How to become an animal advocate in 5 easy steps

Becoming an animal advocate is a choice many people make when they see abuse or hear about animals in need. Watching TV shows on Animal Planet or finding animal news websites can inspire people to be actively involved in the fight for their well-being. And for people who have rescued animals or adopted from shelters, making the decision to volunteer to help animals is easier once they become familiar with their local humane society or SPCA.

Once you’ve decided that you want to spend time helping animals, here are five easy steps you can take today that will save lives.

1. Change what you eat. It is a fact that 10 billion farm animals die each year to become meat products for the American public. On average, each American eats 31 animals per year. By giving up meat and becoming a vegetarian, you are essentially saving 31 lives each year.

2. Avoid products and drugs tested on animals. More than 25 million animals are used in laboratory tests in the United States each year. Despite this, dozens of FDA-approved and animal-tested drugs are being recalled after showing harm to humans. Buy products labeled “not tested on animals” or from companies that refuse to perform such tests, such as The Body Shop and Kiss My Face.

3. Adopt shelter dogs and cats rather than buying purebreds from breeders. More than 4 million healthy dogs and cats die in shelters each year simply because there are not enough homes for them. However, 25% of the dogs in shelters are purebred. When you adopt a dog or cat from a shelter, you are saving their life.

4. Boycott circus and aquarium shows. All US circus companies that present animals have been fined for violating standards of care under the USDA Animal Welfare Act. Whether they are performing or traveling to a new location, elephants, lions, and other exotic animals used in circuses endure extreme suffering due to abusive training techniques and confinement in trailers and railroad cars. Visit circuses like Cirque du Soleil, where performers entertain audiences through incredible feats of human skill.

5. Refusing to buy products made with hides or skins. In 2006, the annual seal hunt in Canada killed 350,000 baby seals that were used to make sealskin products. In the US, 30 million minks, foxes, and chinchillas are killed by electrocution and other inhumane methods to produce fur coats for humans. Shop for leather and skinless clothing and footwear on cruelty-free websites like Alternative Outfitters and The Vegan Store.

By making changes like eliminating meat and animal products from your diet and wardrobe, not attending circuses or aquariums, avoiding products tested on animals, and adopting homeless cats and dogs instead of buying purebreds, you can become an activist. for the animals without having to visit a protest rally.