‘The meaning of life is in spreading peace and kindness.’ – Dr. Janez Drnovsek

Design Against Fur

The international coalition against fur, Fur Free Alliance, with Animal Friends as its member since last year, for six years already has organized an international competition called Design Against Fur for fashion-design students in which, starting this year, Croatian students will be able to take part too. The subject of this year's competition is 'wearing fur is cruel and unnecessary.' For more information please visit www.infurmation.com/daf.html.

Malaysia Decides not to Export Monkeys

Animal Friends welcomes the decision not to export Malaysian monkeys with hope that the Malaysian government will adopt a humane solution for human-monkey conflicts. Having this decision in mind, we urge Croatian politicians to enforce a legal ban on experiments on primates in the Republic of Croatia, which is an ongoing campaign in Europe, too.

For Europe Without Seal Fur

Animal Friends Croatia, the Scandinavian Anti-Sealing Coalition, Campaigns Against The Cruelty To Animals, Canada, and Atlantic Canadian Anti-Sealing Coalition have launched an international campaign for the ban on trade in seal products all over Europe! During this campaign, we sent more than 1,500 letters of request for the ban on trade in seal products to the countries which still have not enforced this ban, while sending a thank-you note of support to the countries – Slovenia, Croatia, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Latvia – that already have enforced this ban.

Protest Against the Chinese Fur Industry

On the International Day of Protest Against the Chinese Fur Industry, on February 13, we held a protest in front of the Chinese Embassy in Zagreb. Some dogs with their guardians also joined this protest against the brutality of the Chinese fur industry so as to call to boycott the wearing of animal fur and fur-trim and to boycott the Olympics in Beijing, expecting a legal ban on import and sale of dog and cat fur in Croatia.

Anti-Fur Demo in Slovenia

On February 23, 150 protesters gathered in Ljubljana for a protest march against the killing of animals for fur. The protest march was dedicated to the late Dr. Janez Drnovsek, who was a vegan, an animal rights advocate and a great man in many means. At the peak of the protest, fifty Animal Friends' members and other activists carried black ribbons and observed a minute of silence for the former Slovenian president.

Slaughter for a Fistful of Dollars

After sending a reaction in mid February against the killing of animals in a new reality show which will soon start on the Croatian Nova TV, on February 27 we protested on Ban Jelacic Square in Zagreb against the torturing and killing of animals in the reality show Farm. Carrying a clear message 'Slaughter is not Entertainment' Animal Friends called all participants of the reality show Farm to refuse to slaughter animals, while Animal Friends requested Nova TV not to hide the act of killing from the eyes of viewers, if it comes to the slaughter, but rather show it publicly without censorship.

News and Announcements

- Following the invitation of the society Spona we introduced the animal rights movement in the gymnasium in a town near Zagreb, Dugo Selo, showed a video for teenagers about vegetarianism and answered the student's the questions.

- About one hundred members of Animal Friends turned up in our office and got acquainted within a nice atmosphere, exchanged and tasted vegan recipes and watched animal rights films.

- Our Split branch on February 13 organized a video projection of the documentary 'Bearing Witness' about the slaughter of seals in Canada for fur in the club KOCKA.

- Ever more cities in Croatia support our campaign for the legal obligation to microchip all dogs, and their number is currently 13: Vukovar, Koprivnica, Sibenik, Zadar, Karlovac, Dubrovnik, Vinkovci, Cakovec, Varazdin, Rijeka, Pula, Split, and Zagreb.

- Students of the school-group 'Animal Friends' from the Zagreb elementary school King Tomislav visited us in our office. During the informal discussion they asked questions about animal protection and rights and watched the Meatrix animation.

- We sent a reaction to the Russian and Norwegian government against the yearly slaughtering of seal pups and seals for their fur in the north of Russia in the region of Arkhangelsk, which is planned to begin in March.

- Do not miss the big and loud international demo against fur which will take place on March 15 in Zagreb on the International Day of Protest Against the Slaugther of Seals in Canada. The protest march will start from the King Tomislav Square at 11 A.M. and will go through the city center all the way to the Canadian Embassy where the protestors will appeal to the Canadian authorities to end this gruesome slaughter.

- We urge you to send a polite letter of request to your MPs and the members of European Parliament (MEPs) to implement the ban on trade in seal products. The list of their contacts you can find at www.prijatelji-zivotinja.hr/index.en.php?id=882.

- For our members with little cooking experience and curiosity to learn to cook, fry and bake without eggs and only plant-based ingredients, we will be organizing a cooking workshop.

We want to thank everyone for all the help of any kind provided so far, and would like to invite those of you, who are able to, to also join us in the future. The successful realization of our projects is your merit as well and we hope that you will support us in the weeks and months to come, too.

Together for the animals,

Your Animal Friends