Animal rights

A voice for the voiceless

Michel Vandenbosch

The fear of many animals have of humans

says a thousand times more

about the humans than about the animals

E.D.B.

I think I was born with a love for animals. I entered the life (and not vice versa) of the family dog Daisy. She had been in the family since the late-war years and died when I was 4. Daisy2 followed. A play- ful,white keeshond. She was my childhood playmate. When she died Daisy 3 joined me in my teenage years. She was big, black, highly strung but a kindhearted beast. I still remember when i was a little boy I loved all animals and hugged dogs much bigger than myself without any fear. I trusted them. I talked to horses and cows and told them about my plans and secrets. I did not share the opinion of people that pigs were dirty. They rolled in the mud, but i also liked to play in the mud...so what? When i saw people being cruel and causing suffering to animals I confronted them and defended the animals. This has been so all my life.

Together with my life partner and soulmate Rita, two dogs and other pets were always a part of our lives. From 1985 we started having ‘meat free’ weeks. In 1997, after reading the book ‘Rights for the Animals’ by Michel Vandenbosch (founder of GAIA) and a conversation with co-founder and animal rights campaigner Ann De Greef we stopped eating meat and fish. We are proud to be vegetarians and no longer part of the cruel industry of killing animals for food… or whatever.

In the photos below, all our dog friends

ALL ANIMALS DESERVE ANIMAL RIGHTS

Would you like to give a voice to the animals

WELL-KNOWN VEGETARIANS, VEGANS, ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS

I don't believe in any justifiable reason for killing an animal, unless perhaps if it wants to kill you. That may be acceptable.

Chrissie Hynde: American singer- songwriter, musician and animal rights activist

Could you look an animal in it's eyes and say: "My appetite is more important than your suffering?"

Moby : American singer- songwriter, musician and animal rights activist

If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.

Paul McCartney: (ex Beatle) British singer songwriter musician

I don't need any science to see with my own eyes and to hear how animals responds to pain. That's undeniably.

Joaquim Phoenix : American actor

I have no doubts that a time will come when humanity will look back with desgust to the primitive times when man still killed animals and ate their decomposing corpses.

Richard Dawkins: British biologist-professor emeritus Oxford university

We reduce animals to objects to put them in cages an to eat. But they are not objects, but intelligent beings. If you can eat meat than you have to realize that this was someone. Because an animal IS someone for me. Not just nothing.

Veerle Baetens: Belgian actress and director

The more defenseless a living being, the more right it has to protection against human cruelty.

Mahatma Gandhi : Indian lawyer, peaceful social activist

Animals still have a purity that man has completely lost.

Brigitte Bardot : French actress and animal rights activist

I had a wonderful teacher about animal behavior - my dog Rusty - He taught me that animals have personalities, minds and feelings.

Jane Goodall: British anthropologist-biologist

A friend asked me: "Paul, why do you eat pork and not your dog?" I said: "You're right" and i decided to stop eating animals and animal products.

Paul Goossen: Belgian actor - author

Say no to injecting, force-feeding or forcing animals to inhale substances for a new lipstick or champoo.

Morrissey (The Smiths): British singer songwriter musician, animal rights activist

Nothing will benefit human health and the chances for survival of life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.

Albert Einstein: German-Swiss-American theoretical physicist and inventor

Op een dag at ik stoofpot en er zat een stuk rauw vlees tussen. Ik besefte: “Dit is een stuk dier op mijn bord.” Ik dacht: “Waarom eet ik een gedood levend wezen op?” Ik stopte meteen met dieren eten.

Kate Bush: British singer songwriter dancer

With GAIA i want to be the voice for the voiceless in our community.

Michel Vandenbosch: Belgian animal rights activist, moral philosopher, founder GAIA

If it does something good for the animals, than i am prepared to do a lot.

Ann De Greef: Belgian animal rights activist, founder-director GAIA

I'm a vegetarian since I was 9. When i found out that some cows i met would be dead the next day.

Daryl Hannah: American actress

I rather bare skin than wear animal skin.

Pamela Anderson: American actress and animal rights activist

When I went to the supermarket today, there was still a whole stock of foie gras, but the faux gras was sold out ...

An Lemmens: Belgian tv presenter

Animals are my friends, and i don't eat my friends.

George Bernard Shaw: Irish dramatist, equal rights and animal activist

Once I learned about how animals are treated in our industrial food system, i didn't want any part of it. I have been a vegetatian for 10 yeard. When you see what happens behing the scenes, there is no way back.

Billy Eilish: American singer songwriter

Livestock farming is an environmental disaster. It causes harmful emmissions, encourages deforestation, it is a special cause of biodiversity loss and a cause of pain and suffering.

David Attenborough : Bioloog en maker van natuurdocumentaires UK