5 Mins Read
It can sometimes seem like we’re individually up against the world when it comes to fighting inhumane practices and animal cruelty. But the good news is that even though it may seem like a small action to take, petitions can and do help lend our voices to animals and stand up for what is right. If you’re searching for ways to help out, here are 8 online petitions that you can sign that might be able to make a difference for animals in need.
1. Demand Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand to free the “swimming elephants”
In Chon Buri, Thailand, Khao Kheow Open Zoo is forcing elephants to perform in the water for crowds to watch. Videos have been posted of an elephant being mounted by a trainer to do tricks underwater, and the training process used involves beating animals into submission.
Sign this petition to speak up against this cruel practice and demand Chon Buri officials to send the elephants to a sanctuary.
2. Stop Japan from killing whales
In 2018, Japan announced that they will be walking away from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) that has banned commercial whaling since 1986. Just one day after leaving the IWC, Japan resumed commercial whaling and began murdering whales again.
Sign this petition to demand the Japanese government end the slaughter of whales.
3. Stand up to Expedia for promoting cruel dolphin shows
Dolphins in captivity are suffering for human entertainment, and global travel company Expedia has been promoting inhumane shows and experiences involving dolphins around the world. The multi-billion-dollar captive marine animal industry has convinced many that the natural shape of a dolphin’s face is similar to a smile, but dolphins are so depressed in captivity that there have been multiple cases of suicide.
Sign this petition asking Expedia Group to stop selling, offering or promoting any dolphin shows or experiences on their site.
4. End inhumane live export of animals
5 million animals are in transit and exposed to poor conditions and inhumane slaughter upon arrival every single day, and 2 billion farm animals are loaded onto trucks and ships on journeys spanning weeks annually. The lack of oversight of the global live animal trade has meant that the drowning of thousands of sheep and trucks of cattle being left to suffer in extremely hot vehicles in ports are a common reality.
Sign this petition to put an end to the inhumane global live animal trade.
5. Stop barbaric animal circuses in Vietnam
An investigation by animal welfare nonprofit Animals Asia has revealed the devastating suffering, violence and abuse that endangered species of bears, elephants and orangutans are experiencing in Vietnam’s animal circuses. They are caged and chained for long periods of time, and are forced to perform tricks, subject to cruel training practices that have driven a number of animals to self-harm from stress. Not to mention, many of these animals are already facing the threat of extinction in the wild.
Sign this petition calling on the Vietnam government to ban performing wild animals in circuses and retire them in sanctuaries.
6. Stand up against factory farming and environmentally damaging meat consumption
Industrial livestock farming is extremely cruel, with animals confined in tiny cells and often forced to overproduce eggs and milk whilst babies are separated from their mothers soon after birth. In addition to this, animal agriculture is a major driver of our climate crisis, generating around 14.5% of all global greenhouse emissions and is responsible for almost 90% of Amazon deforestation that harms other wildlife since 1970.
Sign this petition to urge companies to stop destroying the planet and animals with factory farming.
7. Demand eBay to take action against puppy breeding & online trade
Hundreds of thousands of puppies are bred, forced apart from their mothers at weeks old and transported for miles to reach the doors of their new owner who purchased them online. Sometimes referred to as the “puppy mafia”, the industry is propped up by a host of players, from breeders to transporters and dealers, and online marketplaces like eBay are turning a blind eye to it.
Sign this petition to call eBay to take action and implement mandatory seller identity verification to tackle the cruel practices in the online puppy trade.
8. Help the pangolins, the most trafficked mammal in the world
Pangolins are scaly anteater-like mammals found across Asia and Africa and are the world’s most trafficked animal for their scales, meat and blood. In some parts of Asia, especially in China and Vietnam, pangolins are illegally hunted and consumed for their supposed medicinal benefits. The recent coronavirus outbreak – which scientists believe the pangolin was the intermediary host animal – has also revealed the danger that the trade has on public health. While China has put in place a ban on consumption and trade of wildlife, it leaves an important loophole for medicinal uses, which essentially leaves vulnerable the pangolin.
Sign this petition to demand the Chinese and Vietnamese authorities to take action to enforce the international ban on the pangolin trade.
Lead image courtesy of Pinterest.