LET THE ANIMALS LIVE, RUSSIA!
Newsletter of the Russian animal rights organisation VITA,
2/2003 (July, August, September)
Dear friends, please meet Harmony, Faith and Muffin! The three
adorable creatures and their sister Tender were rescued on the rainy
day of September 25 by the VITA director Elena Maroueva, and her
mother and VITA activist Valentina Maroueva. The 5 week old kittens
were abandoned in a carton box at a bus stop, without food or water.
Valentina and Elena took the hungry and weak animals home, fed and
gave them to drink, and made a warm bed for them. Happily, all the
four kittens survived. They had stayed at Elena's place waiting
to be adopted. VITA has already found a nice new home for all of
them. "The animals I rescue, or live with have always been a great
inspiration for my animal rights work", says Elena.
Throughout the last three months VITA also rescued a number of other
street animals. For example VITA assisted in rescuing a cat who
climbed a high tree and could not get down. After two weeks the
local residents called VITA. VITA activist Konstantin Sabinin climbed
the tree twice, but the cat only backed away from Konstantin into
thinner unreachable tree branches. However the mountain climbers
rescue team(!) kindly helped get the adventurous cat down. The story
was covered by the Moscow press.
VITA CAMPAIGN AGAINST FURS IN RUSSIA
Furs being incredibly popular in Russia, in July VITA started its
anti-fur campaign, which will be carried until February 2004.
CAGED PEOPLE FOR CAGED AND TRAPPED ANIMALS
Together with PETA, on July 8 VITA carried a peaceful action on
a busy Moscow square. Dressed in fur-coats on this hot July day,
and crammed into small wire cages, the activists called to Muscovites
to say NO to furs. The demonstration was timed to the Fifth international
fur and leather exhibition in Moscow. The action was covered by
4 radio-stations, 9 newspapers and a press agency.
KILL FOR BEAUTY?
The British children author Fiona Oakes and her mother Meg Oakes
attended VITA's second action against fur and leather on August
30. Thirty activists from Moscow and Sochi were holding placards
and banners calling to the public to refrain from wearing fur and
leather.
A VITA activist demonstrated various products which can replace
fur and leather: a synthetic coat, non-leather boots, belts, purses.
During the action the activists collected signatures under the petition
to Adidas to stop its kangaroo killing programs. The appeal was
sent to the directors of the Adidas branch in Moscow.
The action was covered by 4 TV-channels, 4 newspapers and 4 press
agencies. VITA cordially thanks Fiona and Meg Oakes and all the
volunteers for attending the action.
LET THEM LIVE, RUSSIA!
The film "Let Them Live", which was produced by Mme Jeanne Marchig
and THE EUROPEAN FEDERATION FOR NATURE AND ANIMALS, reveals the
nightmares of trapping fur-bearing animals. The film shocked many
countries throughout the eighties and the nineties of the last century.
After watching the film many people throughout the world decided
never to wear furs any more.
THE TIME HAS COME FOR RUSSIA! After numerous attempts to convince
the directors of central TV channels to show revealing footage of
trapping and fur-farming, VITA persuaded the channel "Rekor" to
show some heartbreaking episodes from the film "Let them live" on
September 22. The channel is available to some 40 million people
throughout the whole country. VITA hopes that many of those who
have seen the footage, will choose never to buy furs any more!
LOOK INTO THE EYES OF YOUR FUTURE FUR-COAT…
… These are the desperate eyes of a trapped ermine on the VITA poster-stickers,
which will be hanging in the Moscow metro from now on for a whole
month. "Look into the eyes of your future fur-coat" - runs the text
next to the photo.
Overcrowded Moscow metro is one of the most effective places to
advertise, as most Muscovites - rich and poor - prefer the metro
to ever-busy roads and highways. And Muscovites are the fashion
instigators for the whole of Russia.
Moscow metro directors kindly gave VITA a 60 per cent reduction
for this project!
VITA cordially thanks Mme Jeanne Marchig and Mr Les Ward for helping
realize this project, and the newspaper ANIMAL PEOPLE for advising
VITA.
RUSSIA UNITES TO PROTECT THE WEAKEST
The second Assembly of Russian animal rights groups was held in
the Russian town of Anapa on July 1-15. The participants discussed
plans to work together, held educational presentations and seminars,
and carried actions and demonstrations for animal rights. Four VITA
volunteers took part in the Assembly. The Assembly was organised
by the animal rights group GREEN LIGHTNING with VITA's assistance.
VITA TALKS TO MILLIONS OF RUSSIANS
THROUGH MASS MEDIA
VITA realizes that to gain any visible results in our animal rights
work, we need to encourage people to change their perception of
animals as machines to serve human needs. The quickest way to reach
millions is through mass media. Throughout the last three months
the following television and radio programs were broadcast:
- program on the Anapa animal rights Assembly, photographing with
exotic animals (new kind of atrocious "business" and "entertainment"
in Russia), and mass import of exotic animals and birds to Russia,
in the program "Vremechko" on the channel TVTS, on September 25.
