Whether or not you think zoos by their very definition are unethical, you’ll probably agree that zoos that keep their animals in unsanitary and inadequate conditions are abusing their animals. Unfortunately, Manila Zoo has always been accused of housing their animals in these kinds of conditions—Mali, the zoo’s lonely elephant, and a viral video last year in which a lion was allegedly having a seizure are star cases. While Manila Zoo was ordered to cease operations earlier this year, this was due to its being a major pollutant of Manila Bay. [Read: Major Manila Bay polluter Manila Zoo to build water treatment plants]

Today, from 11 a.m. onwards, animal activists are gathering at Rizal Park as part of the Official Animal Rights March. It’s an annual march founded by London-based animal rights organization Surge, and it’s been taking place around the world since 2016. The march, aside from raising awareness on animal cruelty and animal liberation, aims to unite the animal rights and vegan community globally.

Here’s the schedule of the march:

11 am: General assembly, Kartilya ng Katipunan/Andres Bonifacio Shrine
12 noon: Start of program, with speeches by notable animal rights activists in the Philippines
1 pm: Start of March. March starts along Taft Avenue with turns at Quirino Avenue, Mabini Street and Rizal Park, with stops at:
- Manila Zoo, for a speech by Jana Sevilla of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Asia
- Manila Ocean Park, for a speech by Ronnie Fernandez of Manila Vegans

For more information on the march, you can check out the event page here.

Featured photo courtesy of Chaz McGregor on Unsplash

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