Highlights Of #FreedomForAll Telethon: An Initiative To Help Reduce Animal Exploitation And Suffering In India
The India Animal Fund Freedom For All campaign envisions a world free of animal harm and exploitation which prioritises ending the suffering of all sentient beings independent of species
An ace athlete, an Olympic silver medalist in cycling, and the holder of multiple records, Dotsie Bausch. She won an Olympic medal at the age of 37, interestingly on a plant-based diet. At the #FreedomForAll telethon, she explains her diet
It is a complete and utter myth that we need protein from animals. What's important is that we need protein, right? We need all three macronutrients, or we would die. We need protein, we need carbohydrates, we need fats. But we don't need protein that comes from an animal. And if you just think about the biggest animals in the world that have the most muscle mass, like a rhinoceros or an elephant, they're herbivores. They get all their protein from plants, and there are bountiful sources of protein in the plant world. You've got legumes, you've got nuts and seeds. You have all sorts of grains and wonderful vegetables. In fact, imagine this, if you ate only broccoli for the entire day and you ate 2000 calories of broccoli, you would be getting 220 grams of protein. So there's protein in everything.
So macronutrients are important. Yes, definitely. But in my opinion, micronutrients are the real workhorses of good repair and recovery for an athlete. Things like vitamin C and vitamin V and vitamin E and zinc, selenium, magnesium, potassium, those are all the micronutrients. And that's, that's where the real repair comes in, right? That's where you start to build muscle tissue, and that is where the fluidity of your body movement comes through. It's in all those micronutrients that really hold us up as elite athletes and really make it so that we can do what we're meant to do. And it's plants. It's the plant kingdom where all those beautiful, wonderful, exuberant, energy giving micronutrients stem from.
We cage animals, we test on animals, we hunt animals, we kill animals.
The scale and intensity of animal suffering is far greater than any other form of suffering.
And yet it is a suffering that goes unnoticed by most of us.
Animals globally are in dire need of aid & support from the cruelty that they endure each day. The statistics are appalling & the resolve is barely skimming the surface.
Millions of animals suffer inhuman treatment as a result of illegal trade and poaching, reckless breeding, farm agriculture and lab experiments. The laws that protect animals are archaic, there is poor compliance, and existing facilities and infrastructure at animal shelters are below par, and too few in number.
Despite this animal harm & exploitation on a massive scale, financial support for animal welfare causes is less than 1% of the amount that comes in for human causes.
Animal welfare should concern us all. Human health issues, environmental degradation, global warming and challenges of animal well-being are all interconnected. There is an imminent need to be aware of and to adopt an one health approach. For one to be healthy, the planet and all living beings on it need to be healthy.
The India Animal Fund Freedom For All campaign envisions a world free of animal harm and exploitation which prioritizes ending the suffering of all sentient beings independent of species.
The campaign aims to provide a platform for effective giving that produces transparent, independent, evidence-based and actionable recommendations of interventions/ organizations to demonstrably reduce animal suffering in India.
It’s now time to fight for the dignity of animal life. It’s now time to treat all sentient beings with compassion.
Join hands with the India Animal Fund Freedom For All campaign to help animals. They only have us for support.
*Disclaimer: NDTV is the broadcast partner for a Sponsored Campaign by India Animal Fund - Freedom For All. NDTV has no role to play in the funds collected by India Animal Fund. NDTV will not be liable for any claim(s) made by any person or entity, including any statutory or governmental authority, arising out of the collection or utilization of the funds.