Animal welfare organisations around the world have been working tirelessly to put an end to the cruel practice of animal testing. It is also rapidly becoming a cause of concern for consumers, who demand cruelty-free products that haven’t been tested on animals. With heated debates and discussion around the topic picking pace, the time seems ripe to demand an end to this practice.
Using a creative approach to create a buzz around the issue, vegan filmmaker Spencer Susser has written and directed a three-minute long film titled ‘Save Ralph’ that demands an end to animal testing. The film is part of a campaign by Humane Society International (HSI) and shows the life of a laboratory rabbit who ends up blind in one eye and deaf in one ear due to cosmetic testing. In an interview with comedian Ricky Gervais, the rabbit talks about the suffering caused by the tests conducted on him.
Save Ralph was announced on March 24, 2021, conceived as part of the #SaveRalph campaign, in an effort from HSI to ban animal testing around the world.
Save Ralph is set to be released on 6th April and will be available in several languages, including French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Vietnamese. New Zealand director Taika Waititi has lent his voice to Ralph, while Zac Efron, Olivia Munn, Tricia Hefler, and Pom Klementieff are present in the film in supporting roles.
Ricky Gervais, well-known for his role as David Brent in American sitcom ‘The Office’, wrote on his social media, “So proud to be part of this short film to help end animal testing.” The actor has often been vocal about animal rights and has spoken against animal testing several times. In one of his older posts, he expressed: “Today I’m celebrating the 5th anniversary of the EU bans for cosmetics testing on animals and supporting the crueltyfreeintl call for the EU to help end the unnecessary suffering of animals worldwide.”
