Hundreds of Bay people passionate about animal welfare took to the streets in Tauranga to protest a government move allowing party pills to be tested on animals.
Animal lovers and their pets marched from the Waterfront to Red Square at lunchtime yesterday chanting and waving placards with slogans such as "no party pills in New Zealand", "should animals die for drug dealers to get rich?" and "the worst cruelty to animals is practised by our Government".
Protest organiser Rachel Gainfort said with more than 7000 people marching nationally, it was the biggest animal welfare march ever held in the country.
"We had a great turnout, I got to 250 and stopped counting. Now the protest is over, we're going to keep fighting. We'll do another protest if the Government's bill goes through. They can't do this to animals, it's just not needed."
Also present at the march were Tauranga musician and Paw Justice advocate Tiki Taane and singer/songwriter Hollie Smith. Taane said he was against testing party pills on animals as it was unjust.