One of the newest additions to the University of Nottingham SU is the Animal Rights and Welfare Society (ARWS for short). It was set up by Cara McEvoy, one of the most active and passionate people I have met. She decided to set up the society after two volunteering trips to a wildlife sanctuary in South Africa. Cara talked about the tipping point, when she realised how much of a problem poaching is. ‘Isabella, a rhino they were keeping under their protection, was cruelly killed by poachers who broke into the sanctuary. This happened months after I got back from volunteering here. It was extremely saddening to learn that even when protected, animals aren’t always safe from poachers.’ The picture below shows them campaigning in South Africa, but Cara wanted to bring the campaign back to England.
Since being set up in September, ARWS has already had a successful mini campaign in Portland Building. They managed to take photos of around 40 people with “Why they believe in animal rights” written on a whiteboard. If you want to see what people said, check out their Facebook page!
The latest campaign idea is a ‘Cruelty-Free Face’ campaign which you’ll see on social media soon. If you want to get involved keep your eyes peeled because it’s starting in the Easter holidays. The plan is to take a selfie with make up or without. You then list all of the brands you’ve used on your face/ hair that don’t test on animals. If you’re unsure about the brands you use then check out the list in the cruelty free link below! Be careful of the asterisks though, some can be deceptive!
https://beautyandthefreak.wordpress.com/companies-that-dont-use-animal-testing/
For people who want to join, you’re more than welcome to! Here’s the link to the SU ARWS page which has all the links you’ll need for contact details and the group’s social media pages.
http://www.su.nottingham.ac.uk/societies/society/animalrightswelfare/
If you’re not veggie or vegan don’t worry! Anyone is welcome, you just have to love animals.