Actor James Cromwell, who went vegan after playing a role in the film “Babe,” has adopted a rescued pig he named after the film character and aims to bring attention to the cruel practices of the pork industry, while using his fame to raise awareness and fight for animal rights through various campaigns.
Rescuing a piglet
James Cromwell, the 83-year-old actor best known for his role as farmer Arthur Hoggett in the film Babe, has recently adopted a piglet named Babe that was rescued from a truck heading to a slaughterhouse. The piglet fell out of the truck and was subsequently saved by Cromwell and taken to the Indraloka Animal Sanctuary in Dalton, PA, where it will live out its life alongside other rescued animals.
“Every pig deserves to live in peace and joy at a sanctuary, choosing when to frolic, where to forage, and how to spend their time, yet few do,” – James Cromwell
Cromwell’s experience filming Babe in 1995 inspired him to become a vegan, and he has since become an animal rights activist. He hopes that by rescuing Babe the piglet, he can bring attention to the cruelty that animals in the pork industry are subjected to, such as tail docking, teeth cutting, ear notching, and castration without painkillers.
James Cromwell joins PETA Campaign
In addition to his involvement in animal rights campaigns, Cromwell has recently joined a campaign organized by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to demand that Starbucks drop its surcharge for substituting vegan milk. He has also written letters to candy brand Peeps, asking them to replace gelatin with a vegan-friendly alternative.
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James Cromwell protesting Source: PETA James Cromwell protesting, source: PETA.org“People are more informed than ever before about the ingredients in their food, and children—as well as kind adults—are horrified when they find out that their favorite bright and happy Peeps involve harming their animal friends,”
Throughout his decades-long career, Cromwell has been arrested multiple times for fighting for animal rights and has engaged in campaigns to stop SeaWorld’s exploitation of marine animals, end scientific testing on dogs, and remove animal products from nostalgic foods.
If you would like to read more about people fighting for animal rights, read this article about animals being formally recognised as sentient beings in the UK.
This article is inspired by an article from vegnews.com.
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Choosing vegan when eating outside is getting more common. We see restaurants switch from serving meat to serving vegetarian and vegan dishes. Nowadays, supermarkets also sell a lot more meat replacements. So you could try to cook vegetarian dishes at home as well, with 'fake steak', plantbased burgers or something with tofu or tempeh. There's a lot to choose from and most of the times it's even cheaper than real meat. Win Win!