It’s horrible to hear about animal abuse cases or read the ways humans are endangering many species. Fortunately, there are things we can do to speak for them. One of the ways we can help and lend our voices to good causes is by signing petitions. Such petitions are sent to people in powerful positions that can make a change, especially when they see just how many people stand behind the cause. We can demand change, justice, and stop tragedies by speaking up and doing our part.

There are horrifying things happening around the world every week like extinction, hunting, exploitation, and cruelty. If you are looking for a way to help animals, here are 10 petitions you should sign this week, including demanding justice for a brutally killed bear cub and French bulldog, asking New York to ban fur, urging TripAdvisor not to promote elephant abuse, and more!

We want to thank you for being the change you wish to see in the world and giving a voice to the voiceless.

1. Justice for Bear Cub Murdered in Barbaric Way by Police

Source: Demand justice for baby bear cub that was murdered in a barbaric way!

Someone in Ontario called the police when they saw a bear cub lying on the side of the road. It appeared the cub was hit by a car, but was still alive. When police arrived, they took a quick look at the bear cub and said it needed to be “discharged.” The officer then took out his gun and shot the bear five times. Police officers should reach out to wildlife organizations or veterinarians in cases like this. The witnesses say the officer didn’t even consider that the bear could be rehabilitated, and they will forever be traumatized from the crying and whaling around in pain that the bear cub suffered after each gunshot. Sign this petition demanding that the officer be punished with more than just a slap on the wrist for taking a life this way!

2. Ask Walmart to Change Policy to Prevent Pet Deaths in Their Parking Lot

Source: Walmart: Stop Pets from Dying in Your Parking Lots with a Simple Policy Change

Someone started this petition after they saw a dog suffering alone in a car in a Walmart parking lot. They asked an employee to make an announcement to call the owner to their car or at least inform them, but the employee could not do so since it violates Walmart’s policies. Walmart corporate confirmed this information when the petition starter called to ask. They’ve also fired people in the past for trying to help dogs suffocating in cars. Dogs can quickly die of heat exhaustion in a car and it only takes a few minutes for them to suffer brain, heart, liver, and nervous system damage. Sign this petition asking Walmart to change their policy so that employees can make announcements without violating policies or fear of getting fired to save pets’ lives!

3. Ask New York State to Ban Fur!

Source: There’s Nothing Fashionable About Animal Cruelty — It’s Time to Go Fur Free

The fur industry is completely cruel! The animals needlessly suffer tremendously. They’re raised and killed on fur farms. They’re often skinned alive and their mental health deteriorates before they’re horrifically killed via gassing, bludgeoning, or electrocution. Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal introduced Bill A05040A, which would prohibit “the manufacture, sale, display for sale, trade, giving, donating, or otherwise distributing of a fur product by any means in the state beginning January 1, 2021.” Sign this petition urging lawmakers in New York to protect furbearing animals by making the state fur free!

4. Shut Down Lion and Tiger Farms!

Source: Close Lion And Tiger Farms Now!

Lion and tiger farms in South Africa and China keep these big cats captive for terrible reasons. Keeping wild animals in captivity is already bad enough to begin with, but in South Africa the animals are kept for canned hunts and in China, for medicine. In China, there are 6,000 big cats in captivity to be butchered for medicine, although these medical claims have never been proven by science. In South Africa, they are raised on these ‘farms’ only to be ‘released’ into an enclosure where they’ll be killed by a hunter who pays between $13,000 and $55,000 to kill them. Sign this petition demanding that these cruel facilities be shut down immediately!

5. Protect the Habitat of Endangered Black Rhinos in Tanzania

Source: Black Rhinos Are In Serious Danger. So Why Is This Country Going to Destroy Their Habitat?

The Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982 and a lion Conservation Unit by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2005. But Tanzania plans to build a massive dam right in the heart of the reserve. This will destroy some of the last remaining habitat of the black rhinos which are already critically endangered. UNESCO World Heritage and the IUCN have both urged Tanzania to stop construction and not cause any more deforestation, but they don’t seem to care about the animals. Sign this petition asking the President of Tanzania, John Magufuli to protect this reserve!

6. Tell TripAdvisor Not to Condone Elephant Abuse!

Source: Save Lasah! Tell TripAdvisor to stop being complicit in elephant abuse!

TripAdvisor is a site that legitimizes tourist experiences, giving people insight into what activities are best when traveling. Sadly, they promote ‘elephant experiences’ through a business called Oriental Village. One of the elephants suffering because of these promotions is Lasah, kept captive by Langkawi Elephant Adventures (LEA) in Malaysia. Lasah is kept on chains all day, alone, without water, and clean (elephants need mud for protection from the sun). Elephants used in the tourism industry are put through a terrible process called phajaan, and captivity is terrible for their mental and physical health. Sign this petition urging TripAdvisor to no longer promote activities that involve elephant abuse and exploitation!

7. Stop Breed Discriminatory Legislation!

Source: This Proposed Bill Would Unfairly Single Out Pit Bulls

Animal shelters are indeed overcrowded and we do have to come together to find solutions, but breed discriminatory laws are unfair and could cause more animals in shelters. Bill 3709 introduced in South Carolina targets pit bulls saying their owners need to pay $500 to spay/neuter and microchip their dogs and would be charged with a misdemeanor, $1,000 fine, and up to a year in prison if they don’t do so. If owners are unable to pay this amount, they would have no choice but to give the dogs up to shelters, causing more overcrowding. There are other ways to encourage that people spay/neuter their pets and pit bulls aren’t the only breed who should have these procedures. Sign this petition telling South Carolina lawmakers to not pass this bill and instead spend the funds instead on affordable spay and neuter programs for all breeds!

8. Ban Big Cat Ownership!

Source: Big Cats Aren’t Pets — It’s Time to Ban Private Ownership

Not all states in the US prohibit possession of big cats. Some states have weak laws or none at all. It’s estimated that more than 10,000 big cats are kept in the US as pets or in roadside zoos. It’s hard to track who exactly owns them and where they came from which means the conditions they’re living in can be dangerous, abusive, and their needs are likely not being met. Cubs are taken from their mothers when small and forced to be over handled for profit. When they become to big and ‘scary,’ they’re often discarded. These situations only drive more illegal wildlife trafficking. Sign this petition asking Congress members to pass legislation to ban big bat ownership across the country!

9. Justice for Dog Tied to Car and Dragged to Death

Image Source: Patryk Kosmider/Shutterstock

A female French bulldog was cruelly tied to the back of a car and forced to run behind it. Sadly, she was dragged to her death. The skin of her paws were gone and much of her skin around her body was ripped off. This was a despicable act of animal cruelty. Sign this petition urging police to take this case seriously and punish the person responsible!

10. Justice for Endangered Sea Turtle Who Was Abused By People Climbing on Its Back 

Source: These People Thought It Would Be Fun to Ride a Helpless Endangered Sea Turtle

Leatherback sea turtles are vulnerable and their population is decreasing, so they should be protected. They face many dangers and they swim hundreds of miles to lay their eggs. A sea turtle had just finished laying her eggs in Asukweri, Indonesia and was heading back to the ocean when people on the beach thought it would be fun to sit on her back and straddle her. Many people climbed on top of her for photos, including an entire family at one point. She was huffing, puffing, and struggling, but they wouldn’t let her leave. This is absolutely cruel! Sign this petition to tell the Asukweri officials to fine the people who did this for animal cruelty and set up measures to protect the sea turtles that nest on their shores.

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