In 2009, researchers wanted to find out just how intelligent pigs really are, so they gave them a mirror. The animals spent around five hours with it in their pen, and during that time, some did what most humans would do: they looked at themselves.
Soon, the pigs were presented with a new item, a food bowl. The catch? They could see its location only in the mirror. Seven of the eight pigs were able to find it using the reflection alone.
Intelligence, it turns out, isn’t unique to humans. Orangutans cope with the relentless rain in tropical Borneo by fashioning umbrellas from leaves. Cockatoos have impeccable rhythm, cows have best friends, and sheep can recognize and remember faces.
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In the new film We Are Animals, Nina Jackel, founder of nonprofit animal protection and media organization Lady Freethinker, highlights the similarities between humans and other animals to challenge society’s acceptance of the systematic abuse of so many for food, medical research, fashion, and more.
The film, set to screen at the La Femme Film Festival in Los Angeles, features several well-known vegan celebrities, including Mya, Moby, and Nikki Glaser, as well as activists, scientists, and philosopher Peter Singer.
“Animals are so often dismissed as the ‘other’ while their suffering goes ignored,” Jackel told VegNews. “I wanted to create a film that would demonstrate, from a scientific perspective, how other species experience life in a similar way to humans, with thoughts and feelings that mean the world to them just as ours do to us.”
Turning awareness into action
Jackel, a journalist and activist, has long fought for animal rights. She founded Lady Freethinker in 2013 and has since spearheaded petitions and investigations into the dog meat trade, elephant tourism, fur farming, and other exploitative industries.
We Are Animals, executive produced by Jackel and directed by Kirk Murray and Nicholas Tana, is an important extension of this work.
Lady Freethinker
“When actors and musical artists use their voice to further a cause, they can exhibit powerful, positive influence,” she added. “I hope every viewer considers the power their choices can have over the lives of other species and makes the decision to not turn away from animal suffering when they have the ability to help.”
Jackal is keen to stress, however, that the aim of the film is not judgment, but education and empowerment.
“We live in a time and place with unprecedented access to knowledge as well as options as consumers,” she said. “I hope people leave the theater inspired and empowered, knowing they can help make a difference.”
Jackel will also participate in a Q&A following the screening at La Femme Film Festival on Sunday, October 25. Find out more and buy tickets here.
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Charlotte is a VegNews editor and writer based in sunny Southsea on England's southern coast.
