It has been a very rough year for animals in St. John's, Newfoundland and surrounding areas. We have tuned into the news on a regular basis to learn of animal abuse cases ranging from mistreatment of cats and dogs, to Memorial University's attempt to dissuade duck-feeders at Burton's Pond, resulting in ducks dying of starvation.
Furthermore, a recent news article by CBC Newfoundland took note that people who 'even think about' questioning the Newfoundland seal hunt, are often subjected to negative repercussions and claims of not being one who holds true core Newfoundland values.
Well, as the City of St. John's and surrounding areas experiences significant growth, people are coming to Newfoundland from all over the world. Many of these folks do not hold values congruent with condoning mistreatment of animals. Jennifer McCreath moved to St. John's from Toronto in 2007 and has no intentions of ever leaving. While she is perhaps best-known for being a woman of transsexual medical history who runs marathons and has political aspirations, she is also an avid animal lover who spends considerable amount of time visiting with wild animals at local ponds, and visiting domesticated animals at the local city animal shelter.
Today, she has decided to launch a Facebook group entitled Animal Appreciation Society of Newfoundland, with a description as follows: "An informal grassroots respectful positive safe space for animal lovers of Newfoundland island to discuss issues affecting both wild and domesticated animals, and to express and discuss their love for animals without fear of repercussions." An official website is also in the works.
McCreath hopes to utilize this entity to bring animal lovers and animal-rights advocates together, to raise further awareness about the harm mistreatment of animals can bring to the image of the province, and the impact these type of values will have on society.
"This is more than just about loving animals. This points to a fundamental educational component of society, which starts at a very young age. If we are taught that it is okay to torture certain animals, how can we expect children to grow up and respect any form of life? We starve ducks, club seals, torture pigs and chickens, yet we act surprised when people allow dogs and cats to suffer? We act surprised when humans attack other humans?" said McCreath.
While this group has been set up as informal, McCreath hasn't ruled out the idea of formalizing the entity into a registered non-profit organization, should this prove to add value. In addition to raising awareness of issues and putting pressure on government regulators and organizations like Memorial University, McCreath hopes this group will also facilitate the development of new friendships and social events.
McCreath also stressed that her goal is to keep things positive. "My goal is to focus on solutions, rather than just complain about the problems" she said.
For more information, or to get further involved outside of Facebook, Jennifer can be contacted directly at info@jennifermccreath.com or via phone at 709-753-9529.
