Women make the world a better place
In the book Women and the Animal Rights Movement by Emily Gaarder, women activists recognize and are said to be motivated by the connection between the oppression of animals and other social injustices. Furthermore, it said that the social movement has always been powered by women — but it has not always been feminist
Nothing strikes me the most other than the fact that women constitute the majority of animal rights activists in the country. Having dived into the world of animal welfare over the years, it is not surprising that women have held the baton in championing animal movement since its inception. While women outnumber men in this field, little has been written about their impact. In the book Women and the Animal Rights Movement by Emily Gaarder, women activists recognize and are said to be motivated by the connection between the oppression of animals and other social injustices. Furthermore, it said that the social movement has always been powered by women — but it has not always been feminist.
In celebration of International Women’s Day, let’s meet two of the trailblazing women who have long been advocating animal rights and have had their share of indifference.
Ardent crusader
A labor of love pushed Ana Cabrera to give up her job to focus full-time with her role as executive director of Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS).
“It was a big leap of faith,” Cabrera said in a previous interview.
Her name may sound familiar because she led the protests against the award-winning film Oro. The 2016 Metro
Manila Film Festival (MMFF) movie received a backlash for depicting a true-to-life dog slaughter scene. While director
Alvin Yapan denied a dog was killed in the process, it was later on found that a dog was indeed put in a sack and beaten to death.
The film was banned from MMFF and Yapan later on stripped of his Fernando Poe Jr. Memorial award.
Cabrera continued to lobby for animal rights with the Animal Welfare Act. It officially became a law in 1998.
PAWS continues the fight for equal treatment of animals by saving more stray and abused animals. The shelter currently houses 179 cats and 35 dogs. So far, 48 are already adopted according to its website.
Her personal 'pawssion'
Malou Perez started the Pawssion Project in Bacolod just two years ago. It was not planned, however.
“It all just came together because some 50 dogs were scheduled to be killed, by gunshot, at the pound. I never even planned to be a rescuer. All I ever wanted was for those dogs to be saved,” she said. Similar reports came the following weeks.
“This is a vicious cycle that will never end unless we all come together and make a stand,” Perez said.
Pawssion Project opened its second shelter in Bulacan mid-2019. It cares for more than 600 rescues. Thankfully, over a hundred dogs are adopted. In February, it focused on the rehabilitation of its strays so they can be rehomed soon. Rescue operations will resume once this has been fulfilled.
One of Pawssion Project’s advocacy is the spay and neuter programs to help combat overpopulation of animals.
“Adopt, foster, sponsor, volunteer, donate or advocate. Every little action counts,” Perez added.