PETA Awards Teen Who Campaigned Against a Cruel School Trip
Meet Joseph Knight, the latest winner of PETA’s Compassionate Teen Award! We were blown away when we heard about all the fantastic things this 14-year-old Cambridge local has been doing for animals at his school and beyond.
When Joseph’s school offered students a trip to Parc Astérix, a French amusement park that keeps dolphins and sea lions captive, he decided to take on school administrators and urge them to cancel plans to visit the park. It’s been well documented that animals in cruel marine parks and aquariums suffer for nothing more than human entertainment. They are often separated from their close family units and forced to live in tiny concrete tanks that could never emulate their natural environment. Watching intelligent animals like dolphins perform demeaning tricks does not make for an educational school trip, as Joseph has recognised.
He even started his own animal rights group called StandUP to encourage his classmates to speak up for animals. The group produces a weekly newsletter and is campaigning for vegan menu options at the school lunch hall. It also has plans to expand and tackle more animal rights issues – and we can’t wait to see what it achieves.
Joseph’s work is helping to spread awareness of the plight of animals to his schoolmates and shine a spotlight on the industries that abuse and kill animals. We’re proud to give Joseph PETA’s Compassionate Teen Award in recognition of his outstanding work.
Do you know a young person who is making a difference for animals? Let us know by nominating him or her for an award!
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