Animal Activists Hold Memorial for Dead Animals in Melbourne

Children have been reduced to tears by a confronting protest featuring 200 animal carcasses in Federation Square. Animal Liberation Victoria’s “memorial” aimed to raise awareness of the billions of animals killed each year for human consumption. Dead dogs, cats, pigs and birds were among the animals held by activists wearing protective clothing. While some people stayed to watch the hour-long ceremony, many walked past in shock and disgust.

A tombstone at the front of the demonstration, dedicated to the “memory of the Unknown Animal”, said 64 billion land animals and one trillion sea animals were killed by humans every year. Brochures handed out by activists encouraged people to realise that “animals are not ours” and that a vegan lifestyle was more ethical and caused less suffering. Photos: Animal Liberation Victoria activists hold dead animals at Federation Square on October 1, 2013 in Melbourne, Australia. Over 200 activists gathered with the bodies of deceased animals to publicly grieve their deaths. Animal Liberation Victoria is against the treatment of animals as “property” an promotes a vegan lifestyle. (Graham Denholm/Getty Images)