Boston, MA, Oct. 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Australian actress Danielle Macdonald (Dumplin’, Bird Box) and U.S. actor and producer Scott Evans (Barbie, Grace and Frankie) joined forces with global animal welfare organization, FOUR PAWS, to save more than ten million Australian lambs per year from excruciating pain.
The aim is to end the cruel routine farming practice called “live lamb cutting” (also known as mulesing), which is practiced for over a century in the Australian wool industry. It involves a substantial cutting off of the young lambs’ buttock skin with shears, and without pain management. Twenty years ago, the Australian wool industry promised to phase out this practice, yet it continues to this day. In reaction to this broken promise, FOUR PAWS has launched the Be Their Voice campaign to demand a ban within the next six years. To kick off the campaign, FOUR PAWS released a star-studded animated video where Macdonald and Evans lend their voices to fictional characters lamb Sunny and science student Jesse, who both try to let lambs speak through the possibilities of AI. The goal of the global campaign is to raise public awareness and to urge international fashion brands and policymakers to ban live lamb cutting in Australia by 2030.
“Supporting FOUR PAWS and giving lambs like Sunny a voice was a no-brainer for me. The idea to explain a brutal animal welfare issue in an easy to understand and creative way really resonated with me. I think people often don’t know the extent of what goes on in industries involving animals, and as human beings, we naturally want to look away and shield ourselves from some of the horrors of it. That’s why I loved this idea of educating and explaining an archaic practice through the medium of an animated video that strikes a great balance between raising awareness and telling a compelling story. Sunny’s fate is a representation of the fate of millions of other lambs and by giving her a stage, we can shine a light on all the suffering lambs in Australia,” said Macdonald.
“I was shocked when FOUR PAWS told me about live lamb cutting, something I have never even heard of before. I had no idea that such a barbaric practice could still exist in 2024. As an animal lover, I knew I had to do something to help end this. I was more than happy to support FOUR PAWS with their animated video by providing the voice for Jesse - and even happier to learn that an Aussie accent was not required! It was a blast getting to hang out in the studio with my friend Danielle to bring Sunny’s story to life. Hopefully, Sunny’s story will bring awareness to people around the world and be part of the change that will lead to better protection of lambs in Australia,” Evans added.
The most invasive sheep mutilation in the world: Live lamb cutting
The procedure of live lamb cutting is practiced to prevent flystrike, even though pain-free alternatives are available and proven by the industry. Australia is the world's largest wool producer, contributing 70% of the apparel wool used in the global fashion industry and 81% of the world’s superfine wool. Thus, live lamb cutting is a global problem driven by the worldwide demand for wool.
Rebecca Picallo Gil, Animal Welfare in Wool Campaign Lead at FOUR PAWS, explained, ”To understand the extent of suffering that is inflicted on lambs often as young as two weeks for the likes of woolen sweaters, suits or activewear, it is best to look at concrete figures: If one was to line up every piece of skin and flesh that is cut off from Australian lambs’ buttocks in the last 20 years, one could fill three Olympic-sized swimming pools. Australia remains the sole nation clinging to this inhumane practice. The pain of live lamb cutting lasts for days, wounds take weeks to heal, and the scars last a lifetime.”
“I hope that people will watch the video and learn that there are other ways, pain-free ways, of achieving the same end result. Most importantly, I hope there will be a shift in the Australian wool industry and that farmers, and I know there are many who love their animals, will follow in New Zealand’s footsteps and switch to the pain-free alternatives that are available, and that live lamb cutting will finally be phased out,” concluded Macdonald.
Making of Be Their Voice
Rowena Wyles, Creative Director at Catsnake, the creator of the animation video says: “We wanted to draw people in with humour and heart before delivering the shocking truth of the practice. The Stop-motion animation allowed us to bring Sunny’s story to life in a way that felt compelling and tangible. Bewilder, the production studio, have been brilliant. The sets, props and lighting are all made in Bewilder's in-house studio. The 3D animated Characters were placed in afterwards.” Catsnake believes that by leveraging animation, they can transcend the limitations of live-action and convey complex emotions and messages in a way that resonates powerfully with audiences of all ages. Ruan Vermeulen, Creative Director at Bewilder, explained, “This animation video is more than a project -it´s a mission to effect real change.”
Background
The global movement of fashion brands against live lamb cutting is gaining momentum, with over 300 brands publicly committed to certified live lamb cut-free wool (mulesing-free) and 90 international companies that have signed FOUR PAWS’ Brand Letter of Intent, including Hugo Boss, Adidas, and most recently Mango. These brands are not just committed to a future free of live lamb cutting, they also directly call on the Australian wool industry and government to end the practice by 2030.
Danielle Macdonald & Scott Evans
Danielle Macdonald is an Australian actress known for her breakout lead role in “Patti Cake$” as well as starring as the title character opposite Jennifer Aniston in “Dumplin'”. She also appeared opposite Sandra Bullock in Netflix's hit “Bird Box” and in the Oscar-winning short film “Skin”. Currently, she can be seen in the thriller series “The Tourist”. Danielle lives with her rescue pets in Los Angeles and adopted a plant-based diet.
Scott Evans is an American actor and producer known for his roles in the Netflix hit show “Grace and Frankie” and Greta Gerwig’s record-breaking blockbuster “Barbie”. He will next be seen in Mindy Kaling’s forthcoming series “Running Point”. Scott lives with his rescue dog in Los Angeles, is an advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights and is the younger brother of actor Chris Evans.
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