First Okanagan March to Close all Slaughterhouses takes over downtown Kelowna

The March to Close all Slaughterhouses took place in Kelowna today, drawing a good turnout for the first event held in the Okanagan.

Despite some periods of rain, the group marched through Kelowna while chanting, drumming, and displaying their anti-slaughterhouse signs.

Dan Moskaluk, one of the organizers of the march, said that they weren’t sure what kind of turnout they would get for the first year of the event in Kelowna, but seeing a good amount of people would encourage them to hold it again next year.

“We do not need to take a life to sustain our own,” said Moskaluk. “It’s very important to many people and more and more people are starting to look at the facts that surround the issue of deciding to consume animals and exploit animals.”

Moskaluk says there are three main reasons why someone would choose not to consume animals, including the suffering and cruelty caused, the health aspect, and the impact on the environment.

Kelowna’s first March to Close All Slaughter Houses took place this afternoon in downtown Kelowna. The group walked from the sails around the whole downtown core spreading their message. #kelownanow

A post shared by Now You KNow (@kelownanowevents) on Jun 9, 2018 at 2:07pm PDT

Today, the group had one clear message - to demand to closure of all slaughterhouses and end violence against animals.

The marchers showed up in red and black attire, with t-shirts stating their cause, in addition to displaying several messages on signs and banners.

The group began at the Sail monument on Bernard Avenue and walked about 2.5 kilometres, heading down towards Water Street, then back down toward Richter Street and along Havey Avenue and Highway 97 before returning to their starting point.

Following the march a “vigil” was held with speakers, and symbolic lie downs were planned to take place during the march as well as at the conclusion.

Moskaluk says that the lie downs are symbolic of “the lifelessness of a dead animal” and the taking of their lives.

Organizers behind the event claim that more than 70 billion land animals and 1,000 billion aquatic animals are killed each year without necessity.

That translates to 164 million land animals and 2.74 billion aquatic animals every day.

This may have been the first march for the Okanagan, however people all over the world participate every year.

Moskaluk says that it takes place in 16 countries and 37 cities, including Canadian cities such as Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, and now, Kelowna.

Everyone got involved in the march, including some furry friends!