Little Mix stars Perrie Edwards, Jesy Nelson, Jade Thrilwell and Leigh-Anne Pinnock have joined PETA to call for an end to caging, chaining and beating animals into performing in circuses
Not only do Little Mix give us endless #SquadGoals and style inspiration, but they’re also girls who care about a good cause too – just another reason we love them.
And, having previously spoken out about bullying and supported charities including Sport Relief, the latest campaign the foursome have pledged their support to is PETA‘s bid to end to the suffering of wild animals in circuses.
The gorge girls – Perrie Edwards, Jesy Nelson, Jade Thirlwell and Leigh-Anne Pinnock – appear in the animal protection organisation’s newest ad, which seems them wearing heavy chains and looking very sorry for themselves, with Jesy sitting atop a circus-style pedestal.
The black and white image proclaims: ‘Shackled, beaten and depressed. Get wild animals out of the circus!’
It’s clearly a cause they feel passionately about too, with Leigh-Anne saying: ‘We were shocked to learn that wild animals are still suffering in circuses.
‘Animals don’t jump through rings of fire for fun – they do so out of fear, and it’s time to ban this so-called form of entertainment once and for all.’
Speaking for her Little Mix bandmates, she added: ‘There’s no reason why animals should still be suffering in circuses, and we hope that by posing for this ad, we’ll be doing our bit to help ban the use of wild animals in circuses.
‘We hope, too, that our fans will join us in supporting PETA’s campaign to end this cruelty.’
The former X Factor winners are the latest in a long list of stars – including Simon Cowell, P!nk, Tom Hardy, Rylan Clark, Alexandra Burke and others – who’ve teamed up with PETA to promote kindness to animals.
And it’s no wonder the girls feel so passionately about the cause. The campaign comes on the back of shocking circus training practices, exposed by PETA – including poor baby elephants being stretched out, slammed to the ground, gouged with hooks and shocked with electric prods.
Seriously?
The organisation also say that, when not on stage, tigers and elephants are kept caged or chained for up to 23 hours a day.
OK, where do we sign?? Well, here actually: PETA’s handy pre-written letter to prime minister David Cameron demanding he bring legislation banning wild-animal circuses to Parliament.
The PM promised to ban wild-animal circuses by January 2015 but failed to bring any legislation to Parliament during the last government. Tsk, tsk.
For more information, head to petauk.org/circusban.
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