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10 Ways to Become the Best Animal Activist You Can Be

Author Bio

Emma Gallagher is a Brit living in North Carolina. She grows organic gardens and... Read More

You’ve watched all the animal documentaries, you have vowed to be vegan, and you’ve scoured the OGP recipe pages for fabulous vegan feasts to make.

But, you still feel as though things are happening to our animal friends out there in the world that you wish you were more aware of and could do something about.

Here is a collection of OGP articles that give you ideas on how to be a better animal ally and some common practices that you could avoid to be the best animal activist you can be!

1. The Basics

While it’s true that, in the wild, in their habitats, animals can and do take care of themselves, humanity has spent much of the last 12,000 years disrupting that. We have domesticated animals, intentionally as pets and farm animals and incidentally as “pests” like rats and raccoons. Some of the resulting animals (and breeds) hardly resemble their capable predecessors. Humans have made a mess of things. Now, we all need to learn How to Be an Animal Activist.

2. Ants

Many ants are actually, perhaps ironically, fantastic farmers. Some ants farm and “milk” aphids. Other ants are skilled mushroom growers, pruning plants to feed the mycelium they have cultivated. Ants have been farming far longer than humans! What is a real shame is that, over the last 60 or more years, humans have been celebrating ant farms rather than farming ants. Read on to learn All about Ant Farms: Why They Are Cruel and Why You Shouldn’t Get Them.

3. Turtles

Many turtles are now struggling to survive. For those of us who want to show our love, we can get behind efforts to save turtle lives which are most vulnerable due to human endeavors. The idea of the 23^rd annual World Turtle Day, themed “I Love Turtles”, is to appreciate these animals positively. However, recognizing how they are being threatened is an important part of understanding how best to show that love. Learn of these 7 Threats to Turtle Populations and How You Can Help.

4. Animal Conservation

Presumably, those who are taking the time to peruse the webpages of One Green Planet are the very type of people who are likely to care about animals. And, there is no better way to show that care than by helping to conserve wild places for them to live and by protecting them from abuse. With that in mind, we’ve come up with a few more to know about, possibly support, and celebrate. These are some of the best animal Conservation projects going. Check out these 10 Animal Conservation Nonprofits to Know About.

5. Pet Stores

Pet stores, in particular those corporate iterations, are a real problem. Like factory farms, they exploit, impose poor living conditions, and often torture defenseless animals. They are even the cause of many animal deaths every year. That’s not exactly the kind of place or business we aspire to get our pets from, is it? Not only are pet companies active participants in the mistreatment and displacement of many animals, but they also peddle products that are often ill-suited for these animals. As animal lovers and especially animal companions, it’s something we should be aware of and combat. Here are 7 Reasons Pet Stores Suck.

6. Dolphins

Seemingly it would go without saying that we shouldn’t swim with dolphins in captivity because they are wild animals that need an ocean of space and don’t belong in tanks. Wild dolphins in captivity have been taken from their family and pods, a traumatic experience. This is still happening to feed the captive dolphin industry. Dolphins bred in captivity will come from forcibly impregnated mothers to continue having more captive dolphins tourists will pay to swim with. The condition of tanks is not suitable for dolphins to live long, happy, healthy lives, so they shouldn’t be kept in tanks. Here are 5 Reasons to Not Swim with Dolphins, Even in the Wild.

7. Farm Sanctuaries

For many of us who enjoy a plant-based diet, we first came to it out of a love of animals, a desire to protect them from harm, and a rejection of the brutality of factory farms. This country, and many others, have wonderful farm sanctuaries focused on rescuing abused farm animals and providing them with lovely homes. It’s something many vegans would love to do and should Support. With that in mind, here are 10 Lesser-Known Farm Sanctuaries That Could Use Your Support in the coming year.

8. Elephants

When animals have the seeming capability to do exclusively human things, it’s hard not to get caught up in the moment and lose sense as to whether or not they should be. Or, why they are? Sometimes, we buy the artistic expressions that elephants put on a canvas as if these elephants have bared their souls voluntarily. We forget that this is something they’ve been taught, or more accurately forced, to do. After all, these elephants haven’t just walked into a space, found brushes, and started creating art. They’ve been trained to do it. Read on to learn why Elephants Should Not Be Painting, Period.

9. Petting Zoos

Petting zoos have become a common way of fulfilling these types of wishes. They’ve even gotten the false reputation of being a good way to introduce children to animals. And, of course, wild animals aren’t into humans touching them anyway. For that matter, most domesticated animals are huge fans of just any human touching, not to mention tugging or riding them any time that human wants. Take a look at these 10 Pet Zoos to Avoid at All Costs

10. Never Pet!

Sometimes animals are so cute it’s hard to resist the temptation to pet them. But, of course, we know better, and we usually steer clear of touching or even approaching wild animals. However, there are instances when humans are encouraged to pet animals that shouldn’t be. Unfortunately, many wild animals are forced into servitude so that “owners” can make money from them. Many wild animals are put in danger, as are the people petting them when encounters are artificially created. Here are 10 Animals You Should Never Pet.