ZooPunk Basics

NOT A VEGAN SAFE SPACE Animal welfare, intersectionality, and punk practices. That's what zoopunk is. Come learn more :)

[zoopunkbasics]

A Fundraising Post

But first! A Q & A. Really, an FAQ.

What is Zoopunk?

Zoopunk is Animal Welfare in action. From zine scale to legislative scale, zoopunks spread the word that animals need and deserve our help. We write, we act, we take shit to the streets when it's necessary. And sometimes, we fundraise like I'm doing right now.

How do I get Involved?

This is my FAVORITE question!!! Here's a quick list.

- you can make a zine on the welfare conditions of factory farms

- you can take a(n oftentimes completely free) certification course on wildlife rescuing and rehabilitation

- you can donate to an ethical animal rescue or sanctuary

- you can keep reading my posts, keep watching other activists, keep educating yourself, and share that education with a friend or two.

Why Should I Donate to You? You're Just Some Guy on Tumblr.

Fair point, honestly. But! I do have an answer. Not only am I an educator on animal welfare, but I also own and lead two very important programs as part of one larger nonprofit called Stellar Animal Support Network.

The first of these programs is Stellar Service Dogs. We, as the name implies, train service dogs. Pretty simple, pretty straightforward. We provide free or low-cost service animals to people in need. We specifically focus on supporting disabled people who are also part of other targeted groups, such as queer/trans, PoC, and many others.

The second program is the Stellar Animal Rescue. We take dogs, cats, rabbits, even the occasional fish or gecko.

This is where we need some support from you. We are trying to relocate from a tiny apartment to a 5-acre property, but we need help! We need to raise 500,000 dollars to make this dream come true, hopefully by the end of this year. We will be adding full reptile/fish rooms, an aviary, and a livestock program to our rescue and increasing staffing and resources for our service dog program as well. We are also considering adding a small breeding program, to be one of (if not) the first program(s) in the world to have fully titled and proven parent dogs as the foundation for every service dog we produce.

[rainbowquagga]

If everyone was vegan, we’d only need to use half the land that we are using right now to support the meat industry.

[zoopunkbasics]

if everyone was vegan,

disabled people would die

babies would die

transportation emissions alone would continue destroying the environment

food would be even less accessible than it is now to low-income people

working-species/breed animals would suffer

all domestic animals would suffer and/or go extinct 6b. ecosystems would collapse

Shall I continue? or is this enough reason to not go vegan?

[byjove]

I do not agree with veganism as a moral standard. If it is your personal moral stance, that is fine. If you think humans eating meat is inherently immoral, I don’t want to deal with you, you’re hopeless. Vegan ideology behaves more like a sect of evangelical Christianity than a dietary choice.

[literallycrashingoutrn]

Veganism is better for the environment, but claiming that it's a morally superior choice ignores cultural and economic factors that make people eat animal products.

[byjove]

It is not inherently better for the environment. That is the thing. When you begin trying to explain that local, sustainably sourced animal protein is better for the environment than imported plant proteins that are farmed 3,500 miles away using slave labor, they start tuning you out. Down is better for the environment than polyester stuffing, leather is better for the environment than pleather. We should work on making animal agricultural practices more sustainable instead of trying to shame everyone into eating plant products that are also farmed unethically and unsustainably.

[i-wheely-love-poodles]

I also want to add in that actually staying healthy on a vegan diet requires planning, supplements, and time to do said planning. If you already have dietary restrictions or needs, willingly adding more does not make sense for most people. I have an ostomy and a lot of vegan recipes are contraindicated for me due to blockage risks.

I think there is something to be said about reducing meat consumption so it’s not every meal due to factory farming but here’s the thing.

If you are poor, on a budget, you don’t get the luxury of choosing ethical meat/animal products. Animal rights need to be legislated and made so that every option is sustainable - the hand of the free market is on a lot of people’s throats.

As said I’m on a budget so what I would do is get TVP and do 1:1 to double my meat - it didn’t taste any different and was great to stretch ground beef. You can even use a ratio of TVP to meat at 4:1 according to my grandma.

It is better to have humanely treated and used animal products than to make plastic equivalents that shed microplastics all the time. 

Agave syrup? Unless you are buying Bat Certified stuff it is actually causing harm to local bat populations in addition to the huge boom of monoculture agave that disrupts local food independence (don’t know if that’s the right word). This also includes other agave products like tequila!

Anyway start yelling at legislators rather than people online.

[zoopunkbasics]

THIS is what I mean when I say veganism solves 0 problems and creates 100 more. Pleather, polyester stuffing, imported and coerced-labor sourced substitutes. To nitpick for a second, I will encourage the use of "Animal Welfare" over "Animal Rights," but otherwise this is a W take for sure.

[zoopunkbasics]

What the FUCK is zoopunk?

An Introduction.

Zoopunk is animal welfare punk. It is NOT veganism. In fact, it's founder (yours truly) is currently eating meatballs in gravy.

We believe: 1. Animals deserve welfare legislation, not "rights." 2. Veganism is going to solve 0 problems and create 100 more. 3. Factory farming is fucked up. 4. Puppy/kitten mills owners should all be curb stomped. 5. Working animals (dogs, horses, etc) deserve to be allowed to work under safe conditions. Preventing a working animal, especially a dog, from working is abuse, plain and simple. 6. Overfishing is going to kill us all. 7. Privilege affects many people's ability to participate in boycotts and making more sustainable choices. Think before you judge.

Now, an introduction from the coiner/founder of the movement:

Hi, hello, howdy ho hiya! My name is Ella. I'm an 18 year old cripple punk, environmentalist, service dog trainer and animal rescue/welfare/advocacy specialist. I hunt, homestead, and run a rescue-to-working dog program out of my home on Long Island, NY. I am a vocal anarchosocialist and a passionate disability rights advocate when I'm not taking care of 5 puppies at a time. My program is called the Stellar Canine Support Network, and our PayPal/Venmo/Cash App are all @ lucyservicemutt if you'd like to help a disabled person to receive a free or low-cost service animal.