A 24-year-old from Brentford was among 100 protesters who laid semi-naked - apparently blood splattered - in Trafalgar Square on Saturday to highlight the treatment of animals.
Anna Buraya, from Whitestile Road, took part in the stunt with fellow PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) supporters to encourage passers-by to have 'compassion for the billions of animals who are slaughtered' for the meat and fish trades.
The part-time sales assistant and model, who is also a former Ealing and West London College student, said: "Animals feel pain, fear, love and joy, just as humans do, yet billions of them are killed every year for products that are poisoning the environment and contributing to the UK's obesity epidemic. I am happy to use my body to challenge people to think about the massive toll that the meat industry takes on animals, the Earth and human health – and to go vegan."
Peta said it had staged the demonstration on World Vegan Day to highlight conditions faced by animals on factory farms, who it says are "often caged and deprived of a natural conditions, such as foraging for food and raising their young". It also alleges many are subjected to having teeth, tails and testicles cut off without painkillers, and cows, pigs, chickens and sheep often have their throats cut while they're still able to feel pain. It added that vegans are, on average, less prone to suffer from heart disease, diabetes, strokes, obesity and cancer than people who eat meat.
World Vegan Day has been held every year on November 1 since 1994.
