Yudisthira: acting for better farm animal welfare
© Yudisthira
In October, Indonesian member society Yudisthira took theatre and photography to the streets of Bali, raising awareness about the negative effects of factory farming and live animal markets on both animal welfare and human health.
WSPA has worked with Yudisthira in recent years to highlight the poor welfare of poultry at live markets, where they are severely confined, handled roughly, and often deprived of food and water.
A further collaboration saw the group trained in covert filming in order to obtain footage of these inhumane practices for a video which has been presented to the Indonesian government, together with a call for a phase-out of live markets.
As part of a WSPA-funded project, Yudisthira have also been able to measure antibiotic residues in the broiler chicken meat sold in live markets, the presence of which can affect human health. Over 10% of the meat they tested contained antibiotic residues likely to be detrimental to consumers’ health.
Bringing animal welfare to life
© Yudisthira
Yudisthira, which has been a member of the WSPA-led Asian Coalition for Farm Animals (ACFA) since its formation in 2005, used World Animal Week as an opportunity to tell the public more about how farm animals live and die, and how change can be achieved.
Two of the group’s campaigners performed street theatre in popular Puputan Square in order to enliven the animal welfare message. Dressed as chickens, they captured the crowd’s imagination by acting out scenes that highlighted the suffering caused by the sale and purchase of live poultry at markets.
At the same time, a nearby photo exhibition displayed 27 images showing how farm animals suffer during transportation and when inhumane slaughter methods, such as drowning in the case of pigs, are used on farm animals.
World Animal Week campaigning pays off
During the event, Yudisthira distributed 1,000 leaflets about their farm welfare and live market work to the public.
In this one day of activity, the group collected over 500 signatures for a petition calling on the Indonesian government to introduce legislation protecting farm animals. Demonstrating public concern for farm animals is a key achievement, as there is currently no such legislation in the country.
As a result of a press conference held on the day of the street performances, Yudisthira’s campaign was covered in both local and national press in Indonesia, including the widely-read The Jakarta Post, helping to raise public awareness of animal welfare within the country.
Yayasan Yudisthira Swarga
Email: yudisthiraswarga@gmail.com