Actress Pamela Anderson joined animal rights campaigners in Paris Wednesday (10 October), posing inside a cage to protest the caging of animals in European farming.
The former Baywatch star was backing a campaign by Compassion in World Farming to get a million signatures in seven EU countries in support of their bid to end the practice.
“I don’t think any animal belongs in a cage for entertainment or for what we wear or what we eat,” she told reporters.
“All of our choices are important and we have to be more conscious of our decisions,” she added. “Animal welfare has come a long way, but we have a long way to go.”
The petition is part of the European Citizens’ Initiative, which means that if they can raise a million signatures within a year the European Commission will have to consider the issue.
The organisers say they have the support of 140 organisations, including in France the Brigitte Bardot Foundation and PETA.
Pour sortir de l’ère des cages, nous avons rejoint avec plus de 130 ONG la campagne de @ciwf #EndTheCageAge. Ce matin à Paris, Pamela Anderson @pamfoundation est venue apporter son soutien à cette initiative, accompagné de son partenaire de danse @maximedereymez pic.twitter.com/NAz7EJ5vrt
— PETA France (@PETA_France) October 10, 2018
Call to ban tiger trade
Meanwhile, animal rights charity FOUR PAWS UK urged the European Commission on Thursday (11 October) to ban all commercial trade of tigers involving the EU.
Trade in wild tigers – an endangered species – is banned in the European Union but the breeding and trading of tigers held in captivity is allowed. Non-commercial trade is when, for example, a tiger gets transferred to a sanctuary.
“Tigers are no party props, no selfie motifs, no cuddly toys, no home accessories and no medical miracle cure. Tigers are endangered wild animals that need our protection,” said Kieran Harkin, head of wildlife campaigns at FOUR PAWS.
Almost 700 delegates from all over the world meet this week in Russia to tackle crucial wildlife trade issues including the trade in tigers. Prior to this meeting we informed the European Commission and member states of the… https://t.co/O7jKwc9PQR
— FOUR PAWS Europe (@FOURPAWSeurope) October 1, 2018
Asked about the appeal, a Commission spokeswoman said the EU’s executive arm did not plan any immediate measures but that the issue would be discussed among member states at a forthcoming meeting of enforcement authorities.
A live tiger fetches up to €22,000 ($25,400) on the Asian market and FOUR PAWS UK says between 1999 and 2016, 161 tigers were legally exported from the EU to Asia, where some believe that parts of the animal have medicinal properties.
European authorities seized more than 8,000 illegal tiger parts and derivatives in the period 1999-2016, the British charity said, adding that experts believe these seizures represent only a 10th of what is actually smuggled.
The Czech government recently suspended commercial tiger exports after the discovery in the country of dead tigers, skins, claws and bouillon concoctions from tiger bones. It also pledged more stringent controls on big cat breeders.
