A "dog" on a barbecue, accompanied by vegetable kebabs, and a slogan on a banner: "dog or pig, what a difference? Become vegan!". Activists of the organization Peta (For an Ethics in the Treatment of Animals) arrested Friday tourists in Paris with a shock action against the Eiffel Tower.
A "shocking" staging
The fake dog, made in the United States by a special effects specialist for the cinema, impressed some passersby. Yves Lefébure, from Norway spending a weekend in Paris, stops banned a few meters. "It's shocking because I associate the pig with food and the dog with a pet," he says. He says "eat meat but little and of good quality, resulting from a controlled production where the animals have been well treated during their short life".
Dave, British passing through Paris, remains indifferent. "I eat meat, it's not a problem," he says. "No dogs of course! All animals are different." Agustin from Argentina -great producer and consumer of meat- gets his picture taken in front of the barbecue. "The dog is considered a member of the family, the most beloved species in the world," he says. "Eating is not in our culture." Pika, the young dog of Aida Taoujni marks a stop on the lawn, in front of the barbecue. "I'm horrified," says his mistress. "It disgusts me!" Adds the animal lover, "I'm not ready to stop eating meat yet, but I'm starting to wonder."
"Ban the exploitation of animals"
This show "shock" also young walkers like Deeksha. "I agree with them because I'm already vegetarian," says the teenager of Indian origin. "When it comes to feeling pain or fear, a dog is no different from a cow, a pig or a lamb", explains to AFP Marie-Morgane Jeanneau, word of Peta France who mounted this show the day before the World Day for the end of speciesism.
France has 2% vegetarians and 0.5% vegans, according to Marie-Morgane Jeanneau. "The turnover of vegan food in the medium and large supermarkets increased by 25% last year", she rejoices hoping "that we will be more and more to ban exploitation of animals".
One-third of the 30 million dogs eaten each year worldwide are in China, according to Humane Society International (HSI). Every year, 65 billion animals are killed (nearly 2,000 animals per second) to finish on our plates, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).