Louise Jorgensen
I am a Toronto-based animal rights activist and photographer using my camera to bring visibility to those hidden within our food system.
After moving from the city to a rural area, I witnessed animals at farms, auctions, and slaughterhouses being treated as objects, commodities instead of the sentient individuals they are.
Since then, I have focused my photography on revealing their emotions, individuality, and capacity to feel.
Through my images I build connection and empathy, encouraging others to see these animals as beings like ourselves -- deserving of autonomy, protection, and equal moral consideration.
And though written word, I speak on behalf of the animals. How they are seen, portrayed, and remembered matters deeply to me and I approach each story with care, dignity, and respect.
Thank you for being here, and for seeing them for who they are.
Witnessing Suffering
Initially, witnessing the suffering of animals affected me deeply, causing significant emotional pain. I believe this inner turmoil was necessary for my growth and strength, much like a grieving period.
Today, I am not as sad as I am determined. I have turned my negative energy into positive, and defeat into hope. I try to stay focused on the bigger picture and the goal: to awaken the public to the unnecessary suffering caused by their choices, to open hearts and minds, and to achieve animal liberation.
Photo: Agnes Cseke
Changing the Future
With the help social media, and the internet in general, people are getting information that wasn’t available to them before. Attitudes are changing quickly. Prior to this it was nearly impossible to share information about what is being done to animals with the public.
When I was a teen (many, many years ago!) I organized an animal rights club in my high school where we conducted a slaughterhouse investigation. At that time all we could do was create a report and hand it to other students - at least those who were willing to read it. Newspapers and mainstream media had no interest in covering animal rights stories and largely, to this day, still don’t. Thankfully, we no longer need to depend on mainstream media to share stories, investigations, or photos. There are dedicated people around the world advocating for animal rights now in creative and professional ways. And we need more.
Animal rights is not a trend, it’s a movement. I believe that within the next 10-20 years we will see a major switch to plant-based diets worldwide. I’m certain that future generations will look back at our current treatment of other animals, our planet, and our blind acceptance of speciesism with great shame.
Photo: Coco Van / Me with Petunia pig at Wishing Well Sanctuary