Protesters defend the rights of animals
ANIMAL rights activists campaigned against Mr Pet outside the Nicolway Bryanston shopping centre.
“Animals are not products, adopt, don’t shop, we don’t want your freakin store,” chanted the activists.
Animal rights group, Beauty Without Cruelty South Africa organised the campaign and hold protests every month to create awareness of the importance of banning pet shops.
“This is more of an educational campaign; people don’t know that the cute puppy they see in the pet shop window is actually the product of an endless cycle of violence,” said the organisation’s Smaragda Louw. “Pet shops do not promote responsible pet ownership. More and more unwanted animals end up at rescue organisations and shelters, where thousands of animals are euthanized yearly. This has become a crisis throughout South Africa.”
Louw said animal welfare and animal rights groups were standing together and challenging the Animal Protection Act and municipal bylaws in the country.
“If it wasn’t for pet shops, puppy mills and backyard breeders would not exist,” said Viv Saints of Saints Animal Charity Shop.
Avi Navarro, the manager of Mr Pet said his pet shop was a professional operation. He said, “We never buy from puppy mills. I encourage animal activists to go protest where the cruelty of animals takes place, not here where the animals are treated like royalty.”
Details: Beauty Without Cruelty South Africa; www.bwcsa.co.za.
