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Circuses, zoos[br]and aquarium parks like SeaWorld

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are destinations[br]most kids can’t wait to visit.

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But Dominic Geragi[br]isn’t just any kid.

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An animal activist since the age of seven[br]and co-president

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of the non-profit Animal Hero Kids,[br]Dominic firmly stands against

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the use and abuse of animals[br]for entertainment

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and is really making waves[br]in his community.

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Pun intended.

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Hi it’s Emily from Bite Size Vegan[br]and welcome to another vegan nugget.

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Today I’m excited to introduce you[br]to Dominic Geragi.

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At the age of eight, Dominic had bullhooks[br]banned in Margate, Florida,

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which I’ll let him talk about more.

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Now, with five years of animal activism[br]under his belt and at the ripe old age age of twelve,

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Dominic continues to fight for captive animals[br]in the entertainment industry.

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Dominic shared what inspired him[br]to go vegan and become active.

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First I watched[br]the documentary The Cove

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and that got me to protesting[br]the Miami Seaquarium,

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which then caused me to become vegetarian.[br]And we started learning about more stuff.

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Then like a month after I became vegan.

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I protest at Miami Seaquarium. [br]Five years now, we've been protesting there.

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We've had many different events happen there.[br]We've had a lot of cars turn around

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where the cars don't go in.

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Dominic hit the ground running[br]and spoke out against the cruel use of bullhooks,

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resulting in their banning.

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When I was eight years old I banned bullhooks[br]and electric prods from being used

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in the city of Margate in Florida.

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I'm eight years old,[br]I live in Boca Raton.

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I do not like Cole Brothers,[br]or any other circus that uses animals.

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They use electrical rods,[br]they electrocute the animals.

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They take bullhooks[br]and beat the elephants.

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Little baby elephants[br]are taken from their mothers

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to be beaten.

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Please do what you can[br]to help these animals.

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Kids have a voice.[br]Thank you very much.

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Bullhooks are used like batons[br]but they have a hook at the top of them

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and they beat the elephants with them.

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And there's actually videos[br]of the trainers using the bullhook

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to bring the elephants somewhere[br]where they had damage on their feet

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and other parts of their body.

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With other kids his age flocking[br]to aquariums, zoos and circuses,

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I asked Dominic[br]why he protests against them.

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Sea World and Miami Seaquarium[br]where they just take--

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and they put them into this cove[br]and they take half of them

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and put them into Sea World[br]and the Seaquarium,

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and they just put them[br]into these tiny tanks.

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Some of them are illegal,[br]like Lolita's.

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Lolita's is illegal,[br]it's way too small for her.

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And circuses are animals being taken,[br]tortured, and put into these places.

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And it's just really depressing[br]there for them.

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Given this sad reality,[br]Dominic shared that there are alternatives

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if kids and their families[br]want to interact with animals.

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Sanctuaries is a perfect place[br]to see animals, and take care of them.

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Where you can see them,[br]and if you want to volunteer

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you can help them.[br]And basically help them to help their health.

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Dominic advocates other kids to get active[br]in their communities and schools.

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He shares his thoughts on the power[br]of kid activism and how to get involved.

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I mean, people listen to kids more[br]than they do to adults nowadays.

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They think, when they see an adult sitting down,[br]holding a sign:

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"Oh, that person is crazy.",[br]or something.

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But when they see a kid talking up there,[br]they think: "Wow, this is serious."

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and they actually get more of an impact.

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Spread awareness is probably the easiest part.[br]You can make your own leaflets

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and print them out and give them to people[br]in your neighborhood.

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Or if it's easier just go to your school[br]and talk about it,

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and have kids spread awareness,[br]make presentations. That's what I did.

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So more people know[br]about what is going on

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with circuses[br]and Miami Seaquarium and Sea World

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and all these bad places.[br]And on factory farms and all of those.

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Given that most kids his age[br]aren’t out there

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fighting for the rights of animals,[br]I asked Dominic

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what motivated him[br]to keep going.

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Seeing that animals[br]have more rights nowadays,

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you see more sanctuaries[br]and all these other places.

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That people actually care about animals[br]makes me want to help even more

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and try to get it completely--[br]like no circuses and no Miami Seaquarium.

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I’ll leave you with some excerpts from Dominic’s[br]Animal Hero Kids State of the Union Address.

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I Dominic, Animal Hero Kid president,[br]pledge to speak out for all animals in need.

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All of our voices together[br]will stop animal abuse.

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We need to be the voices[br]for the voiceless.

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We, the Animal Hero Kids,[br]promise to stop animal abuse

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by not going to circuses[br]that use animals for entertainment.

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Wild animals belong in the wild.

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We, the Animal Hero Kids,[br]across the nation

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will speak up[br]for the most abused animals of all:

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factory farmed animals,[br]like cows, chickens and pigs.

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If you want to find out more about Dominic[br]and his activist network,

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check out the links [br]in the video description below.

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Stay tuned to the channel[br]to hear from more Animal Hero Kids.

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If you liked this video,[br]do give it a thumbs up and share it around

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to help show what kids can accomplish.

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If you’re new here,[br]I’d love to have you as a subscriber.

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I put out fresh content covering[br]all aspects of veganism

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every Monday, Wednesday[br]and some Fridays.

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To help support Bite Size Vegan’s educational efforts, please see the support links below

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or click on the Nugget Army icon[br]or the link in the sidebar.

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Now go live vegan, end captivity,[br]and I’ll see you soon!

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When I say rip his head off,[br]rip his f--ing head off...

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It's very important that you do it.

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When he starts squirming too f--ing much,[br]both f--ing hands -- BOOM -- right under that chin!

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Sink that hook into 'em.

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When you hear that screaming,[br]then you know you got their attention!