The Fuzz Butts of my Heart

“We can be of many nations, but earth is our land. We can be of many races, but we are just one clan.” –

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As of today, Florian Mehnert an “artist” in Germany will set up a webcam to broadcast a rat living in its enclosure for 11 days. On March 24 the rodent will be left to the mercy of anonymous internet users and a loaded gun, giving web users the power to shoot a rat with a click of their keyboard or smartphone. His apparent intention is to arise people’s awareness for the killings of human beings by drone strikes, stating “”A rat dies for the service of art. I would also prefer it would not be necessary. But people nowadays are so so jaded because art has to commit a transgression, “ It IS unnecessary for any animal to die in the name of art. Germany’s current animal welfare laws prohibit the infliction of pain, suffering or injury on an animal without reasonable cause, but as Mehnert will not be the person pulling the trigger, it is unclear if he can be held responsible if the rat is shot. We are asking for signatures to stop this barbaric experiment before it is too late.  At the very least Mehnert should  be held accountable if the rat is killed for instigating this situation in the first place. What animal may he move on to next if his “art” doesn’t gain the attention Mehnert wants? What will be his next move if killing animals isn’t enough of a shock?  If the artist feels so passionately about bringing to light human death due to drone warfare then why isn’t he putting himself at the heart of his “art experiment”? Rats are very often the victims of bad press, and we feel that if the animal in question were a cat or a dog people would be far quicker to protest. Rats are intelligent, highly social animals. They are incredibly rewarding animals to look after and can form close human-animal bonds with their carers. We are asking people to look beyond the fact that this is “just a rat” it is a living creature that doesn’t deserve to be ruthlessly shot by people hiding behind their smart phones or computer screens. SIGN THE PETITION HERE FACEBOOK GROUP