What do Peter Siddle and Portia de Rossi have in common?
They're Australian.
They won't be eating lamb on Australia Day.
And they're not the only ones. Check out these 11 Aussies who reckon eating meat has no place on Aus Day. (Or any other day).
1. Peter Siddle
"[M]y girlfriend told me about factory farming, and how brutal it was to animals ... so that's when I decided to become vegetarian" says Aussie cricketer Peter Siddle. There'll be no lamb (or any other animal) on his plate this Australia Day.
2. Abbie Cornish
Actress Abbie Cornish first heard the word 'vegetarian' when she was 13. And on the same day she decided she wanted to be one :)
3. Osher Gunsberg
'Bachie' host and his famous hair have been vegan for over a decade. Got a date with some Moroccan veggie skewers on Jan 26 Osh?
4. Chris Lilley
Imagine a 5 year old Chris Lilley. Then imagine 5 year old Chris Lilley telling his mum that he wouldn't eat animals ever again.
That happened.
5. Sia
Aussie singer/songwriter Sia announced that she was now vegan in a tweet last year. YUS! Sia at my place for some cocunut/mango icy poles this Aus Day?
6. Ash Grunwald
Blues musician and long-time vego Ash Grunwald will no doubt be nomming on some meat-free goodness on January 26th. Maybe some sesame tofu sticks ... or some BBQ seitan ribs ... mmmmm
7. Dave 'Rasta' Rastovich
Surfer dude Rasta was once saved by a dolphin! He now does all he can to return the favour by campaigning to protect marine life. He also does his bit for all animals by not eating them :)
8. Portia de Rossi
Portia hasn't eaten animals in over 6 years. "I feel happier, like I'm contributing to making the world a less violent place." She and Ellen are both vegan. (Because couples who eat legumes together, stay together.*)
*Based on no evidence.
9. Harley Bonner & 10. Ariel Kaplan
Everybody needs good neighbours. And neighbours who leave animals off their plates are the best kind IMHO :) These two, who play Josh and Imogen on Neighbours, are more likely to be cuddling a lamb than eating one on Australia Day.
11. Me
Australia Day (like every day) will be meat-free at my place. Maybe my housemates and I will have burritos again. They were yum.
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I know what you're thinking ... 'I want to be cool like these people this Australia Day.'
Good news. It's easy as. Just don't eat baby animals (or any animals) on January 26th. Or if you want to be super cool everyday, make the pledge to go veg for life.
Click here to make the pledge ... and then come back here to watch Winter the lamb do a happy dance. Because you deserve it.
First, he's hooked and brought to the surface, unable to breathe.
Then, his fins are brutally sliced off. Finally, he's
tossed back into the ocean like rubbish -- where he'll sink to the
bottom, and drown :( It’s a horrific way to die, and the animal who
washed up on a Queensland beach on
Monday probably
suffered this cruel fate.
Finning a shark at sea is illegal in Australia but laws are
difficult to police. Sharks like this hammerhead are in danger of
cruelty because of demand for their fins. These fins are used in shark
fin soup, a popular Asian dish that is now available in
restaurants throughout Australia.
While shark fins are still allowed to be sold in Australia, more sharks are at risk of suffering this same cruel death. It’s
time to BAN the sale of shark fins -- and you can help do it!
Here's three things you can do to help protect sharks from
finning:
Contact your MP and let them
know that the only way to protect sharks from finning is by
banning the sale of shark fins in Australia.
If you see shark fin soup being sold, take a moment to politely
get in touch with the restaurant -- in person, or by sending an e-mail or
message via social media -- to ask them to take shark fin off the menu and help protect sharks.
Here's a fun campaign against fur that's sure to raise a few eyebrows. WARNING: it is a little risque, but it's WAY less shocking than the day-to-day cruelty of the fur industry.
International animal protection organisation Four Paws wants you to join their naked parade against fur. BUT WAIT!! Before you start freaking everyone out by taking your clothes off in the school library (again) - the parade is only for little naked avatars that you create at their website. Click the little dude to the left to create your own "Naketar" and join the parade against fashion companies which for some reason are still using fur.
So now the naked part is out of the way - here's Four Fur Facts for you to keep in mind.
1. It's not just exotic animals like lynxes and seal cubs that meet a horrible end before becoming a gross piece of clothing. Every year in China alone over 2 million dogs and cats are killed for their fur. Some still have collars on, which means that they were probably someone's best friend at one point.
2. Across Europe millions of fur-bearing animals are kept in shocking conditions on "fur farms". If you're very brave, you can see what their lives are like for yourself with this footage from Finland.
3. In 2012, Australia became the first country in the world where all major department stores have refused to sell fur! David Jones, Myer, Target, Big W and Kmart have all pledged to be fur-free as of immediately. (That's awesome guys - leather next, hey?)
4. You can join the big stores in going fur-free by taking the pledge to wear your own skin. It's hard to imagine the awful life of an animal in a fur-farm, but it's easy to help them - simply refuse to wear fur, and encourage your friends and family to join you.
What do you think when you see someone wearing fur? And what are your thoughts on faux fur?
Disclaimer:
We’re supposed to let you know that the ideas expressed here are the views of the individual authors, and may not necessarily reflect the views of Animals Australia or Animals Australia Unleashed. So now you know.