What is the “Save Ralph” campaign and why is it viral?

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White rabbits are judged on January 28, 2012 in Harrogate, England. About 3,000 animals take part in the annual two-day show, which was first held in 1921. The Rabbit Grand National draws participants from as far away as Sweden to Yorkshire.

Bethany Clarke / Getty Images

White rabbits are judged on January 28, 2012 in Harrogate, England. About 3,000 animals take part in the annual two-day show, which was first held in 1921. The Rabbit Grand National draws participants from as far away as Sweden to Yorkshire.

During the current week, the short film Ralph the rabbit went viral via social networks. This small video, which is animated, recounts the tortuous life Ralph leads in what is called “his work” as he is subjected to various tests of beauty and cosmetic items that will later be manufactured and marketed for human use. use. .

The science fiction video describing the problem of animal cruelty has been reproduced more than 400,000 times on social networks as part of an International Humane Society campaign.

Jeffrey Flocken, president of Humane Society International, said, according to Blu Radio, “#SaveRalph is a wake-up call to the fact that animals are still bothered by cosmetics and it’s time to stop.”

In about four minutes of the video running, Taika Waititi, Ricky Gervais, Zac Efron, Olivia Munn, Pom Klementieff, Tricia Helfer and other voices came together to help the Humane Society of the United States HSI realize this audiovisual production. This production aims to raise awareness of all the suffering that animals suffer, and draws attention to consumers and policymakers to get involved in this goal, and to ban cosmetic testing on animals, according to HJCK.

“Today we have a wealth of reliable, animal-free methods to ensure product safety, so there is no excuse to make animals like Ralph suffer when testing cosmetics or ingredients,” said Jeffrey Flocken.

Below you can watch the full video here:

The message reads:

Video officially #SaveRalph

Help #SaveRalph and many other animals still used around the world for cosmetic testing! Alarmingly, animal testing is still legal in 80% of countries. WATCH the video and ACT to help stop this cruelty now: hsi.org/saveralph

What is the story of this short film?

In the short film, Ralph shows his protagonist during an interview in front of the cameras what a normal working day looks like. In this “evaluator” routine in a toxicology lab, a scene opening shows how the rabbit, while brushing his teeth, explains why he has a painful eye and is not listening in one of his ears. An action that is repeated over and over and that reflects the animal’s pain and back complaints by testing the products for hours. In addition, he says that he was created for that work and that he will die like his parents and brothers. And that their children will do the same work for the rest of their lives.

In the next scene, the rabbit is ‘ready’ in a lab for further testing. In that scene, the short film even features other rabbits greeting Ralph and asking if those who are filming can get them out of there. “Please, friend, we’re very scared, I don’t want to die,” says one of the captive rabbits.

The next scene is one of the most painful and real to watch, as a human hand approaches Ralph and, without any contemplation, applies a liquid to his right eye, which was still in good condition. The horrible scene is definitely not enough to show how much the animals that are currently part of beauty product testing are suffering.

The next shot is still devastating as the main rabbit leaves the lab with a neck brace, with both eyes affected, with a wound on his back, and generally with injuries throughout his body generated by the amount of chemicals tested on it. him so far that he can no longer see.

To conclude the short-minute film, people can read a sentence that says, “No animal should die and suffer in the name of beauty.”

This idea was developed by actor, writer, comedian and producer Taika Waititi, who plays Ralph, and was directed by film director Spencer Susser.

“It is very important that Ralph feels real because he represents countless real animals that suffer every day,” said the director, Spencer Susser, who also stated: “Animals for cosmetic testing in laboratories have no choice and it is our responsibility. When the opportunity arose to create a new campaign for Humane Society International, I felt that stop motion was the perfect way to get the message across.

When you see the awful reality of the way animals are treated, you can’t help but look away. What I was hoping for with this movie was to create something that conveys a message without being too heavy. I hope the public will fall in love with Ralph and fight for him and other animals like him so that we can ban animal testing once and for all, ”he said in statements quoted by HJCK.

Meanwhile, thousands of social network users who saw the video agreed with the production’s intention not to use animals in beauty and cosmetic testing, as did foundations and organizations urging consumers to ensure that the products they buy not tested on animals.

If you would like to sign the petition, you can do so at the following link: hsi.org/saveralph

“This can’t keep happening, many beauty brands keep killing our animals so as not to lose money”, “they are the best the world has given and man is only destroying them”, “Please, we have to fight for a law that these companies prohibits. from continuing to use animals “,” It’s not fair, I have a rabbit and when I saw this broke my soul “,” No more animal cruelty, if they did this to a person they would have done away with it ” , were some of the posts on social networks.

The figures of animal cruelty

In fact, the figure is outrageous. More than 12 million animals a year are used to test cosmetics in the EU and 115 million if we speak around the world, where countries like the United States, Taiwan, China or Germany test the most.

In February 2003, the EU banned the testing of cosmetics on animals and it is a two-stage process. The first phase was implemented in 2009 and made it illegal to experiment anywhere in the EU with cosmetic ingredients on animals, the sale or import of an ingredient for use in cosmetics and finished cosmetics resulting from actions involving animals in laboratories.

The second phase was implemented in 2013 and covered all those products that had to perform toxicity tests. This phase has a 10-year extension to be implemented so that these practices can continue through 2023.

However, products are still tested on animals because in the same law that has been passed, it can be found that brands can exempt themselves from this if they show that they do not have a reliable alternative system.

Finally, it should be noted that this humanization campaign for this rabbit is mainly aimed at reaching 16 countries, including Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico, South Africa and 10 Southeast Asian countries with more associated organizations. The “Save Ralph” organization and campaign wants these countries to understand that animals suffer and hurt, and that the production and marketing of their products must be free from all animal cruelty.

Currently, there are more than 2,000 cruelty-free beauty brands available worldwide, including Lush, Garnier, Dove, Herbal Essences and H&M. These companies produce safe products by using ingredients with a history of safe use in conjunction with animal safety assessment tools.

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