Animal welfare in everyday life - 18 ideas how you can help animals

Do you want Help animals and make yourself strong for the protection of animals in everyday life? That's just great! Whether it's guide dogs and avalanche dogs, horse and dolphin therapy or the relaxing velvet paws of a cat: animals help us humans. And every day we have the chance to give something back to them. cruelty to animals is unfortunately a massive problem in our society and has many causes. Peer pressure, hatred or greed for money. Animals are exploited for our clothes, our food, our entertainment or for laboratory experiments.

With this article, I would therefore like to introduce you to 18 ideas on how you can practice animal welfare in everyday life and actively or passively help animals.

Tip: At animal welfare blog you will constantly get new inspiration to help animals even more in everyday life.

Helping animals - 18 ways for animal welfare in everyday life

I'm very sorry to start with such a picture right away. But it is far from being the worst photo available to me. But if you have the possibility to show these pictures in the sense of enlightenment, you should do it. Maybe they motivate you now even more to want to help animals in your everyday life. Otherwise, quickly scroll down a little further, because now it starts with the animal welfare tips for everyday life.

1. eat a plant-based diet

Our Eating habits are to blame for the picture you just saw. Factory farming and the increased consumption of meat itself unfortunately also contribute massively to the environmental problems of our time. Whether climate change, Water shortage or Deforestation.

By abstaining from meat or eating a completely vegan diet, you can help cows, pigs, sheep, chickens, but also many other farm animals and protect them from psychological and emotional suffering.

Here are some posts to get you started:

• Vegan living - tips for the start
• Connection between nutrition and climate
• Tips to become a vegetarian
• Shape nutrition sustainably

2. avoid clothing with fur, down and feathers

Real fur and fake fur are hard to tell apart. (see Fur industry)

In addition, many Garments made from down (lower plumage of ducks and geese) or feathers. All this provides animal suffering.

If you want to help animals, you can consume sustainable fashion and take care of your clothes so that they last as long as possible.

Tip: You can also get more input about this in the article about the decelerated Slow Fashion.

3. check your cosmetic products

In many cosmetic products hide not only Microplastics, but also animal componentssuch as fish scales, milk or eggs. Palm oil is also contained in many products and thus costs the orangutan its own habitat, for example. In addition many products torturously tested on animals, before they go to market.

Look for ingredients and seals on the back of cosmetics - the PETA logo on packaging, for example, is an indication that you're not supporting animal suffering with your purchase.

4. work as a volunteer at the animal shelter

German animal shelters are going haywire - support is basically needed everywhere. If you want to help animals, you can volunteer at an animal shelter near you. Be it by helping the Cleaning cages or dogs, cats and other animals simply your Attention you give. Walkers and cat petting are always wanted!

Tip: You might even find a permanent job in animal welfare at the sustainable job portal. Take a look!

5. adopt animals

Anyone who has been to a shelter knows how much the animals long for a new home. If you too are longing for a pet, then just take a look at the nearest animal shelter, instead of looking for a breeding. There is no better feeling than seeing a shy, sad animal suddenly chipper and happy again.

6. report and rescue injured or orphaned animals

If you observe direct or indirect animal cruelty, then you should report your observations to the responsible Veterinary Office or an animal welfare organization. If you see an injured wild animal (for example after a wildlife accident), report it to the police or directly to the responsible game warden.

7. make your garden a paradise full of life

A garden pond, a bee hotel, some piles of leaves and dead wood, lots of wildflowers - these are the ingredients for a Mecca of biodiversity on your own property. Provide shelter and food for insects, frogs, birds and many other native animals. In this way you help animals and incidentally benefit daily from soothing birdsong.

You can learn more about this in the articles Garden sustainable design and Bee pasture garden.

Tip: You may also be interested in the environmental problem of the Species extinction. Because this is a consequence of human overexploitation of nature.

8. support animal welfare organizations with a donation

Non-profit organizations such as animal welfare societies receive unfortunately hardly massive, state subsidies. That's why they depend on every penny they can get to finance their work. Even with a small donation you can help animals.

You can find a nice overview and the appropriate explanations in the article about the best animal welfare organizations.

9. adopt an animal

Self, if you do not have the time and moneyTo keep a pet, you can help animals, for example, with a simple animal sponsorship. For example, you support an animal shelter in the care and supply of a particular animal.

Notice: Do you know what a flight sponsor is yet? You can be one. Namely, by taking over a short sponsorship for an animal on a return flight after a vacation abroad, which is rescued from bad conditions and handed over to an animal welfare organization after arrival.

