"Torture is Not Art, Nor is Culture" AnimaNaturalis

by Natasha Sikdar

AnimaNaturalis is an international non- profit animal rights organization that speaks out against the use of the animals as food, in laboratories for animal testing, using animal fur for clothing, for entertainment in traditions that are considered cruel and the mistreatment of animals as pets and in general. Founded on March 2003, their activism is oriented towards animal liberation. It has offices in Barcelona (Spain), Bogota (Colombia), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Caracas (Venezuela), Guayaquil (Ecuador), Lima (Peru), Logroño (Spain), Mexico Federal District (Mexico), Montevideo (Uruguay) and Santiago de Chile (Chile).

The AnimaNaturalis says it is dedicated to “establish, disseminate and protect” the rights of animals. AnimaNaturalis has organized protests against the skin industry, like Sin Piel, (No Fur) which became the single most massive protest on this subject ever done in Spain. It has also been realised in Argentina, in collaboration with actress Marcela Kloosterboer.

An annual march is organized by AnimaNaturalis, in Chile, against the mistreatment undergone by young bulls in the Chilean rodeo. On September 6, 2008 they had collaborated with the Chilean dancer Maura Rivera.

On December 15, 2011 in the center of Barcelona AnimaNaturalis performed their animal cruelty campaign on a platter in which they unveiled a giant plate of human flesh in the middle of a lively marketplace in Spain. Defying the chilly weather, an activist stripped off to lie naked on a plate - accompanied by various side dishes and simulated blood. The innovative piece of political performance art was accompanied with a banner which read: 'How much cruelty can you swallow?'  According to figures released by AnimaNaturalis, the meat industry results in the death of 50 billion animals killed for food each year.

On 14 January 2012 in Mallorca, AnimaNaturalis accused Circo Williams for hiding the fact that they use wild animals in their shows. Around 30 animal activists gathered in front of the doors of Circo Williams installed in Campos. The man responsible for the circus, Eduardo Raluy, had agreed to 'stop exploiting' animals in his circus in various meetings with AnimaNaturalis, the association says.

On February 5, 2012 about 750 activists in favour of animal rights participated in a protest in downtown Mexico City to demand the abolition of bullfighting.

Activists with barbed darts taped to their backs and soaked in fake blood, lied on the ground to form the word "Stop" as they staged the protest. The half-naked activists formed a human wall holding signs and shouting slogans in favour of the abolition of bullfighting. They circulated leaflets among citizens in the area, with the aim of raising public awareness.

Leonora Esquivel, president of the organization convener AnimaNaturalis, told that it was an effort to convince legislators of the Mexican capital to ban bullfighting. According to AnimaNaturalis, about 9,000 bulls are killed each year in Mexico, a tradition that goes back to the sixteenth century.We can't stop all suffering, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't stop any. In today's world of virtually unlimited choices, there are plenty of kind, gentle ways to feed, clothe, entertain and educate ourselves that do not involve torturing or killing animals.

Image Courtesy: Hektor Harris Klebold