“Throughout the history of the Harry Potter fandom and the wizarding world lore, we are given quick nods and references to different magical creature rights movements,” says Tylor Starr, President and Cofounder of The Protego Foundation. “So it only makes sense that our first sticker sheet pay[s] homage to those activists who led these movements to help magical creatures such as Snidgets, Trolls, and Goblins.”
“The Troll Rights Movement is an opportunity for The Protego Foundation to live up to our mission. To show that every beast and creature, regardless of species, size, and magical ability is worthy of protection, consideration, and care.”
A secretive and “extremist” group of Goblins and wizards, The Goblin Liberation Front advocated for Goblin rights mainly in the 1870s. In ways, it could be seen as similar to the “radical” groups in the Muggle world that had a hand in the very early days in the fight for animal rights, like PETA. And to bridge off of that concept, Goblins are a lot like chickens. Before you go thinking we’ve been blasted with a confundus charm, let us explain. Our feathered fowl friends have a lot more in common with Goblins than you might think. Like chickens, farmed animals are also denied fundamental rights and protection, despite their importance to the Muggle world—namely in the animal agriculture industry. Chickens are often subject to the worst mistreatment and face horrifying abuse and neglect despite Muggle’s reliance on them for their eggs and meat. As with Goblins, chickens are glaringly omitted from protective laws and are denied rights. Chickens have no federal legal protection. They’re actually excluded from the Humane Slaughter Act. All 9 billion, 300 million of them. Like Goblins, chickens (often along with turkeys and ducks) are primarily considered unintelligent and lesser than other animals. Flashing your Goblin Liberation Front sticker is a way to show you stand with creatures and animals who face unprecedented discrimination and abuse and to demand change.
Tigers, like Snidgets, are also in danger of extinction. These big majestic cats face endangerment from a combination of habitat loss due to the spread of farming, animal agriculture (or factory farming), and poaching. Just as the Golden Snidget was hunted for their feathers and eyes, parts of tigers are so highly prized that poaching has practically decimated the species. The WWF puts it bluntly: “poaching is the most immediate threat to wild tigers. Every part of the tiger—from whisker to tail—has been found in illegal wildlife markets.” This is especially the case in some countries like China, where tigers are slaughtered for their eyes, brains, skin, organs, bones, and other bodily parts to be used in folk medicine and sold on the black market. And although it’s not the same as Quidditch, tigers are also exploited to be used in the “entertainment” industry. Over 5,000 tigers are held captive in the US alone. These privately “owned” tigers outnumber the approximately 3,900 left in the wild worldwide. They are most often imprisoned in roadside attractions and backyard zoos, many of them offering tiger cub petting and photo “experiences.” While there aren’t nearly as many tiger-specific sanctuaries in the Muggle world as golden Snidget sanctuaries in the wizarding world, reputable exotic animal sanctuaries exist. They’re doing remarkable work taking in abused, neglected, and exploited tigers and big cats. The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado is the closest Muggle equivalent to Snidget sanctuaries! This Ban Snidget Hunting sticker is a way to express that speaking up for exotic animals and advocating for their protection is everyone’s responsibility. What is your favorite Protego Foundation sticker from this set? What wizarding world to Muggle world reference means the most to you? Share it with us on social! Written by Victoria Tomis ACCIO MORE ARTICLES:
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