Anti-pet-trade protest `baking up wrong tree` (featured in local press)
Tom Jones | 14.07.2011 06:15
PROTESTERS used megaphones and leaflets in Littlehampton town centre to demonstrate against the live trade in pets.
Four members of the Littlehampton-based animal rights group, Coalition to Abolish the Pet Trade, lobbied outside the Animal Magic store, in Duke Street, on Thursday and Friday.
Led by Jake Knight, 14, of South Terrace, the group argued that animals should not be kept in cages and should be able to live their lives in the wild.
A worker at the pet shop insisted that staff were expertly trained and cared for their animals to the highest standards.
Jake, who has been a vegan for more than a year, said: “It’s our mission to try to free as many animals from captivity as possible within the Arun District.
“Animals deserve to live their lives in the wild, as they were meant to. They shouldn’t be caged up and sold as mere commodities.
“We are campaigning here today to try to free the animals in Animal Magic from their cages and human oppression.”
The group, who claim Animal Magic is merely the first store on a hit list, demonstrated outside the shop for almost an hour.
However, they received mixed reaction from passers-by, with some claiming the protest was “daft” and a “waste of time”, while others said they were against animal cruelty.
Mike Rickard-Worth, 28, who works at Animal Magic, said: “I’m a liberal through-and-through and I can see where Jake i coming from.
“But this protest is doomed to fail. He needs to be attacking the bigger stores, not us smaller, local ones.
“Here at Animal Magic, we care for every one of our animals to the highest standard, with people who are expertly trained and passionate about animal welfare
“We are regularly inspected by the RSPCA and Arun District Council, who has seen nothing wrong with the way our animals are cared for.”
Jake, who later moved his protest to Arun Civic Centre, is now appealing to the council to close all stores selling live animals in the district.
A spokeswoman for the council said: “Recent annual inpections of pet shops in the district have not shown any breaches with license conditions.
“We have spoken to Mr Knight about his concerns and recognise his right to legimate protest.
“The Council cannot simply refuse to license pet shops without good reason and would not wish to impede legiitmate business activity. Banning the sale of pet animals would require a change to national legislation.”
Source: Littlehampton Gazette
Led by Jake Knight, 14, of South Terrace, the group argued that animals should not be kept in cages and should be able to live their lives in the wild.
A worker at the pet shop insisted that staff were expertly trained and cared for their animals to the highest standards.
Jake, who has been a vegan for more than a year, said: “It’s our mission to try to free as many animals from captivity as possible within the Arun District.
“Animals deserve to live their lives in the wild, as they were meant to. They shouldn’t be caged up and sold as mere commodities.
“We are campaigning here today to try to free the animals in Animal Magic from their cages and human oppression.”
The group, who claim Animal Magic is merely the first store on a hit list, demonstrated outside the shop for almost an hour.
However, they received mixed reaction from passers-by, with some claiming the protest was “daft” and a “waste of time”, while others said they were against animal cruelty.
Mike Rickard-Worth, 28, who works at Animal Magic, said: “I’m a liberal through-and-through and I can see where Jake i coming from.
“But this protest is doomed to fail. He needs to be attacking the bigger stores, not us smaller, local ones.
“Here at Animal Magic, we care for every one of our animals to the highest standard, with people who are expertly trained and passionate about animal welfare
“We are regularly inspected by the RSPCA and Arun District Council, who has seen nothing wrong with the way our animals are cared for.”
Jake, who later moved his protest to Arun Civic Centre, is now appealing to the council to close all stores selling live animals in the district.
A spokeswoman for the council said: “Recent annual inpections of pet shops in the district have not shown any breaches with license conditions.
“We have spoken to Mr Knight about his concerns and recognise his right to legimate protest.
“The Council cannot simply refuse to license pet shops without good reason and would not wish to impede legiitmate business activity. Banning the sale of pet animals would require a change to national legislation.”
Source: Littlehampton Gazette
Tom Jones
Homepage:
http://www.jakeknight.info/
