Bali Banners — A Personal Story and Thank You
So often, the animals we ask you to help are thousands of miles away. You care deeply, but the cruelty can still feel distant. Another urgent appeal. Another heartbreaking case. Another animal you may never meet. Sometimes, though, it comes painfully close to home. And your support means everything.
For Lola, Lady Freethinker’s director of international advocacy, anti-cruelty banners supported by LFT donors in partnership with Bali Animal Welfare Association (BAWA) suddenly became deeply personal.
Her beloved dog Benji was poisoned and suffered a horrendous death in the garden where he should have been safe. Benji had been rescued from the dog meat trade years earlier and given a second chance at life. He was gentle, joyful, and an instant friend to every rescued puppy, kitten, duck, and piglet who arrived at his home.
Since 2025, Lady Freethinker supporters have helped fund banners across Bali warning that the dog meat trade, poisoning, and animal abuse are illegal. These banners may seem simple, but they can be powerful.
They put the law directly in front of communities. They make it clear that cruelty should never be normal, accepted, or ignored. They remind people that animal abuse is illegal, encourage concerned residents to report it, and send a message that cruelty will be noticed and challenged; and BAWA has already seen these banners help deter cruelty in areas where they have been installed.
After Benji’s death – and reports that other dogs nearby had also been poisoned – Lady Freethinker and BAWA worked with local authorities and police to install more banners in the area.
Two now stand in Lola’s street, including one outside her home, with more planned.
“I was proud to put up the BAWA/LFT banners – it felt like Benji’s suffering was seen and acknowledged as wrong, unacceptable, and illegal. It can’t undo what happened or bring him back, but it can help save others.”
This is why your support means so much.
You may never see the street where a banner is hung or know the animal whose life it helps protect. But your support reaches them. These banners can deter cruelty, empower communities to speak up, and help stop abuse before another animal is harmed.
And that means it can literally save lives.
Benji is deeply personal to us. But every animal we fight for is someone’s Benji. Every one has a story. Every one has a life that matters. And because of your support, more of those lives can be protected.
