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Animal Rights Action Network began an investigation into Dublin Zoo as part of our ‘Animals in Captivity’ campaign which focuses on animals kept in captivity such as circuses and zoo’s. During our investigation we documented a family of six gorilla’s living in the most horrific, depressing and visibly poor conditions at the Zoo. The gorilla family consists of Harry - large silverback male aged 23, Lena a breeding female aged 27, Kesho male aged 10, Mayani female aged 7, Alf male aged 6 and Evinidi male aged 3. The investigation also found the giant Silver back to be sitting staring at a concrete wall rocking back and fourth, we also found the younger ones trying desperately to break the rusty, iron bars that kept them from the outside world. In their enclosure it appeared that the only bit of activity material was a piece of hanging rope and some flimsy straw. Out on the front part of the enclosure the animals had no more than two back yards of an area to live, covered with grass and no more than rope to play with. Their whole enclosure was surrounded by glass that the visiting public would glare through to see the sad eyes of the beautiful, intelligent animals. Animal Rights Action Network has also received a deluge of calls and complaints from members of the public that have visited the enclosure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Kicking off a visual demonstration outside Harold’s cross stadium and working our way from Northern Ireland down through Cork city, campaigners and supporters of Animal Rights Action Network held peaceful protests and tabling events to highlight the cruel greyhound racing industry in Ireland. During a week of action from August 24 to 30 we worked hard to get the facts out to the general public about the cruelty and exploitation of greyhounds in the racing industry. Over the week and during the month of September ARAN will be working hard to raise awareness of the Irish campaign to abolish cruel greyhound racing and to educate people about the horrors of what gentle greyhounds endure before, during and after their racing lives. 

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Animal Rights Action Network staged a highly visual and lively demonstration outside the offices of Department of Environment in Dublin to call on Green Party minister, John Gormley not to renew hare coursing license for the upcoming season and to ban the bloodsport outright.

In attendance were up to sixty members and supporters along with our colleagues from the Irish Council Against Bloodsports (ICABS) and independent TD Maureen O Sullivan – friend and colleague of the fierce bloodsport opponent late independent TD Tony Gregory along with his brother Noel. Several ARAN members also had their hands covered in ‘blood’ whilst holding signs that read ‘Minister John Gormley – You’ve Got Blood on Your Hands’ and ‘Minister John Gormley – You Can’t Licence Animal Cruelty’ – others held a huge banner that read, ‘Ban Bloodsports in Ireland Now!! – You Can’t Licence Animal Abuse’, whilst three campaigners went on a loud megaphone chanting – ‘John Gormley, Ban Hare Coursing’. Many members came from Limerick, Tipperary, Wicklow, Kildare, Mullingar, Meath and all over Dublin to attend the demonstration. The event was also covered by the press with five photographers and Dublin’s 98fm, 4fm, RTE 1 radio and more. The protest was also covered by Ireland’s most prominent newspaper the Irish Times.

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As animal act circuses roll out across the country, so is ARAN’s latest campaign to rollback the curtain on animal suffering in Irish circuses and reach out to potential circuses goers to show them the real side to animal suffering.

Animal Rights Action Network members and supporters gathered in Dublin city centre to bring attention to animal suffering inside Irish animal act circuses. With banners reading ‘The Slave Trade is Alive and Kicking, Stop Cruelty to Animals in the Circus’ and ‘Stop Circus Suffering’, our dedicated supporters took time out of their Sunday afternoon to spend time speaking out for animals in need. They once again responded to our appeal and call for help. Throughout the event hundreds of leaflets were distributed including DVD’s from the Animal Defenders International investigation into Irish circuses during 2003-2005 which revealed poor conditions in which the animals were living in, including animals been hit behind the scenes and much more. The peaceful and lively protest also reached hundreds of passing cars, buses, vans and trucks all crammed with people wanting to know what was going on – with a megaphone members chanted ‘There’s No Excuse for Animal Abuse, Stop Circus Suffering’, information about animal suffering in the circus was also available. Over the coming weeks, Animal Rights Action Network are organizing events in various cities across Ireland, so if you would like to do more then please get involved.

