Anonymous for Animal Rights

Anonymous for Animal Rights is an animal rights group based in Israel.^[1] It focuses on several animal rights issues: the consumption of meat and animal source foods, using animals for clothing and entertainment, and animal testing. The group started organizing protests in the 1990s and became formally organized in 1994. The name Anonymous was chosen as a form of identification with the anonymity of animals in industrial farms, labs, and other industries.

Principles

Anonymous oppose animal-based food industries (such as meat, fish, milk and eggs) due to the suffering caused to animals in these industries; it calls for a vegan lifestyle.^[2]

Activities

Anonymous activities are focused in three areas: documentation, information dissemination, and legal areas (legislation and regulation).

Documentation

Anonymous documents cases of violation of animal rights. It regularly visits industrial farms, and compares their practices to those allowed by law, assisted by theoretical agricultural research and by animal rights groups in Europe and the United States.

Information dissemination

Anonymous distributes printed material regarding animal rights. Leaflets and booklets are distributed in public events and in lectures in schools. The organization’s weekly publication is titled "This week in Animals Rights" and is distributed by e-mail since 2001.

The organization also maintains a web site that describes cruelties in animal industries, including photographs and films that were taken in chicken coops and cowsheds. The web site also contains practical information about vegan lifestyle, including nutritional advice and recipes.

Anonymous are also responsible for maintenance and updates to the Israeli Vegetarian Society web site.^[3]

Legislation and regulation

Anonymous works with governmental units, trying to advance legislation and regulation regarding animal welfare, and the enforcement of existing regulations.

Main achievements

• The best known achievement of Anonymous was the protest against the production of foie gras. In August 2003, the Supreme Court of Israel ordered the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture to ban the force feeding of geese.^[4] Anonymous tracks the enforcement of the ban, and files complaints against farms that conduct illegal force feeding.

• Anonymous conducted a campaign against the use of animals in circuses. Following the campaign, new regulations were enacted that prohibit the use of wildlife animals in circuses in Israel. Additional regulations exist in Tel-Aviv and some other cities that prohibit the use of any animal in circuses.

• Activists in the organization documented cattle dehorning without anesthesia in Gat. Following exposure of these findings on a television show, new regulations were enacted that prohibit it.

• Similarly, regulations were introduced regarding the protection of calves. The new regulations make isolation of calves and the denial of drinking water illegal, and specify required levels of hemoglobin in the blood, intake of fiber in the calves' nutrition, and ventilation and footing material requirements. This achievement is a result of a campaign initiated by Anonymous in 2001.

• Letters sent by Anonymous activists led to stopping dissections of animals in elementary and secondary schools.

• Anonymous together with the Let the Animals Live organization petitioned the Supreme Court of Israel to close a slaughterhouse of Tnuva due to the exercise of cruelty to animals.^[5] Recently, Tnuva admitted most of the claims of animal cruelty.^[6]

Other animal rights organizations in Israel

Anonymous for Animal Rights is the largest animal liberation movement in Israel. Some smaller groups splintered from it during the years, including "Ma'avak Ehad" ("One Struggle", an anarchist-motivated political group) and "Shevi" ("Animal Liberation Israel").

See also

• Israel and animal welfare

External links

• Anonymous for Animal Rights's official website in English
• Anonymous for Animal Rights's official website in Hebrew

References