{"id":773913,"date":"2023-10-13T07:59:06","date_gmt":"2023-10-13T11:59:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/animalrightswatch.us\/?p=773913"},"modified":"2023-10-13T08:20:56","modified_gmt":"2023-10-13T12:20:56","slug":"vegan-vigilantes-the-vegans-breaking-the-law-to-liberate-animals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/animalrightswatch.us\/?p=773913","title":{"rendered":"‘Vegan Vigilantes’: The vegans breaking the law to liberate animals"},"content":{"rendered":"\t
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There is a huge veil of secrecy that people aren't aware of: what happens to the animals before they end up on their plate. Animals in factory farms are treated absolutely horrifically. We're seeing things such as hens being confined in small spaces, covered in their own feces kept in dark, cold sheds. We've seen them standing on top of other dead hens. We're tearing back the curtain and showing people the consequences of their choices.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\n

THE FEED:<\/strong> It\u2019s the middle of the night, and a small group of vegan activists are sneaking through a darkened egg farm. They enter the sheds and film what they see inside the rows of cages. They then select two chickens, place them into carriers and drive off into the night.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sophie has taken at least 200 animals in this way over the years.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI am trying to achieve total animal liberation,\u201d she told The Feed.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re going into these places and saving as many animals as we can and relocating them to a better place where they won’t be treated as a commodity.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Sophie\u2019s been an animal rights activist for seven years. An animal lover who grew up surrounded by pets, she became a vegan at 21 and dedicates her free time to protesting on the street, trying to convince others to go vegan. Her methods can get creative, including protesting in lingerie to attract attention.<\/em><\/p>\n

She\u2019s also involved in a clandestine type of action that activists call \u201copen rescue\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n

Originating in Australia in the 1980s, it\u2019s now a worldwide form of activism that involves taking animals from farms in secret. Activists say the aim is to save individual lives, as well as documenting their living conditions.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sophie said the chickens, pigs and ducks she’s taken are re-homed with other people and allowed to roam outdoors.<\/em><\/p>\n

What she\u2019s doing is illegal. But Sophie feels these measures are justified, because she\u2019s witnessed poor living conditions on many of the farms she\u2019s visited and, in her view, \u201canimals in Australia are treated absolutely horrifically\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re seeing things such as hens being confined in small spaces… covered in their own faeces, kept in dark, cold sheds… we’ve seen them standing on top of other dead hens.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Sophie posts the videos of her “outings” on social media to spread awareness for her cause.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a huge veil of secrecy that people aren’t aware of, of what happens to the animals before they end up on their plate,\u201d Sophie said.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re tearing back the curtain and showing people… the consequences of their choices”…<\/em><\/p>\n

Penalties for illegal forms of direct action have ramped up in recent years \u2013 with prison sentences doubling in some cases…<\/em><\/p>\n

So far, Sophie hasn\u2019t been arrested for breaking the law \u2013 but she said the potential punishments haven\u2019t deterred her…<\/em><\/p>\n

Earlier this year, Western Australia introduced prison terms of two years and fines of $24,000 for farm trespassers. NSW has the toughest deterrents in the country, with fines of up to $220,000 for individuals and $440,000 for groups… In some states, bigger fines apply to those who are part of organised groups. SOURCE…<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

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