On World Animal Day, we at SENTIENT are celebrating animals' rights to live, exist, and thrive on the planet. We believe animals have intrinsic value. This means they don’t need human beings to give them value or purpose. Animals, like us, are part of the natural world. The question is: have we done everything we can to coexist with them? As we celebrate World Animal Day, we invite you to reimagine a relationship with animals where they have intrinsic value beyond human use.
The concept of animals being of “value” to human beings dates back millions of years. Humans have used animals for their skin, meat, milk, and other products for survival. Since forever, we have looked at animals as resources, commodities, and only valuable for human use.
But, animals have intrinsic value. They have a right to exist beyond human interests, wants, and needs. They are valuable without us. As a part of the natural world, animals help keep the ecosystem balanced. They trample the grass that would otherwise overgrow. They clean up debris that would otherwise sit on the ocean floor. They consume one another to keep the food chain going. As we reflect on this day, we know that animals never needed humans to justify their existence. Their roles in the environment are useful and worthy on their own.
At SENTIENT, we’ve always valued animal life and have made great strides to preserve it. Our plant-based leather accessories and clothing never contain animal products. Why? Because we believe in building a world around unity and compassion that includes humans, non-human animals, and the planet alike. We believe you can look fabulous year-round without harming animals for aesthetics. In fact, we shouldn’t just avoid using and harming animals, we should go above and beyond to preserve their place in the natural world.
As of 2022, over 900 species have gone extinct and dozens more disappear every century. Not all animal extinctions are human-caused. Some animals go extinct because of natural selection and a harsh, competitive environment. However, humans do have an impact. As climate change rages on, more and more animals are finding their homes deforested, flooded, on fire, and encroached upon due to human activity.
To do our part on World Animal Day, we are working to preserve the animals that mean so much to us from an ecological, cultural, and spiritual perspective. That’s why we donate 10% of our proceeds to Naturalia, an organization committed to protecting the Mexican Jaguar and other species from extinction. We do our part to help animals live and thrive on the planet because they deserve to be here. Just like human beings.
World Animal Day is about seeing non-human animals as co-equals on this planet, respecting their life, and understanding their intrinsic value. Will you join us in celebrating the day? Visit our shop and help us donate to Naturalia and protect the Mexican Jaguar and other animal species.
Credits: Topaz Hopper @crueltyfreecopywriter
