Stay Active With an Arts and Crafts Project That Fights Speciesism

The novel coronavirus’s deadly fingers have contaminated nearly every aspect of our daily routines, practically forcing us to convert our real lives into online avatar versions. We’re even starting to grimace when delivery people smile a little too loudly from less than 6 feet away.

As it turns out, endless streams of rubbing alcohol and bleach along with an indefinite isolation period go a long way toward making an arts and crafts project seem like a pretty good idea—especially when its aim is to help prevent the next pandemic by advocating for an end to speciesism. 🎨🖌️

Use this information as your muse: Epidemics and diseases including avian flu, swine flu, E. coli, salmonella, listeria, SARS, MERS, Ebola, and HIV have been caused by pathogens that have crossed over to humans from other animals as a result of the speciesist mindset that makes humans feel entitled to exploit them for experiments, food, clothing, and entertainment.

This coronavirus is no different. How many epidemics and global pandemics will we watch threaten our health and global economy before we take a hint? The filthy conditions in which animals are raised and killed for food are breeding grounds for disease. Whether it’s a wet market in China or a factory farm or slaughterhouse in the U.S., viruses don’t care—so we need to start caring.

Just as we don’t want to become infected with or die of COVID-19, animals are individuals who don’t want to suffer or be killed for food or other purposes. A hen, for example, just wants to be left in peace to teach calls to her chicks before they hatch (much as a human mother talks to her baby in her womb) and defend her young from predators once they’re born.

PETA is calling on you to fill your free time with this therapeutic arts and crafts project that encourages your neighbors and social media contacts to do their part to help prevent the spread of zoonotic diseases and end speciesist habits that exploit animals. Humans are suffering from COVID-19 because of animal agriculture, and now we’re making animals suffer further in ruthless experiments for a coronavirus vaccine. We need to end this insanity—not by preparing for the next pandemic but by simply not allowing one to develop. Read on to see how you can help.

Gather some supplies:

• Paper
• Marker pens
• Poster board (Pick some up on your next run to the grocery store or drug store, as many carry it in their school supplies section.)
• Scissors
• Stickers
• Glitter
• An eagerness to inform others that COVID-19 wouldn’t exist in a vegan world
• Artistic ability (optional) 😉

Then, follow these simple steps:

1. Using one of the slogans shown below or one you’ve come up with, make a sign and display it from your window, front door, garage door, lawn, balcony, mailbox, car, or other highly visible location—or write the slogan in chalk on your sidewalk or driveway.
2. Snap a photo of your sign being displayed and submit it to [email protected] so that we can spread your message even further.
3. Post your photo on social media using the hashtags #QuarantineLife and #StayHome—and tag @PETA.

Here are some examples. You could opt for a cute and colorful vibe like this:

Or you could err on the side of being explicit and make sure your message isn’t open to interpretation:

You might want to remind everyone that we’re all in this together:

If you’re out of art supplies or just not feeling creative, we’ve got you covered:

We’re staying in, but we can still get the message out. There’s no wrong way to spread the word that speciesism must end if we want to live:

Other animals are the same as humans in all the ways that matter: They can feel love, pain, fear, and joy, and their will to live is just as strong as ours. If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it’s that being separated from our families and friends and worrying about the health and well-being of our loved ones can be agonizing. And we can’t continue to subject other animals to this pain.

This pandemic has also proved that most humans are generous, brave, and empathetic—and it’s time we all showed our compassionate side to other species, too. We need to encourage everyone to stop viewing sentient beings as things to experiment on, consume, wear, or use for any other reason. We should speak out as if our own lives depended on it—because it’s becoming more and more apparent that they do.

Don’t forget to send a photo of your masterpiece to [email protected] for a chance to have it featured by PETA!