Ban Horse Drawn Carriages, End Live Animal Exports in the US, and Hold Companies Accountable For Plastic Pollution: 10 Petitions to Sign this Week to Help People, Animals and the Planet!

Unfortunately, the world is not a very peaceful or safe place for many individuals. From conflict to abuse to exploitation, there is so much cruelty inflicted on both humans and animals. While this can get disheartening and difficult to hear about, petitions are a great way to use your voice for good. Just by signing one, you are a part of helping those who are not treated fairly. You can even share them with your friends and acquaintances to increase your impact.

Through petitions, we can reach those in power and demand justice for others. They are valuable tools for making positive changes in the world. If you are looking for a way to help animals and humans, here are 10 petitions you should sign this week, including Ban Horse Drawn Carriages, End Live Animal Exports in the US, and Hold Large Companies Accountable For Their Plastic Pollution.

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

1. Pass the Big Cat Public Safety Act

Source: KETK NBC/YouTube

During this recent snowstorm in Texas, authorities discovered a six-month-old tiger, who was kept as a pet and locked up outside her owners’ home. Fortunately, she was taken to a sanctuary and is recovering, but sadly, her story is not rare. Big cat ownership is a huge issue in the US. These animals are bred and taken from their mothers immediately to be sold as pets. They then suffer from physical trauma, such as inadequate veterinary care, improper food, and being crammed into tiny quarters; as well as psychological trauma, such as being isolated from their fellow animals. Some cities and regions prohibit big cat ownership, but it’s still legal in many parts of the country, making it easy for people to purchase these wild animals. We need a federal law to protect big cats and humans from the consequences of the big cat trade. Sign this petition to urge the U.S. Congress to pass the Big Cat Public Safety Act and ban big cat ownership now!

2. Ban Horse Drawn Carriages

Source: The Humane Society of the United States/YouTube

Rome has recently joined several dozen cities worldwide that have banned horse-drawn carriages. These tourist attractions are often associated with romance; however, the animals involved suffer extreme cruelty. The horses walk in stressful, loud, and polluted areas for long hours in sweltering hot or freezing cold conditions. Many collapse from exhaustion and suffer debilitating health issues. Then they return to tiny, barren stalls with improper medical care and sustenance. Sign this petition to urge the popular tourist cities of Los Angeles and Madrid to ban horse-drawn carriages on their streets!

3. Implement Program to Use Trained Crisis Counselors Instead of Police For Certain 911 Calls

Source: KEZI 9/YouTube

For 31 years, Eugene, Oregon has used their Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets (CAHOOTS) system to de-escalate conflicts rather than sending police. CAHOOTS is a kind of community policing in which certain 9-1-1 calls are responded to by a front-line medic and a crisis worker trained to respond to mental health challenges. The team is unarmed and has only had to call for police backup in fewer than 0.6% of cases. Pointing a gun in a person’s face, especially if they’re struggling with mental health, will often make the situation even more dangerous and can lead to an already vulnerable, scared individual ending up dead. That’s why the CAHOOTS program should be taken up by more cities around the country. Sign this petition to urge city councils in New York, San Francisco, and Chicago to implement this program before any more lives are lost!

4. Support the Safe from the Start Act 

Source: United Nations/YouTube

Women and girls fleeing emergencies risk rape, violence, and exploitation on the road to safety. COVID-19 has the potential to make this gender-based violence in crises even worse. Fortunately, there is a piece of legislation that could help. The Safe from the Start Act would keep women and girls safe from violence, early marriage, and other injustices in emergencies, including the COVID-19 pandemic. The act aims to address, prevent, and respond to gender-based violence in humanitarian emergencies as well as Support survivors. Sign this petition to ask members of Congress today to pass the Safe from the Start Act and protect women and girls from gender-based violence.

5. Pass Better Animal Protection Laws

Recently, employees at a store in Nebraska witnessed and recorded a man who was brutally kicking his dog in the parking lot. They called law enforcement, but the police said that the dog didn’t “look” injured and weren’t going to hold him accountable or save the dog. The man admitted to kicking his dog as “physical discipline” to TV reporters, but it wasn’t until the store employees’ footage sparked outrage online that the police department decided to actually care. They cited the man for animal cruelty, but did not remove the dog and place him in a safer home. Sign this petition to urge Nebraska lawmakers to pass better animal protection laws now so a situation like this doesn’t happen again!

6. Stop Cruel Treatment of Migrant Children

Source: CBC News/YouTube

Sadly, under the Biden administration, children are still getting locked up in cells at the border. People have described how toilets are overflowing, building heat is unreliable, and children are suffering from dehydration. During the recent Texas storms, some children were sent to solitary confinement for complaining about the cold and guards even turned on fans and threw out blankets. One person in a similar Louisiana detention center described how people were “dying of cold.” Sign this petition to urge the Biden administration to stop locking up migrant children and to treat them humanity when they cross the border

7.  End Live Animal Exports in the US

Source: mercyforanimals/YouTube

The live animal export industry is extremely cruel and inhumane. Terrified animals are crammed into trucks and ships, where they will travel thousands of miles, often without food, water, rest, or veterinarian care. Those who survive this stressful and traumatizing journey are slaughtered. As meat consumption in the United States has declined, factory farm operations have had to increase their export of live animals to other countries. This cruelty has to end. Sign this petition today to demand an end to the live export of animals from the United States!

8. Investigate Atlanta Shooting as a Hate Crime

Source: TODAY/YouTube

On March 16, 2021, a white man killed 8 people, 6 of whom were Asian women, at spas in Georgia. This tragedy occurred amidst the high rate of violence against Asian individuals in the US that has been fueled by Trump’s racist lies about COVID. However, authorities refuse to classify this mass shooting as a hate crime. Captain Jay Baker of the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office even had the audacity to say during a press conference that the shooter was having “a really bad day.” The police’s response to this terrible crime is unacceptable. Sign this petition to demand that Cherokee County and Atlanta authorities, along with the FBI, immediately classify this shooting as a hate crime, and begin investigating it as such!

9. Hold Large Companies Accountable For Their Plastic Pollution

Source: 9 News Australia/YouTube

Australia is likely to miss all of its own targets to rid the environment of plastic unless there is a major overhaul of its enforcement of existing laws. According to their targets, companies that earn over $5 million dollars each year are supposed to be phasing out unnecessary single-use plastic packaging so Australia can make all packaging reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2025. However, states and territories have not been enforcing these laws. Large corporations need to be held accountable for the amount of plastic they produce. Sign this petition to urge the Federal Environmental Minister Sussan Ley to enforce stricter rules surrounding the plastic reduction targets for large companies in Australia!

10. Remove Biased Pro-Bear Trapping Commissioners From NH Fish & Game Commission

Source: Erni/Shutterstock

In New Hampshire, trapping bears is against the law. However, two members of the Hew Hampshire Fish & Game Commission, Paul DeBow and John Caveney, are also on the Board of Directors for the NH Trappers Association. This is clearly a conflict of interest. They vote and make rules for their trapping organization’s interests and are thus, extremely biased. Sign this petition to urge Governor Chris Sununu to remove his biased appointments of Paul DeBow and John Caveney and instead appoint commissioners that will respect NH laws and regulations and not promote cruel practices like bear trapping.

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