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We recently began working on news that Funtasia set up an open air animal farm on top of a noisy amusement arcade and casino. The open air farm is believed to have had a pregnant donkey, chickens, ducks, pigs, calves, Shetland pony and much more all lifted onto the roof by a cherry picker. Upon receiving complaints and news of this, we immediately began contacting officials within the company urging them to abandon the open air farm that was to originally to stay open until August. Animal Rights Action Network also sent out an urgent action alert to our ‘Rapid Response Team’, a dedicated list of ARAN members who are standing by ready to take such action. ARAN members began calling and email various officials within the company urging them to end the exhibit, the story also got onto Matt Cooper’s last word and an official from Funtasia stated that they were to end the exhibit with immediate effect as they ‘did not want the hassle’.

Thank you to everyone who got involved in this urgent issue. If you would like to join ARAN’s ‘Rapid Response Team’, please email arancampaigns@eircom.net to get involved today.

Members of Animal Rights Action Network in Limerick City met to discuss a new round of campaign activities for the national Stop Circus Suffering in Ireland campaign, a joint campaign with our partners at Animal Defenders International.  The campaign meeting and launch was also supported by the local Green Party who has advised Animal Rights Action Network they will be endorsing our campaign in this part of the country.

Over the coming months Animal Rights Action Network will be launching a new campaign to ban animal act circuses in another major Irish city. Thankfully we have the support of local councilors in the city where we will be working and have already got feedback for local community involvement in the exciting upcoming campaign. ARAN has been leading the Irish campaign to ban animal act circuses in Ireland. In 2005 we launched a national campaign in Ireland with the findings of an undercover investigation conducted by our campaign partners at ADI which exposed acts of cruelty and suffering of animals in Irish circuses, many who are still currently touring.

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Animal Rights Action Network has just released heartbreaking undercover footage obtained directly inside an Irish pig breeding facility in Ireland. The footage made front page headlines in The Irish Sun newspaper (although the paper gave the impression it was their investigation when in fact it came from ARAN and the employee who documented the coverage), either way we are happy it got headlines for the pigs and exposed people who eat meat to what goes on behind the scenes! The Irish Star newspaper also covered our story in fair good detail along with the Irish Independent. All Irish newspapers wanted our investigation so they could feature it as an exclusive. Many radio stations including Today FM, Newstalk, Highland Radio, RTE farming show, Dublin’s 98FM, 4FM and more, along with the story been mentioned on TV3 news during their newspaper reviews.

 

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We bring you more good news! The European Union have just announced that they are to ban the trade in seal products into Europe. This good news comes amid fierce opposition from the Canadian government whom has been sending countless delegations to Europe in order to lobby Ministers and MEP’s. Their campaign has been built on lies and bullying tactics. Today’s news will now mean that once the legislation comes into force, it will be illegal to sell or trade in seal products from countries such as Canada where the cruel commercial seal hunt takes place—thus cutting off a major market for seal skins.  

 

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These are exciting times to be involved with animal rights—Every April 25th is ‘World Day for Animals in Laboratories’ and what better way to use this day then to organize a huge rally to raise awareness for the plight of millions of dogs, cats, monkeys and other innocent animals who undergo the most severe acts of cruelty inside laboratories worldwide, including here in Ireland.

 

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Recently longtime ARAN member and supporter Thomas Janek whom is also a radio presenter interviewed John Carmody on his work for animal rights and his founding of Ireland’s largest national animal rights group.

 

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What have Eurovision winner Linda Martin, The Corr’s band member Jim Corr, Fair City’s Gerard Byrne, along with top Irish model and beauty Suzanne McCabe got in common? Compassion. That’s right, the fearsome-four led a hugely successful ARAN photocall and protest attended by up to 30 ARAN members for our new campaign launch outside the Canadian Embassy in Dublin.

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On March 10th more than 50 ARAN members and supporters came and went during our lively lunchtime demonstration outside the EU Parliament offices in Dublin to urge Irish MEP’s to support an upcoming vote for a ban on seal ‘products’ from Canada into Europe. The aim of the demonstration was also to raise vital awareness of the campaign to passersby and members of the public. Tons of leaflets, bumper stickers and posters were distributed to educate and raise further awareness. As with all of ARAN’s work, we strive to ensure education is our primary focus.

