This post could potentially be a little controversial, but nonetheless, I feel the need to publish it…

This was something I wrote last year, but never got round to publishing and has been sitting in my ‘drafts’ folder ever since (like quite a lot of posts actually). To be honest, I was a little nervous about the response it may get, but now that some of the major animal charities have brought light on this matter, it gives me every reason to reinforce the point!

So the fact remains, it’s Christmas and a time of good will and thinking of others. A time of year when more and more people are selflessly giving their time and money to charity…

Yet I for one – not out of sheer callousness or uncaring – consciously avoid giving to some of the UK’s most well respected charities. Why? Because it would be giving to an organisation which uses it’s money in a way that completely contradicts the cause I feel so passionately about.

Anti-vivisection!

So, before you put your ever-so-generous hands in your pocket, do some research on the not-so-wonderful things these big-name charities choose not tell you about.

Below, I have listed some of my preferred charities and the causes they fight for. Each of the charities listed do some truly amazing work in aid of those less fortunate, whilst operating in an ethical manner and shunning the use of animal testing!

AgeCare (Not to be confused with Age UK)
B-eat
Breast Cancer Care
British Red Cross
Dr Hadwen Trust for Humane Research
Macmillan Cancer Support
The Pink Ribbon Foundation
Quest Cancer Research
Safer Medicines
Sane
Teenage Cancer Trust

For a very concise and extensive list of Charities and their position regarding vivisection, check out Animal Aid’s ‘Health Charities PDF’. Some charities to be wary of, are those that have no idea about how the different campaigns they fund, use their money.

And let us not forget the vital Animal Charities that need our help. For example, BUAV, which is one of my favourite charities and have done some fantastic work and actively push to abolish the use of vivisection throughout Europe.

Whilst on the topic of vivisection…

For companies that still use and condone this practice, do you think it should become compulsory to declare and display pictures of Animal Testing on their products? For example, like the shocking messages and images you would find on a packet of cigarettes. If so, do you think it would affect a consumers purchasing decisions?