In February 2013, the New Zealand Government proposed a bill to regulate the sales of psychoactive substances. Psychoactive substances include products like synthetic imitations of ecstasy and cannabis – in other words, “legal highs”. However this well-intentioned law came with some nasty side effects: the allowance of legal highs to be tested on animals.

This saw hundreds of outraged citizens take to New Zealand streets with pictures of animals protesting: “Why should I die for you to get high?". But months of lobbying and petitions were rebuffed. The government announced that the bill would go ahead, animal testing and all.

Paw Justice, a small animal-rights organisation, wouldn't rest until they to put a stop to this once and for all - and this time they had to create something much more formidable and explosive than just signatures on a petition.

So on September 26, 2013 the animals of New Zealand went on strike in protest of drug testing on animals.

By working together with media companies, zoos, dog parks, online video-producers and bloggers, Paw Justice took away the animals that entertained us everyday and replaced them with messages calling on New Zealanders to join their strike and sign a petition.

In a single day, Animal Strike grew into a global movement with thousands of people joining the strike by sharing pictures of their pets protesting, sharing Paw Justice’s campaign videos and reaching out to their friends.

A campaign that started with one man's frustration had grown to reach more than 26 million people - 5.8 times the population of New Zealand - and received support from almost every country in the world.

An obstinate New Zealand government could no longer brush off the 58,000 signatures collected. Paw Justice had ignited a level of public pressure that the government couldn’t ignore - behind every signature was the support of 458 people.

Paw Justice set out to change the law to ban the testing of psychoactive substances on animals. And with the help of animal lovers worldwide, that’s what they did.

On the morning of Monday, 5 May 2014, Prime Minister John Key made an historic announcement - a total ban on testing on animals to be implemented that very week.