Auckland Animal Save will be holding its first vigil today, Wednesday 7th March in Mount Wellington, from 1pm to 3pm. The aim is to stop animal transport trucks for several minutes outside Auckland Meat Processors. Activists will then have opportunity to bid the animals goodbye and show them one final act of kindness. Participants are encouraged to film and live-stream the event, to urge the public to make the connection between ‘food’ and individual animals.

The Save Movement is an international activist group started in Toronto in 2010. There are now over 200 branches worldwide. The goals of The Save Movement “are to raise awareness about the plight of farmed animals, to help people become vegan, and to build a mass-based, grassroots animal justice movement.” Co-Founder of The Save Movement Anita Krajnc was trialed in Canada for criminal mischief after providing dehydrated pigs with water as they were being transported. She initially faced ten years jail time but was eventually found not guilty and her case was dismissed.

Auckland Animal Save will be holding regular slaughterhouse vigils over the coming months. Their actions will be peaceful; both the abattoir and the New Zealand Meat Union have been notified of the details of the upcoming event. The group expects a rapid growth in popularity both due to the internationally identifiable nature of the Save Movement, and the live social media posts they will be making. Another ‘Save’ group has already been established in Wellington, and the branch has recently had its first vigil. A further branch is planning for a vigil in Christchurch.

The objective is to raise awareness of what animals must go through in order to produce animal products. There are now a growing number of New Zealanders eschewing or cutting down on these products for a variety of reasons including health and environmental concerns.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-wine/100735629/the-average-kiwi-eats-20kg-less-meat-amid-concerns-over-sustainability-of-agriculture

The vigil will take place on the corner of Great South Road and Abattoir Lane.

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