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LUSH Cosmetics are an international company known for their cruelty free cosmetics which are often either vegetarian or vegan with absolutely no animal testing involved!

The company regularly takes part in many campaigns to stop cruelty to animals – See this exciting video of just one of their campaigns last year in London and the press coverage the stunt managed to attract to stop the killing of sharks with long liners – it was a huge success. Here in Ireland Animal Rights Action Network teamed up with LUSH once again

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In 2008 Supreme Master Television (SMT) contacted Animal Rights Action Network to request an interview with ARAN’s founder—John Carmody to speak about the work of the national Irish animal rights group. The interview then went worldwide on the SMT television station in January of this year!

Luckily for you—the people who support Animal Rights Action Network, we’ve captured this interview on You Tube for you to see! Please click here to see and listen to the interview with John Carmody which is 13.5 minutes long.

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Our campaign partners at Animal Defenders International and National Anti-Vivisection Society have just released footage of their new 2009 investigation into the international trade in primates used for experiments. This shocking footage is a must see for people who support animals in experiments and medical research -- see what these industries are desperate to hide.

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ARAN are calling on the Irish government to pull funding for animal research at Smooth Muscle Research Centre (SMRC) located at the Dundalk Institute of Technology in light of this week’s expose by leading local newspaper Dundalk Argus.

In yet another expose of animal experiments in Ireland, the Dundalk Argus reveal how researchers at Smooth Muscle Research Centre (SMRC) use mice and rabbits that are imported into Ireland from Charles River Laboratories based in the United Kingdom and Mayo, Ireland for research into erectile dysfunction, urinary tract infections, incontinence and cardiovascular system. At SMRC, mice and rabbits are routinely killed and dissected so their body parts can be used in the experiments. ARAN argues that the researchers at SMRC would be far better placed to use human body parts from bodies donated to science and that such work would provide human-relevant data while also eliminating the extra steps of having to breed the animals, transport them, kill them, and then use their body parts.

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On December 10th during ‘International Day for Animal Rights 2008’ a huge 10ft ‘elephant’ led a peaceful demonstration outside the Department of Agriculture in Dublin on behalf of Animal Rights Action Network and Animal Defenders International as our campaigners geared up for an important meeting to discuss the new upcoming revised Irish animal welfare bill which is due to be published during 2009.

 

 

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Just recently Irish author John Banville blasted Trinity College in Dublin
for using animals in medical experiments. His comments to Trinity College
made national headlines across Ireland! Shortly after Irish Sunday newspaper
- The Sunday Tribune, made a freedom of information request to Trinity
College which unearthed heartbreaking details of how much money is
squandered in animal experiments, plus the massive amount of animals that
undergo painful and deadly experiments, animals such as dogs, pigs and
others.

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"It was a life changing event for me, what an incredible experience. It was my first time attending an ARAN event, but one I will never forget and one of many more." This is just what one kind ARAN member sent us in an email after them attending our rally on October 5th 2008 in Dublin.

 

 

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Pamela Anderson, PETA's honorary director, was in Canada, her home country, today. Where did she have lunch? At a KFC with local animal rights advocates, just to sample the new faux-chicken Classic Vegetarian Sandwich!

For the past five years, Ms. Anderson has been a big part of PETA's international campaign against KFC, whose suppliers have been responsible for some serious Kentucky Fried Cruelty. While the KFC boycott continues to rage outside Canada, the United Purchasing Group of Canada which is responsible for coordinating the purchasing of all chickens for Canadian KFCs entered into an agreement with PETA to dramatically improve animal welfare standards and reduce suffering. Yes, before you comment we'd rather all the KFCs were all-vegan and we'd rather the whole world went vegan. But if you were a chicken with the choice of whether or not you wanted to have a wing painfully broken and be scalded to death, and PETA could help you get that relief but didn't control the whole world, we are guessing we know which option you'd go for.

