As the Chinese Year of the Rat approaches, PETA Asia-Pacific is calling on compassionate consumers around the globe to give a thought for the furry little rodents. Yes, some may find them scary, but in fact rats are really rather cute. You only have to look at the picture below to see that!
It’s time to treat them with respect and get them out of laboratories for good. How can you do this? By boycotting cruel companies that insist on testing on rats and mice! The biggest target of the moment is Mars Inc., who produce M&M’s, Snickers and other chocolaty bars and sweets.
Reasons we love rats:
Rats laugh and express joy. Recent studies have shown that when rats play or are playfully tickled, they make chirping sounds that are strikingly similar to human laughter.
Rats are fastidiously clean animals who groom themselves throughout the day. They even naturally smell a bit like perfume!
In Imperial Chinese culture, the rat is the first of the Chinese zodiac’s 12 animals. People born in the Year of the Rat are said to possess the rat’s qualities of creativity, honesty, generosity, ambition and the ability to get along well with others.
I’m born in the Year of the Rat – so that explains where I get it from…
Image credit: The Patriotic Gentleman/Creative Commons
