I wish that every living creature is free, allowed to breathe fresh air and not be caged

Ivana is a passionate animal rights advocate, Organization Lead and Chapter Lead in Basel at the Anonymous for Animal Rights Switzerland. She often gets emotional during her speeches at various animal rights events, brought to tears by the gruesome images she encounters. The cruel reality of animal abuse is so shocking that it’s hard for her to fathom such atrocities exist on this planet.

Meatless Movement recently had the opportunity to chat with her.

Ivana told us that despite the serene appearance of our surroundings, the horrors taking place behind closed doors are unimaginable and beyond what we could conjure up in our worst nightmares. It’s perplexing why people don’t take immediate action against animal cruelty, especially when many claim to be animal lovers but turn a blind eye to the suffering caused by their own luxurious lifestyles.

Please tell us more about yourself

Beauty is possible without Cruelty
MissPiggy

Hi, I am Ivana. Im 27 years old and living in Switzerland. I was born and raised here with my mom. Im a animal rights activist and show people the truth behind every animal product.

My parents come from a small village in Croatia. There it is normal to slaughter the animals on the farm. When I visited my grandparents on vacation at the age of 6, I had to watch my grandfather slaughter an animal.

For me, of course, that was terrible because I still played with the animal yesterday. I asked my mother why my grandfather killed the animal and my mother said “because we want to eat the animal”. Then I said that I don’t want to eat animals anymore and I became a vegetarian.

Now, 3 years ago I watched the documentaries “What the Health” and “The Game Changer” and learned about the cruelty of the dairy and egg industries through other activists. That’s when I became vegan overnight. My mother and stepfather also immediately became vegan.

Animals are not food but sentient beings.
The animals do not deserve what we do to them.
MissPiggy

Veganism is a philosophy and way of life that aims to eliminate, as far as possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation and cruelty to animals for food, clothing or other purposes. Veganism is not a diet, even though it is often presented as such. Veganism is a way of life – only for the animals. Being vegan is the best thing we can do.

In Switzerland, especially in the big cities like Bern, Basel and Zurich, it is very easy to find vegan food. In new places I use the app “Happycow” and i always find great options.

Resources on HappyCow

I don’t eat with people at the table if they eat dead animals. Its the „Animal Rights Pledge“. When I go out to eat with friends, we go to a vegan restaurant. But by now all my friends and my Family are vegan, so it’s not a problem.

Say no to fur, say no to animal cruelty.
Choose vegan
MissPiggy

You need to know why you’re doing it. When you see an animal transporter, remember that you are no longer responsible for killing these animals. If you do it for the right reason, it’s easy to go vegan because you know it’s the right thing to do.

Could you recommend any vegan restaurants or dishes to try out?

If you are in Bern, it’s best to go to the vegan bakery “bakerybakery” or for vegan burgers to “swing kitchen”.

In Zurich there is Veganitas for vegan pitas and unmeat for the best vegan burgers.

Pita Outlawz Seitan at veganitas in Zürich

Debunking Myths: Common Misconceptions About Vegan and Vegetarian Lifestyles

There are some people who say they used to be vegan but are not anymore. Such people were never really vegan because they did it for the wrong reasons like for the health.

The only reason to be vegan is for the animals. Health, environment, spirituality is a bonus but can not be the main reason.

There are also people who still eat cheese or eggs from time to time but say they are vegan. I meet such people very often in conversations as activist. I tell people then, as long as they consciously support animal suffering they are not vegan.