In 2006 Pamela Anderson arrived in Dublin to promote MAC cruelty free cosmetics and whilst here she sent copies of an undercover investigation into KFC suppliers to every Irish KFC manager. The event made national headlines with Irish radio, TV and national print media wanting to get in on her anti-KFC action. During her visit to Dublin, Irish PETA Europe events coordinator at the time John Carmody did scores of press for her action which helped generate much needed media coverage for the animals and the suffering inside of slaughterhouses everywhere.

Check out the TV news footage of her entering the KFC in Canada here.

Animal Rights Action Network took our nationwide campaign called ‘Stop Circus Suffering in Ireland ’ to Cork city to expose circus goers to animal suffering in travelling Irish circuses. Our stop today was outside Duffy’s circus where our supporters staged a peaceful protest whilst distributing educational leaflets to passing members of the public and people going to see the circus. The response from the public was fantastic, many people stopped to ask questions, take leaflets and others took the leaflets but still went into the circus – however we are confident judging by feedback from ex-circus goers that many of these people will never return to circuses using animals again. Animal Rights Action Network’s point is that with the very best intentions in the world, travelling circuses cannot provide for the animals proper welfare whilst in their care. Circuses by their very nature pull up on any available land and these animals are shifted from one area to the next and constantly kept in transporters. Tigers are caged up all day long and only get reprieve when they are training, elephants can often be chained-up for painfully long periods also - again these magnificent creatures are forced to endure the Irish hard soil, wet climate, something that is completely unnatural to them, these animals regardless of them been captive bred or taken from the wild are not volunteers, they have been deprived of their precious freedom for a lifetime of cheap tricks. Animal Rights Action Network’s ‘Stop Circus Suffering in Ireland ’ campaign is nationwide. In the coming months we’ll be unveiling a new round of exciting campaign activities generating support across the country for an animal act free circus. The tide is turning against the use of animals in circuses and we firmly believe that Irish circuses that use animals are not making half as much money as they would if they went animal free, this would be a great way to revive their dying industry. We are dedicated and devoted to ensuring that every member of the public get’s to see what goes on behind the big top and people can make their own decisions on if they want to support cruelty to animals or not! Supporters from Animal Rights Action Network came from Cork , Kilmallock, Charleville and Limerick to support today’s event. For those who could not make it we’ve taken some nice footage here for you to see, enjoy!

Animal Rights Action Network & IAVS marked World Day for Animals in Laboratories with a peaceful education awareness event in Dublin outside the Central Bank. Our members held banners reading Ban Primate Experiments in Ireland and Animals Are Not Ours to Experiment On and others held posters featuring a monkey having his skull experimented on which caught tons of attention.

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We also had a member wearing our body screen TV which showed footage of Canada's seal hunt in 2007, countless people watched the footage including many students and school children, we have no doubt this footage will make many caring people want to do more to end this needless hunt and stop cruelty to animals. We also had a planned press photo call which was guaranteed until news broke with a national story in Ireland taking the headlines!

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Each and every day somewhere across Ireland ARAN's message is been brought to countless people. We help to expose them to the systematic abuse of animals and we show how they too can make a positive difference. Not only does ARAN organize professional lobbying, peaceful protests, media campaigns and effective street awareness, but we also work in schools and universities across Ireland.

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We are delighted to report that our peaceful protest to raise awareness of Canada's seal slaughter was a huge success, yesterday March 9th, in Dublin. Now in its fifth year, our protest this year took place outside the General Post Office on Dublin's busiest main O'Connell Street. Some 45 members and supporters of Animal Rights Action Network (which is pretty large for an Irish animal rights demo) came and went between 1 and 3pm to join in with holding eye catching banners and placards, whilst many others gave out educational leaflets that are sure to make a huge impact for many of the people who were lucky to get one. Many young people also took leaflets and asked questions. Our campaign event was also featured on some of Ireland's radio stations throughout Sunday afternoon, again raising awareness of the cruel seal hunt and was also featured in today's Irish Daily Mirror going out to tens of thousands of people. Click here for more info

Dublin, Sixteen-year-old Clondalkin resident Kelley Cummings and seventeen-year-old Walkinstown Eimear Byrne have won an Outstanding Activist Award from ARAN, Ireland's largest grassroots animal protection group for their undaunted determination to educate the public and their peers about the suffering of animals raised and killed for food, in circuses' on Ireland's fur farms and on the street as well as for their other efforts on behalf of animals. Click here for more info

Animal Rights Action Network is working directly across Ireland with many students helping to expand our outreach and public education. Today in Limerick volunteers from ARAN organized an information awareness day to educate hundreds of students in University of Limerick about the benefits of going vegetarian!

