non-personal language. Otherwise, the person usually feels attacked and reacts defensively, digging their heels in, even if it is just to spite you.

For instance, instead of saying “You can’t really be against all animal cruelty when you eat meat, because you fund cruelty towards certain animals”, it is better to speak generally and say “People can’t really be against animal cruelty when they eat meat, because they fund cruelty towards certain animals.”.

There will still be people who take this personally and react defensively because they know they are guilty of what you say, but do not want to stop.

The point is, you cannot be accused of personally attacking the person. This is important because onlookers are more receptive to what you are saying when they do not feel that you are personally attacking someone. If they think you are, they turn against you and as a result, turn against the cause.

Another thing to remember is to sound calm, no matter how much you want to scream at the person (and you REALLY will!). When discussing it online with somebody who you are trying to get to see your point of view, avoid using exclamation marks and capitals, as this does not come across as calm.

Find out more about the best way to affect change, whilst making sure you look after your own sanity, on this page.

Live By Example

The best single thing you can do to help stop animal cruelty and suffering is to adopt a vegan lifestyle. People often go vegetarian before going vegan.

When you lead by example, people often show interest. They can have questions and can want to talk to you about it. By talking calmly and in a friendly manner, you can explain your reasons and let people know about things they may not realise.

Image: Living a vegan lifestyle raises awareness. Source

Doing Vegan Animal Activism Outreach

Be the vegan you would want to meet before you were vegan.

Sharing information from this site on social media sites is a good way to raise awareness of how vegetariansim and veganism can make a huge difference to stopping animal suffering.

However, you have to be careful to do it in a way that does not make people feel you are hostile towards them and attacking them. If they do, you will get their backs up, and then other people join in the argument, you will be accused of attacking people and being unreasonable, and nothing is achieved apart from a lot of bad feeling towards you and the vegan cause.

It is very hard to hold your tongue (or your typing fingers) when you feel people are being unreasonable and hostile. However, if you can keep calm and do not lose your temper, people will be more receptive. Speak to them like you are one of them, rather than making it them and us. For instance “The reason I stopped consuming milk is because I did some research and was horrified to discover that the dairy industry had been pulling the wool over our eyes, and I didn’t even realise it.”

The friendly, gentle, tactful, patient and persistent approach is usually more fruitful. Just planting the seed gives people something to think about.

Find Out What Angle The Person Would Most Be Interested In

This is very useful to know. Some people may not respond to the animal cruelty angle, but might be interested in fitness and a healthy lifestyle. In that case you may have more success talking to them about the health benefits of veganism. Others may be more concerned about the environment, or world hunger. In those cases, talk to them about how going vegan can make a big difference to those issues.

The trick is to find out what they are interested in and see if veganism could be of any benefit. If so, there’s the angle you should use for that person.

Join Vegan Groups In Your Local Area

There are vegan groups for local areas on Facebook, as well as national, general vegan groups. Joining local vegan groups is a good way to find other vegans in your area, and some might want to take part in vegan activism.

One thing to do is to keep contacting companies asking them to take animal products out of their foods. You can tell them that by having milk and eggs in their products, they are excluding whole markets of people, such as vegans and people with allergies to milk or eggs. You can remind them that the vegan movement is rapidly growing and that taking these ingredients out of their foods  would see their revenue increase as new markets could consume them.

Why People Go Vegan

I came across a very interesting and informative website that gives an insight into why people go vegan.  It is a survey and is essential reading for anyone who wants to know the most effective ways to influence people.

Images: Why people go vegan. Source

When You Feel Like You Are Having No Effect…

When you feel like you never get anywhere with anyone, think of it as planting seeds in peoples minds that need time to grow. They also need tended to and fed in order to grow. You can contribute to feeding it to help it grow, and it’s likely others will too. The seed grows more easily in some people than others.

Your messages about animal cruelty and veganism will be further reaching than you realise. You don’t know who will end up seeing the information you have shared online, or who will have read the messages on your clothes, and how they might be affected by it.

If you are finding yourself feeling really down about it, there is a Facebook group you might find helpful. The Vystopia Support Group is a world wide group where you can find support from sympathetic vegans.

Although very rewarding, animal rights activism can also at times be emotionally draining. Look after your well being with advice, here.

Learn More About Animal Cruelty And The Many Ways To stop It

On this site there are many varied ways you can help animals and help stop cruelty. In fact, there are so many different ways that there is something for every personality type, no matter what their circumstances.

If you would like to learn more about why we so urgently need to help stop animal suffering, please see this website. It will allow you to broaden your knowledge of many different types of world wide animal abuse, giving you the ability to help animals by spreading awareness and answering questions people may have. Please be aware that you may find the information distressing.

One great way to help animals is to share the information you have seen on this website. Doing so means more people could help stop animal cruelty, and that would make you responsible for more animals being saved from suffering. Together we can help more people help animals <3 

Have Your Say In The Comments Section

Do you know of any information we have missed, or do you have any information to add to this page? Please leave a comment to let everyone know about it.