A Fairer World :: Youth

Animal Welfare

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

Mahatma Gandhi

Multimedia Links

  • The Meatrix, The Meatrix II: Revolting and The Meatrix II½: humorous animations that spoof The Matrix films while drawing attention to the reality of factory farming.
  • The Meatrix Interactive 360: an interactive tour through a factory farm and its surrounding area.
  • Unleashed: has a range of videos including ‘Meat The Truth’ and ‘Darren Cordeux [Kisschasy] Exposes Factory Farming’.
  • The Pig Picture: traces the development of commercial pig rearing in America – from the small–scale family farms of yesterday – to the corporate owned pig factories of today.
  • PETA TV: has a huge range of videos available to download. Be warned that many are graphic and disturbing. This site does have a ‘For Kids’ section.
  • Animals Australia: also has a range of videos.

Recommended sites

Against Animal Cruelty Tasmania: “Like the majority of Australia’s pigs, most Tasmanian pigs are farmed intensively in factory farms. Sows (mother pigs) live their lives in sheds standing in rows of crates called sow stalls, with metal bars surrounding them and concrete floors.”

Animals Australia: “Every day millions of animals suffer because of the actions of people. Most people are not even aware that they are contributing to animal suffering.”

Animals Australia: “Battery hens who lay ‘cage eggs’ are given a living space smaller than one A4 sheet of paper, while ‘meat’ chickens grow so unnaturally fast that many are crippled before they are sent to slaughter at just six weeks of age.”

Voiceless: “Everyday in Australia thousands of animals are shot, beaten, tortured, starved, imprisoned and harmed in incalculable ways. We eat them, wear them, hunt them, race them, experiment on them and make them perform for us on command.”

All About Animals: “We can all do something to help animals. We might volunteer at our local sanctuary, walk our own dog every day after school, top up the bird feeder every morning over winter or even be a vegetarian for a day, a week or maybe forever! There are a thousand things we can do.”

Animal Club: “Many animals, including cats, dogs, primates, rabbits, sheep, cattle, pigs, mice and rats are used to test new products, to study human disease and in the development of new drugs. Animals are used in substance testing (draize eye and skin tests and toxicity tests), biomedical research, education research, and war–related experiments.”

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals): “For animals in circuses, there is no such thing as ‘positive reinforcement’ – only varying degrees of punishment and deprivation. Animals do not voluntarily ride bicycles, stand on their heads, or jump through rings of fire. They don’t perform these and other difficult tricks because they want to; they perform because they’re afraid not to.”

Peta2.com: “Animal rights is both a philosophy and a social movement that challenges society’s traditional view that all the other animals on this planet exist solely for human use...... When it comes to pain, love, joy, loneliness, and fear, a rat is a pig is a dog is a boy. Each one values his or her life and fights the knife.”

Animal Liberation NSW: “It’s too easy for people to just pick up a hamburger and have no idea that it was a living cow at one time. People don’t assimilate the two.” Bryan Adams.

Did You Know?

  • Australia is the largest exporter of live animals in the world. www
  • Pigs are as smart as 3–year–old children! They know their own name, and wag their tails when excited! www
  • More than 6 million animals including primates, horses and dogs are used in research and teaching each year in Australia. www
  • Three quarters of the world’s 4.7 billion egg laying hens are confined in tiny battery cages. www.wspa.org.au www
  • Greyhounds are the world’s oldest breed of dog dating back 5000 years. They were the much respected companions of the Egyptians, Romans, Pharaohs and early Greeks... Greyhound racing has been recognised as a cruel sport and therefore banned in 6 states of the USA and also in South Africa. This is partly due to the high rate of accidents caused to racing dogs and the huge numbers of dogs disposed of annually by the industry. www
  • Each year in Tasmania in excess of 3,000 unwanted cats and kittens are put to sleep. That’s over 8 lives taken everyday! www
  • More than 600 species of plant and animal are listed on the schedules of Tasmania’s Threatened Species Protection Act 1995, with new species being added to the list regularly. www

These sites have ideas on how to make a difference.

Peta Kids: “It’s super–easy to get active for animals at any age. In fact, there are tons of things that you can do to help that don’t require much cash – just your time and energy. Here are a few ideas to get you started.”

SaveBabe.com: “In Australia many thousands of pigs don’t have the opportunity to live outdoors; instead they are kept inside sheds. They are kept in tiny pens where they are hardly able to move and don’t have the opportunity to snout in the ground, explore or feel the sun on their backs.”

Unleashed: “The animals of this world are relying on each of us to stand up to injustice. So don’t get angry – get active!”

WWF – Australia: “With recent studies showing that 60% of the ecosystems that support life on earth will be severely damaged by 2050 if we continue living as we do, there’s never been a more urgent time to start working towards a sustainable future.”

Animals Australia: “Animals Australia needs your help to highlight and stop inhumane treatment of animals!”

Brightside Farm Sanctuary: “Our mission is to raise the level of awareness with regard to the plight of millions of factory farmed animals in Australia and to make the world a kinder place for farm animals.”

Say No to Animals in Pet Shops: “‘If you want a pet, please make your first stop the local shelter or pound and save a life.’ Daniel Johns, Silverchair/The Disociatives”

Teacher resources

  • Tasmanian Centre for Global Learning has posters, classroom activities, books, videos and bookmarks on global issues such as animal welfare. Members are encouraged to contact the Centre for a complete list of resources on this topic which are available free or on loan.
  • “We all have a special role to play because living things are inter–connected. By caring for our doggy friends and showing respect for all living things, our actions can have a ripple effect. We can help others get better at caring by being good at it ourselves,” says Anne Boxhall, Education Officer at Dogs’ Homes of Tasmania. Call Anne on 6248 7661 to find out how to get your school involved.