PETA’s Day-by-Day Guide to Helping Animals While Self-Isolating
Because of the spike in the number of COVID-19 cases, many of us are now self-isolating or practising social distancing. But having to stay indoors doesn’t mean we have to stop speaking up for animals. On the contrary, it’s an ideal opportunity to inform ourselves and others about animal issues.
Documentaries, books, podcasts – you name it, we’ve got it covered to help you stay active. Here’s our day-by-day guide:
Day 1
Get prepared. Happiness is a belly full of yummy food, so make sure you’ve got both staples and your favourite foods handy. Check out our guide to meal prepping and getting your nutrients in, and find out about the best goodies to treat yourself with:
Day 2
Get creative: make your own facemask with a vegan message and wear it for video-conferencing.
Day 3
Listen to the PETA US podcast. You can binge it or commit to listening to one or two episodes each day. The PETA Podcast features staff from PETA affiliates, activists, investigators, legal strategists, experts, and others speaking about their activities and why animals need more than simple kindness – they deserve to have the right not to be abused or exploited in any way.
Here are some of our favourite episodes:
Day 4
Which book was Joker star Joaquin Phoenix super-excited to read? Animalkind by PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk!
Find out what all the fuss is about – download the audiobook or eBook edition or order a hard copy from Amazon or Waterstones to start practising kindness to animals today.
Day 5
Watch Earthlings and the other inspiring documentaries on our list. You could even host a Netflix Party with friends who are staying home, too.
Day 6
Head to PETA’s Action Centre and put your name to all our latest petitions and other actions to help animals. Maybe you never had time to sign them all before, but now you do! From dogs killed in Romania to mice used in cruel experiments, thousands of animals need your help right now. Let’s see how long it takes you to complete all our actions.
Day 7
Learn more about the link between eating meat and the spread of deadly viruses. Tell your friends about it, and encourage them to order a copy of our free vegan starter kit.
Free Vegan Starter Kit
UnsplashDay 8
Consider volunteering your language skills to help animals. If you’re proficient in Arabic, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Icelandic, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, or Swedish at native-speaker level, you can apply to become one of PETA’s volunteer translators.
Day 9
Finished reading Animalkind? Now, take our quiz and see how much you’ve learned about cows, chickens, goats, and other animals.
Day 10
Tired of ready meals? Try cooking something new! Our self-isolation favourite is Chickpea Chana Masala – no doubt you’ll have some tinned chickpeas and tomatoes handy.
Day 11
Online shoppers, rejoice! You can help animals by shopping with Amazon Smile. Choose People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Foundation as your charity, make sure you navigate to Amazon Smile every time you want to buy something from Amazon, and shop as usual. The retailer will donate a percentage of the proceeds from qualifying items to PETA at no extra cost to you.
Day 12
Spring-clean your wardrobe. If you still have old leather bags, consider replacing them with some trendy vegan items, and check out our vegan leather guide to find out about kinder options for which no animals are harmed.
Day 13
You’re probably spending way more time on social media than usual. Why not use that time to benefit animals? Head to TUI’s Facebook page and ask the company to stop promoting SeaWorld, and go to Sephora’s Instagram account and tell it to stop selling mink eyelashes. Read our Step-by-Step Guide to Being an Animal Activist Online for more suggestions of quick and easy online actions for animals.
Day 14
Had enough of Netflix? Instead, view and share photos and videos from our latest investigations. Why not start with these?
• 13 Videos That Will Change Your Mind About Wearing Wool
• This Is ‘Free-Range’
• Chinese Badger-Brush Industry: Animals Hunted Illegally, Barbarically Killed
• Rabbits Bludgeoned With a Pipe, Chinchillas Electrocuted – Help Stop This Cruelty!
• Cashmere Industry Exposed: Terrified Goats Scream in Pain
• K-Cruelty: Inside South Korea’s Largest Horse Abattoir
• Horrific Animal Abuse Caught on Camera at One of the Seven Wonders of the World
Day 15
Join PETA’s Action Team to take a stand for animals during the pandemic and afterwards. We’ll share more ways to get active, urgent alerts and breaking news, and tips on improving the lives of animals every day.
Day 16
Despite the many disruptions and health precautions that we’re all faced with now, PETA’s groundbreaking work for animals – including online advocacy, scientific research, and eye-opening exposés – isn’t slowing down! We’re still here on the job, actively helping animals 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For however long it takes us to get out of the coronavirus woods, animals will still need our help. Your support and compassion matter greatly to all animals, including those of us at PETA.
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We Want to Hear From You!
Do you have suggestions for other ways to help animals without leaving the house? Go to our Facebook and Instagram accounts and share your ideas in the comments, or tweet them to us.
And don’t forget to share this page with your friends and family:
