Dear John,
 

I am an investigator for Freedom for Animals, and I recently visited Sea Life London Aquarium to record a group of penguins who are being kept underground and on display to paying visitors. 

These beautiful, wild animals have no natural light and a small pool, with a painting on the wall of what their home should really be like. 

This was so heart-breaking to see, as the reality of where they are living is so far removed from the wild. 

Gentoo penguins come from the Antarctic peninsula, have flamboyant orange beaks, white feather caps, peach coloured feet and are the world's fastest underwater birds.

They should not live in a basement aquarium with fake sun and fake snow.

It is through investigations like these that we can gather evidence to show the public the true reality of captivity, shine a light on suffering and help raise awareness. When public attitudes change, real long term change begins. 

This is what you can do for animals! You can help show the truth behind the bars.

That's why I am writing to you today. Will you donate today and give a gift to keep investigators like me out in the field doing what we do best, gathering evidence of cruelty and suffering?

By kindly donating £10 or more you could help shine a light on the suffering of animals. Your donation will be used to:

• Equip an investigator to visit a zoo and collect vital evidence of animals suffering
• Help fund camera equipment for an investigator to use undercover 
• Help run a more in-depth, long-term investigation into one of the UK’s zoos, aquariums, or mobile zoos

This year we want to carry out more investigations into zoos, aquariums and mobile zoos. Some will be one-off visits, but we also want to carry out more long-term investigations so we can show the on-going suffering individual animals go through, and the real horrors behind the bars and in the cages. 

Will you help us to carry out more investigations this year? 

Being an investigator can be a risky job but all the time the animals are on my mind. I must get the best footage I can. I need to capture the suffering, as hard as that may be, but I must do it. I need to show the world the truth behind the bars!

When I am in a zoo, I also notice that people only look at an enclosure for a matter of minutes, sometimes even just seconds, and then they move on. But the animals can’t move on, they are stuck there for their lifetime! 

This includes the penguins at Sea Life London Aquarium. They will be locked up for life, just so people can look at them for a few moments! Penguins are social and lively animals that deserve so much better than being locked in a basement aquarium. 

Investigations have a huge impact on the lives of the animals held captive. Your donation will change the lives of animals imprisoned for human entertainment. Please give a gift of £10 or more to help animals today.

I know times are tough for so many of us right now so please, just give what you can. We are making huge strides for animals, and we need to keep up the hard work.

Thank you for your continued support and for helping animals in captivity. All animals deserve freedom, together we can achieve this!

For the animals,

Rachel Smith*
Investigator, Freedom for Animals. 

*name changed to protect identity 

P.S. The penguins at Sea Life London Aquarium are not the only animals suffering in captivity! Please consider donating £10 or more today to carry out more investigations and to spread awareness of the truth behind the bars! Thank You!