With our hugely popular body screen TV that is touring Ireland showing people first hand the footage that animal abusing industries are so desperate to hide. Literally hundreds of students were signing up to offer help and support, many were shocked at the cruelty and wanted to do more to stop the cruelty, people took educational brochures and much more.

If you'd like to get active with Animal Rights Action Network and become a local volunteer in your own city to help promote Animal Rights Action Network's exciting and up beat campaigns work then please get in touch today, we'd love to hear from you! Not only will you get to meet other really cool people but you'll also get to educate countless other people whilst helping to save animals lifes

On the opening night of Circus Chicago, members of Animal Rights Action Network based in it's hometown of Limerick city held a peaceful protest outside Circus Chicago to highlight our nationwide campaign to end the use of animals in circuses.

Although the circus only has horses we did take this opportunity to educate all the circus goers about the use of animals in circuses and to highlight our Stop Circus Suffering in Ireland campaign that is working across Ireland exposing the cruelty under the Irish big top.

In 2005 Animal Rights Action Network launched a joint campaign with Animal Defenders International called Stop Circus Suffering in Ireland which has coordinated nationwide protests at circuses, national media exposure, local community campaigns, huge mobile billboard launches, public education, grassroots activism and political lobbying. Please click here to read our report with ADI.

Animal Rights Action Network is continuing on exposing the cruelty inside Irish circuses and has coordinated similar action for the month of February 2008 in Mayo, Limerick, Clare, Mallow, Charleville and we’re tracking the circus to other cities and towns.

Up to 60 supporters coming from Limerick, Clare, Galway, Sligo, Mayo, Kildare, Meath, Wexford and Waterford gathered outside the department with a huge banner reading 'Ban Fur Farming in Ireland Now!' others held placards with a picture of a fox's face with the tagline 'Your Fur Had A Face'. The supporters were also joined by another ARAN member holding a body screen TV showing live footage of a recent investigation into fur farming in China where no animal welfare laws exist, the footage was heartbreaking but made people who seeing the footage more eager to double their efforts to stop this animal suffering. Six Animal Rights Action Network volunteers also posed for photographers wearing blindfolds whilst holding signs reading 'Minister Mary Coughlan: Ban Fur Farming in Ireland'. Click here for more info

Today a joint 'Rabbit' from the Animal Rights Action Network turned up outside of Brown Thomas's flagship store on Grafton Street to celebrate the long awaited campaign victory of the up market department store going fur free from February 2008.Joined by otherARAN members the giant 'rabbit' uncorked a bottle of champagne to crowds of onlookers whilst cheering 'Brown Thomas Now Fur Free' another member also held a sign saying the same! Luckily the campaign event on Dublin's busiest shopping street was being covered by Ireland's top media outlets. Click here for more info

Let's tell you about an original PETA demo that ARAN has coordinated throughout Ireland since last year. We want you to know just how successful this campaign has being. We began these demos last year and brought the 'Shackled, Lonely and Beaten' demo to five Irish cities and Belfast in Northern Ireland - the results? Outstanding, please take a look:-
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Volunteers, including our youth members section of Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN) in Limerick city organized a truly attention grabbing event just recently to support World Lab Animal Week for April and Day of Action Against Procter & Gamble.

With a banner reading "Animals Are Not Ours To Experiment On ARAN" over 30 members peaceful protested the ongoing use of animals in testing and research. Consider the facts;-The vivisection industry is made up of tens of thousands of individuals and entities who profit from the misery, suffering, and deaths of more than 115 million animals a year (exact numbers are hard to come by since mice, rats, and birds, who make up 80 to 90 percent of those animals used, are not covered by the Animal Welfare Act and therefore go uncounted).
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