10. observe wild animals instead of disturbing them

Just because a baby fox sits lonely in tall grass doesn't mean it needs help. As long as the animal is not orphaned or injuredyou can assume that it is waiting there for its mother. So do not interfere unnecessarily with nature, but rather observe from a safe distance what is happening.

11. do not believe everything hunters sweepingly

Not all hunters are the same - and not all are as knowledgeable about what happens in nature as they think they are. Therefore, here are a few typical and quickly said arguments of hunters, which, however, are simply not true:

• "Animals do not suffer when they are shot": This cannot be said as a blanket statement. Some animals flee shot and suffer an agonizing death in the following hours or days.
• "Hunting is essential for disease control": Since hunting destroys family groups, there is increased migration and thus faster transmission of disease among animals. It is therefore an instrument of promotion rather than control.
• "Without hunting, the number of wild animals would get out of hand": In fact, the number of wild animals would even decrease without hunters. Due to regular hunting, wild animals even reproduce faster, as life expectancy decreases.

Is hunting animals at all still in keeping with the times? It can definitely make sense to simply question what purpose hunting even serves these days.

12. go to animal welfare demonstrations

Demonstrations are a good way to get involved in the fight to protect animals. For example, support the "Alliance - Berlin against animal testing" or make at the "Animal Rights March" and give the animals a voice.

Just as well you can simply Organize an event yourselfto help animals. This can be a vegan stall at the village festival but also a concert or a movie night with vegan documentaries be

13. bring animals through the winter

Birds such as blue tits or robins, for example, need our help during frosty periods, as not enough food findable is. Therefore, create a food and drinking water station that you fill up regularly. This is how easy it is to actively help animals.

14. inform yourself before you get it wrong

Animal welfare in everyday life also means getting information when you are unsure before you accidentally do something wrong. A healthy fawn hiding in the grass you should leave alone, since the mother will probably be back soon. You should not feed ducks, as they could suffer asphyxiation from swollen bread. And You must not put milk for hedgehogsbecause they have lactose intolerance, which can lead to diarrhea and even death.

So if you find out in advance to be on the safe side, you can help animals and possibly save their lives.

15. start and sign petitions

If you want to make a difference and get a lot of people involved, you should have a Launch online petition. A signature campaign like this works especially well if you're an advocate for wildlife. For example, get involved against the Maltreatment of animals for entertaining performances in zoos. Or advocate for Pigs in factory farming larger crate stalls get

16. refrain from animal activities and souvenirs when traveling.

Often animals are abused as a tourist attraction. Monkey tamers, elephant riders or snake charmers, for example. Help the animals by not supporting such things in the first place and, if necessary, report them to the responsible organizations.

You also have to take a closer look at the souvenirs. In many places, chains made of ivory or bags made of crocodile leather are sold. This is mostly illegal and importing such things can land you in jail. You can read more about this in the article about sustainable souvenirs.

17. collect garbage from nature

Have you ever thought about collect garbage on vacation? Or just picking up a few things that don't belong there while walking in the forest? You can also help many animals with this. For example, you prevent birds from building a nest out of plastic threads and strangling themselves with them. Or that turtles eat plastic bags and die from it. Plastic waste in the environment is a massive problem - but every little act that counteracts it is great and can be implemented quite easily and almost incidentally.

Tip: I have a worldwide Facebook group for CleanUps where people around the world pick up trash from the environment and share the actions with others. Feel free to join us! Here you can see the organizers and gladly support also on vacation.

18. point out potential for improvement to manufacturers

If you use products with animal ingredients or Animal Testing Background don't just walk away. Each of us has the chance to actively help, Redesign products. In such a case, you can simply write a friendly e-mail to the manufacturer, in which you convey that you would have bought the product without animal involvement. A phone call can also help. The more often people point this out to a manufacturer, the more likely they are to change something.

Tip: By the way, in terms of plastic avoidance, this works great for example with the Replace Plastic App. With it, you scan a barcode of products that are unnecessarily packaged in plastic or contain microplastics. When enough scans have been collected, the manufacturer is informed by the association "Küste gegen Plastik e.V.", which created this app.

Helping animals is human

You really can help animals in many different ways. Refrain from watching entertainment shows with animals, eat less or no more meat, don't buy clothes made of animal material and take care of animals that need help. Animal welfare in everyday life is the most humane side you can show. Because Animals are also just emotional creatures, like us.

Do you have questions or suggestions about animal welfare in everyday life? Then just write me a comment.

Be always kind to animals,

PS.: I have given you a List with animal protection quotes that will surely motivate you even more. Take a look.

References:
₁ PETA Deutschland e.V.: The 10 biggest misconceptions about hunting (as of May 2019), available at https://www.peta.de/jagdirrtuemer. [24.03.2020].