Activists put pandemic blame on meat-eaters
WATERLOO — Andrea Baker went on the ice in skates, wearing a mask and a white biohazard suit while carrying a sign. She glided and twirled to make her point.
Which is that we’re all skating on thin ice.
“When we eat animals we are drastically increasing our chances of causing another pandemic,” argues Baker, a vegan who lives near Guelph.
Baker was alone on the ice at Waterloo Square. She looked confident on her skates.
“I should have practised before,” she laughed. “Here I am skating in front of people. A lot of pressure.”
She was not alone in her cause. Five animal welfare activists stated their views Saturday in a colourful demonstration they hope will make you reconsider eating meat.
It was among several demonstrations held across the country.
“COVID is probably just a dress rehearsal for future pandemics and if we don’t start to change our eating habits and the animal agriculture industry, these pandemics are not going away,” argues Patty Cuthbert, who is from Guelph.
Blaming animal farming for pandemics is contentious.
The World Health Organization says moving to plant-based diets and eating less meat could improve people’s health and ease greenhouse gases that are changing the climate.
It is also investigating how diseases jump from animals to humans, including the new coronavirus.
Adrien Mulhern, a passerby who came to the rink to skate, saw Baker on the ice and spoke to her.
“I think it’s a good movement,” said Mulhern, of Kitchener. Though not a vegetarian, she said it widened her perspective on eating differently.