Including Animal Compassion in 2021
From Animal Defenders of Westchester (ADOW)

We advocate on all animal protection and exploitation issues, including experimentation, factory farming, rodeos, breeders and traveling animal acts.

Including Animal Compassion in 2021

Letter as published on Westchester Rising
January 8, 2021

Dear Editor:

We'd like to take this time to thank Westchester Rising and wish its readers best wishes for the New Year. Westchester Rising's editor Dan Murphy has graciously given us the space and support to be a voice for animals who can't speak for themselves, which was invaluable in finally passing a ban against cruel, antiquated traveling animal acts in this county - a years-long struggle of education and persistence, finally joining thousands of enlightened venues the world over.

Rising and its readership have been willing to learn about such issues as the grim reality for animals in pet shops, puppy mills and shelters; the law-based bias of the pro-hunting NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation; the blatant inhumanity of hunting animals in enclosures, called 'canned hunting'; the barbaric, vicious practice of force-feeding birds to make 'foie gras'; frightened, sentient animals tortured for bizarre tests with no oversight; farm animals jammed into squalid, tiny cages, never seeing their parents or the light of day and worse. Please visit our website to learn more.
 
We wish Rising readers a Blessed and Happy New Year. Amid our new challenges, as people struggle and yearn for quality of life and decency, we ask Rising readers to please also consider these voiceless beings who feel pain and joy as we do, suffer like we do, love their babies as we do and have done nothing wrong except being born into appalling, unimaginable  exploitation. We believe the human heart is big enough to include them in the circle of kindness, compassion and a bright future. 
 
Kiley Blackman
Animal Defenders of Westchester
www.ADOW.org

Return to Letters