Who Was Stalking Kevin Rudd in Jakarta?

PETA Australia’s “cow,” that’s who! As Australian foreign affairs minister Kevin Rudd arrived at a meeting with Indonesian officials in Jakarta last week, PETA Australia’s bovine activist was there to protest the resumption of the live export of cows and sheep to Indonesia.

But this was not an easy day for PETA Australia’s “cow.” Before he greeted the minister, he donned bandages and limped his way down the street in front of the Australian Embassy.

The person behind our hoofed protester!

The press loved it!

And finally, this protest photo flashback: PETA’s “skeletons” protested the live export of cattle from Australia at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta in September 2007. Photo courtesy of the Jakarta Post.

Live export to Indonesia had previously been suspended as a result of an Animals Australia investigation, which documented that cows had their throats slit an average of 11 times and remained conscious for up to a minute and a half afterward. However, the treatment of the animals once they arrive at their destination country is not the only problem associated with live export.

Animals who are transported from Australia to Indonesia and elsewhere are packed onto enormous multitiered ships, where severely crowded conditions cause many of the animals to be trampled to death or starve when they cannot reach food and water troughs. Animals are confined amid their own waste in sweltering temperatures on ships that can hold up to 100,000 animals. This is why PETA is calling on the Australian government to ban live export to all countries. Take action now!

Posted by Jason Baker