Here's What Your Support Helped LCA Achieve in 2020
An Animal Rights Article from All-Creatures.org
Exposing Animal Cruelty - Millbank Mink Fur Farm, Canada
-
Trial Expected in Early 2021
- LCA’s undercover mink farm investigation at Millbank Fur Farm in
Ontario, released in 2018, documented disturbing accounts of animal
neglect. More than three million animals are killed annually in the
Canadian fur industry. With the evidence collected, LCA submitted a
complaint to the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals (OSPCA) requesting further investigation.
- The OSPCA announced the Ontario mink farm was charged with 14 counts
of animal cruelty and stated, “no one is exempt from the law.” The
Millbank case remains active and before the Provincial Court in Guelph,
Ontario. COVID has delayed the matter due to court closures. The Crown
continues to advance the charges against Millbank; if a plea bargain is
not reached, the matter is expected to proceed to trial in early 2021.
If convicted on all charges, Millbank faces the maximum fine of $840,000
and 28 years in prison –two years per charge.
Working To Stop the S. Korean Dog Meat Trade
Here are some of the things LCA and S. Korean sister organization,
Animal Liberation Wave (ALW), accomplished this year:
- May 2020: An international petition to stop the S. Korean dog meat
trade was launched with a gigantic balloon protest in Seoul. Because
of the global COVID-19 pandemic, China has moved to end not only
wildlife consumption but also the dog meat trade by leaving the
animals out of the country’s newly announced “livestock” list. This
leaves South Korea, another major dog-eating country, in shame as
they have not taken any action to end this practice. Sign the
petition here.
- July 2020: Seorak, rescued from a S. Korean dog meat slaughterhouse,
joined ALW, LCA and a group of activists to deliver an open letter
to S. Korean President Moon Jae-in signed by 37 international
celebrities asking to put an end to the dog meat trade. The open
letter was delivered on the 2nd day of Boknal, the hottest days of
the Korean summer, when the consumption of dog meat soup rises to
combat the extreme heat.
- November 2020: An anti-dog meat billboard featuring Seorak was put
up in one of the busiest Metro's in Seoul. The billboard reads,
“Dogs Loved and Dogs Eaten? No Difference!” and raises awareness
that dogs sold for meat are no different than beloved family pets.
Seorak's billboard will expose millions of S. Koreans to the
horrific dog meat trade.
Saving Mountain Gorillas &
Supporting Virunga National Park's AirWing Program
- Fourteen rangers and one driver were murdered in 2020 while
protecting the land, resources and animals of Virunga National Park.
Since the Parks inception in 1925, 236 rangers and employees of
Virunga have been killed in the line of duty, 61 of them in the last
six years.
- Virunga rangers and employees are dedicated individuals who aim to
protect Africa’s oldest national park and its animals from armed groups,
illegal poaching, and land encroachment and bring about peace and
prosperity. The rangers go through intensive training, risking their
lives on a daily basis to safeguard the Park’s exceptional wildlife.
- LCA continues to be the major supporter of Virunga’s AirWing
program. In 2020, construction began on a hangar at Katale/LCA
airfield near Virunga’s headquarters to safely house the growing
fleet of the AirWing’s aircraft. This project came after fortifying
the entire airfield with 2-meter-high Bastion walls. A functional
and modern AirWing program provides the best possible tool to secure
the park and reduce threats to Virunga’s rangers and wildlife
population.
Fighting Ag-Gag Laws
- With COVID-19 ravaging the world and going on much longer than
anyone expected, people have been desperate to understand what
caused the outbreak so we can prevent it from happening again. It
has become apparent that COVID is a zoonotic disease - one that
originated with animals and transferred to humans, making this
pandemic the most recent example of how the consumption, farming and
capture of animals can work against humanity in ways we never
imagined.
- Dangerous agriculture gag (ag-gag) laws are being passed in states
(and in foreign countries) that make it illegal to expose animal
cruelty, food safety, labor and environmental violations. These
violations will go unreported and shielded from public scrutiny,
thereby magnifying the risk of zoonotic diseases and more.
34th Annual Fur-Free Friday Protest
- California has banned fur effective January 1, 2023, with
the passage of AB44, making California the first state in the nation to ban
the sale and manufacture of new fur products. Since 1986, LCA has held the
annual Fur-Free Friday protest in Beverly Hills, CA. COVID did not stop us
from having the protest this year on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Peaceful
protestors educated shoppers on the horrors of the fur industry and asked
retailers to stop their fur sales NOW – and not wait until 2023.
Return to
Animal Rights Articles