FILE PHOTO - Anita Krajnc demonstrates outside of a Burlington courthouse Thursday, March 9, 2017 in Burlington, Ont.

Image Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Aaron Lynett

KELOWNA - Slaughterhouses are being put on blast this weekend.

In 32 cities around the globe, including Kelowna, June 8 will mark the annual March to Close All Slaughterhouses.

It's the second annual march of this kind in the Okanagan and organizers describe the event as a "compassionate group of concerned citizens in Kelowna" demonstrating "the growing worldwide movement that is seeking the closure of all slaughterhouses."

"Every year in the world, over 70 billion land animals and more than 1,000 billion aquatic animals are killed without necessity, which translates into 164 million land animals and more than 2,74 billion aquatic animals being killed every day," said Dan Moskaluk, in a press release.

Dan Moskaluk

(KATHY MICHAELS / iNFOnews.ca)

"Robust scientific data has proven that diet related illnesses including many types of cancers, obesity, diabetes and heart disease are directly linked to the consumption of animal products. In addition to causing us to suffer and die from preventable illnesses, animal agriculture is the leading cause of our current environmental degradation and rapid climate change."

They say that leaves one question: Why are humans taking the lives of others when we don’t need to?

Moskaluk, the public face of the RCMP for many years, adopted a whole food, plant-based diet in 2013 after being diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney cancer. When he not only survived, but thrived, he became more politically active.

“We have to look at what we’re doing and how we’re getting our nutrients and what the sources are and the effect on the planet and the environment,” he said.

Working to protect animal welfare, he said, also aligns well with his 33-year career with the RCMP.

“It’s why I became a police officer — to help victims and to intervene when I see violence and when there’s victimization,” he said. “Following our health journey I learned more about animal rights and the treatment of animals and our animal agriculture system. I was (horrified) with what I was seeing and learning about it. The brutality seen in animal agriculture created a passion that would want me to act on (their) behalf and intervene in any way I could — violence is violence regardless of the species.”

The event will take place Saturday, June 8 from 11:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., starting at the Kelowna Spirit of Sail monument. Participants will be taken on a three kilometre walk through downtown ending with a vigil at the start point.

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