Members are at the heart of OneKind Scotland – without your support, we couldn’t be the strong voice for Scotland’s animals that we are today. We want to share our members’ stories, and highlight their passion and commitment to animal welfare, so we’ll be putting the spotlight on a different member each fortnight.
Today, meet Rebecca, a feminist who is passionate about being an ally for animals.
Describe yourself in a sentence.
I’m a Glasgow-based feminist and animal rights campaigner, currently involved in researching ecofeminist theory and practice around human relationships with the (nonhuman) animal.
Why did you join OneKind?
I joined OneKind because I think it’s important that Scotland has a strong voice on animal rights and welfare, while always being an active ally to animals and animal welfare organisations and activists in the rest of the UK and around the world.
What’s an issue relating to animal welfare that you’re particularly passionate about?
I’m particularly concerned with the way we as humans are still socially conditioned to regard nonhuman animals as being so beneath us that they are outside of our moral and ethical ‘sphere’. I think the way we treat other species reflects a bigger attitudinal problem – that we still too often live by the code that ‘might is right’, both when dealing with animals and when dealing with each other as humans. While other animals feel pain and fear, I will always believe that they have a ‘right’ not to. We need to really reflect on how we see and co-exist with nature and other animals. Not being actively cruel is a very good place to start.
If you had to pick one native Scottish animal as a favourite, what would it be?
I know this can be a wee bit controversial but my heart glows when I see an urban fox. There’s one I see in the same place most mornings on my journey to work and it just makes me think that everything’s probably going to be fine.
Tell us about about your current pet, or your favourite past pet?
I don’t really think of my animal companions as ‘pets’ so much as family members. Dougal is a Jack Russell/Shih-Tzu cross who likes hiding socks, and Fliss is a black cat who likes hiding generally. They enrich my life enormously and I hope I make them as happy as they make me.
What’s on your current music playlist?
I’ve been listening to Ursine Vulpine’s ‘Respire’ compulsively over the last few weeks! It’s a really beautiful album. And when it’s not Ursine Vulpine it’s Nina Simone (‘Sinnerman’ might be my favourite song), Annie Lennox and Florence + The Machine.
What’s one thing you’d really like to do before the end of 2017?
I’m due to begin a PhD in October so I would like to be able to look back at the end of 2017 and say that I got a good start on that!
To submit a member profile, email Zoya at zoya.patel@onekind.org.
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