Lily, a 9 year old who has just moved to Portugal from the UK, is going to take on a 2 km sponsored swim challenge in the Atlantic ocean, to help raise funds to protect octopuses from being farmed.
The swim is part of a campaign by animal welfare & environmental charity Compassion in World Farming, to stop the world’s first commercial octopus farm.
In 2023, we, along with Eurogroup for Animals revealed plans from Spanish seafood company Nueva Pescanova to open the world’s first commercial octopus farm on Gran Canaria. The plans raise serious concerns about the treatment and welfare of octopuses, as well as the environmental impact of such a farm. Octopuses are unique, intelligent creatures who have been known to use tools and complete tricky tasks. Naturally solitary, they are entirely unsuited to confinement and would suffer in overcrowded factory farms. They would also be slaughtered using a cruel method called ‘ice slurry’ which causes a slow and painful death.
Octopus-loving Lily has been a vegetarian for years and is a passionate defender of the ocean and marine wildlife. When she heard about plans to build an octopus factory farm was motivated to do all she could to stop it from happening. While Lily is a proficient swimmer and has undertaken a number of competitions, completing this challenge in the notoriously difficult conditions of the Atlantic requires a lot of mental and physical strength.
The swimming event is due to take place on the weekend of 25 May 2024 in the Algarve. She will be training in the open water twice a week, balanced around her studies.
Find out more about Lily's swim and how to sponsor her, HERE.
W: www.ciwf.org