- radio program on the same topic on the channel "Radio of Russia",
on September 3
- program on vegetarianism, the problems of fur wearing and production,
stray animals, alternatives to animal experiments, the absence of
animal welfare law in Russia. During the show VITA chairman Irina
Novozhilova and director Elena Maroueva demonstrated a warm fur-free
winter coat, alternatives to animal experiments, and offered the
public to try meat substitutes. VITA supplied producers with the
footage on trapping animals for furs, bullfights and intensive farming.
Extracts from the films were shown during the program. Program "Ladies
TV-club", channel "Rekor", on September 22.
VITA published, or was interviewed for the following media casts:
- Two general articles on various animal protection issues, vegan
lifestyle with concrete examples, example of growing animal protection
movement in Great Britain, interview with Fiona Oakes, etc, in the
newspapers "Megapolis-express" on September 10, and "Pomogi sebe
sam" on October 3.
- Article on the atrocities of mass import of exotic animals to
Russia for photo- and entertainment business, newspaper "Zhizn",
September 10.
- Interviews with Irina Novozhilova in the newspaper "Izvestija":
on the problems of animal-related legislation in Russia and various
aspects of animal abuse by humans on September 20, and on vegetarianism
and problems of animal-related legislation, on September 29.
- Article on VITA animal rights and animal rescue work, newspaper
"Moskovskaya Pravda", August 16
ALTERNATIVES TO ANIMAL EXPERIMENTS
IN EDUCATION
THE FIRST LIBRARY IN RUSSIA
Together with InterNICHE, VITA has set up a library of available
alternatives to animal experiments in education. Schools and universities,
who wish to replace animal experiments by humane alternatives, can
now apply to VITA for advice and assistance with choosing the best
alternatives: animal models, computer programs, attending operations
of sick animals, and operating under surveillance afterwards, etc.
SPREADING THE WORD
To encourage medical, veterinary and biological schools to switch
from animal experiments to humane alternatives, VITA sent out 40
copies of a catalogue of all available alternatives to animal experiments
in education to Russian high schools and universities. Tens of others
were addressed by VITA with a letter of appeal.
TO KILL OR TO STERILIZE?
VITA goes on with its activities to encourage Russian cities and
towns to switch from shooting strays to stray sterilization programmes.
VITA supplies the authorities with the information why sterilizing
cats and dogs is a more effective and humane approach than shooting
strays, and advises on practical aspects of sterilization programmes.
PROUD VEGETARIANS PARADE
On July 19 two VITA activists took part in the VEGGIE PRIDE parade
in Stuttgart, Germany. 60 animal advocates, mainly from Germany
and Switzerland marched the streets of the city. They appealed to
the public to stop consuming meat, fish and dairy, and gave out
leaflets, explaining why.
DEAR FRIEND, PLEASE FORWARD THIS NEWSLETTER TO THOSE WHO YOU
THINK MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED TO READ IT.
I would be very glad to receive your opinion about VITA's work for
the animals, this newsletter, or get any kind of your personal input.
Please e-mail me at: maroueva-reijngoudt.vita@bluewin.ch
Tanya Maroueva,
public relations,
VITA Russia
For additional information please contact VITA at:
e-mail: maroueva-reijngoudt.vita@bluewin.ch
or: Elena-Maroueva@yandex.ru
address:
VITA, attn. Elena Maroueva
Russia 115191
Moscow
Mytnaya str 62-93
If you don't wish to receive VITA's newsletters any more, mail "unsubscribe"
to: maroueva-reijngoudt.vita@bluewin.ch
If you are not on VITA's mailing list yet, but you would like to
receive our free electronic quarterly newsletter, please mail your
e-mail address to:
maroueva-reijngoudt.vita@bluewin.ch
THANK YOU!
Dear friend,
Thank you very much for reading VITA newsletter, and for your interest
in animal rights works in Russia.
VITA needs your help to go on with our anti-fur campaign and other
animal protection work. For the coming months we have planned a
number of large-scale activities, aimed at decreasing fur wearing
and production in Russia.
These activities must be financed, and VITA would cordially appreciate
your financial support, which would go directly to the anti-fur
campaign and other animal protection activities. Every donation,
no matter how moderate it may be, will help us alleviate animal
suffering.
Please don't send cheques - foreign cheques are very expensive to
cash in Russia, but other donation means are very welcome (money
transference to VITA's bank account, or via Western Union).
VITA's bank account number is: 40703978400090001768
For the Center for the protection of animal rights "VITA" 115191
Moscow, Mytnaya 62-93
VITA's bank is RESTAVRATSIYASTROYBANK, MOSCOW, RUSSIA, CHIPS: 40715
SWIFT: RESVRUMI, Communication: 912899421121
Please let me thank you cordially.
Sincerely yours,
Elena Maroueva,
VITA director
P.S: Please help VITA alleviate animal abuse, and make a donation
today. THANK YOU
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