Blog Articles

Behind slaughterhouse doors, mother cows are being killed during pregnancy with the blood from their unborn calves drained to produce foetal bovine serum (FBS). The meat and dairy industries want to grow the market for foetal calf blood to capitalise on its value, and the serum industry claims that FBS...

I filmed my first rodeo, solo, in 2013. These events were held on beautiful sunny days, with country music playing, relaxed crowds and announcers cracking jokes. I sat up on the bank while kids ran about, hot chips were eaten and people chatted and laughed. Stop right there, and this...

A potential end to the use of farrowing crates on pig farms has drawn battle lines between farmers and animal advocates. SAFE Chief Executive Debra Ashton explains why the legal and social license to confine pigs in farrowing crates has expired. Our country’s leaders love to talk about animal welfare....

In 2019, The New Zealand Animals Law Association (NZALA) and SAFE partnered for the first time to seek legal justice for animals in Aotearoa, and we won, with the High Court delivering a damning judgement, ruling that farrowing crates and mating stalls for pigs were unlawful. Now, we are partnering...

Lockdown has been hard on us all. Not being able to do the things we love can have a detrimental effect on our mental health and wellbeing. Now imagine that your lockdown is forever. For animals trapped in aquariums, this is the sad reality. While they are on display in a tank that is a fraction of the size of...

One SAFE staffer recounts the beauty of summer days at the beach and the vast wonder it inspires in her and her tamariki.   There is nothing like summer days at the beach in Te Waipounamu (the South Island). Our special spot is a secluded southern bay. Sometimes we’re lucky...

I’ve always had an affinity with animals. I must have been around eight years old when my primary school teacher showed the entire school a video of what happens to animals after they leave the farm. That brave teacher got into a lot of trouble for showing us that video,...

(This post contains some distressing images)   Scroll down to find out…                         Sadly, one of these cages will be banned, while the other remains completely legal.   On the left is a battery cage which can house three...

Recently, a brave informant came forward to share haunting stories of their experiences on board a live export ship. Over the last few weeks, we’ve shared their account in ‘True stories from a live export ship’ in our social media. In this blog, you can read the informant’s story and...

Animal videos have become hugely popular online. While they may seem innocuous, they can pose a real risk of harm to animals. The latest, a TikTok video showing a person ‘tickling’ a stingray, has gained around 100 million views in just over a week. But the video is far from...

Two years is too long. In the time it could take to phase out live export by sea, hundreds of thousands more New Zealand animals will potentially have to endure the horror of the live export trade. Following the Government’s announcement on 14 April that live export by sea will...

On 16 April, the Government announced a review of greyhound racing in Aotearoa. The announcement came after SAFE, the Greyhound Protection League NZ and Grey2K USA Worldwide brought to light the plight of greyhounds trapped in the racing industry in New Zealand. The review is a great step forward, but will...

On 14 April 2021, the New Zealand Government announced a ban on live cattle export by sea, with a two-year ‘wind down’ period. It took more than a decade of perseverance to get us here. We couldn’t have got to this point without the tremendous support of caring people like...

Are you confused about the different welfare issues that affect chickens bred for their meat, and hens used for egg-laying? You’re not alone! Although these birds share many characteristics and behavioural needs, selective breeding by the poultry industry has created two very different birds…  Meet chickens!  Over 120 million chickens are farmed for their meat every...