Syracuse Native Leads Protest of Anti-Female ‘Milk Marathon’

For Immediate Release:
November 21, 2024

Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382

On Saturday, November 16, Syracuse native Amber Canavan led a protest of the dairy industry-funded Every Woman’s Marathon in Savannah, Georgia, to point out the hypocrisy of a women’s race organized by the dairy industry—which systematically sexually assaults female cows and steals their newborn babies so that the milk meant to nourish them can be sold to humans. Accompanied by other women in shirts reading “Milk Marathon: Using Women to Exploit Cows,” 39-year-old Canavan delayed the race’s start by dropping  “dead” in front of the starting line. Photos and video footage of the disruption are available here.

Others in the crowd unfurled a banner showing images of the abuse inflicted upon female cows in the dairy industry—including being repeatedly forcibly impregnated, having their beloved calves taken away from them, and being slaughtered once they no longer lactate. A mobile billboard circled the event, showing attendees heartbreaking footage of anguished mother cows chasing after their stolen babies.

“The disgusting dairy industry has sunk to a new low by using human women to promote its exploitation of female cows,” says Canavan. “Mother cows have cried for days when their calves are taken from them, and the only running anyone should be doing regarding dairy is in the opposite direction.”

Canavan—who has been vegan for 23 years—became passionate about animal rights after writing an English paper on the topic in high school. She now leads PETA’s vegan campaigns, rallying the public to protest injustice to animals exploited for food through undercover investigations, eye-catching ad campaigns, and more. Most recently, Canavan successfully pushed Starbucks to end its vegan milk upcharge after coordinating “sit-in” protests at Starbucks locations nationwide—including one in which she personally glued her hand to the counter of Starbucks’ headquarters.

Canavan lives in Portland with four companion animals: two senior cats—General Bonkers, 16, and Tilly, 18, both rescued—and three chickens, who were rescued from a commercial egg farm.

PETA notes that female cows produce milk only when they’re pregnant or nursing, for the same reason human women do—to feed their babies. Given the chance, mother cows form deep bonds with their young. In the dairy industry, cows are repeatedly forcibly inseminated (raped)—workers insert an arm into the cow’s rectum and a metal rod to deliver semen into her vagina. Newborn males are routinely slaughtered for veal, while female calves endure the same fate as their mothers until their bodies wear out and they’re sent to slaughter.

Each person who goes vegan spares nearly 200 animals every year, dramatically shrinks their food-related carbon footprint and slashes their risk of suffering from cancer, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and obesity. PETA’s free vegan starter kit is filled with tips to help anyone looking to make the switch.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.