photo by Irargerich

Today, October 2nd, is World Farm Animals Day. This holiday, coordinated by the Farm Animal Rights Movement,

…is a time dedicated to exposing, mourning, and memorializing the needless suffering and slaughter of the more than 55 billion cows, pigs, turkeys, chickens, and other sentient land animals in the world’s factory farms and slaughterhouses. It is a time for all to speak out against the atrocities and brutalization of animals raised for meat, eggs, and dairy.

The annual occasion is observed with activities in all 50 U.S. states and two dozen other countries. The date marks the birthday of ethical vegetarian Mahatma Gandhi.

Here’s a link to the WFAD website to learn more: http://www.wfad.org/

As soon as you click on the site, a tally begins for the number of animals that have been killed for food since you opened the page. It’s pretty astounding. If you want to learn more about how horribly factory farm animals are treated, check out their factory farming page. Also on the site is an event list you can check to see if there are any WFAD events going on in your area.

A little side note,  Alternative Outfitters, a stylish vegan boutique, is having a 4 day sale for WFAD. So if you’re feeling guilty about buying new shoes, you can feel comforted in knowing that your purchase is in honor of this important holiday.