MARCH 21 2025 – Last night, FOUR PAWS was awarded a prestigious honor at the Smiley Charity Film Awards. recognizing its impactful film Be Their Voice. The global animal welfare organization created the film to shine a light on the story of Sunny the lamb and student Jesse, as they fight to end the cruel practice of live lamb cutting (mulesing).

The Australian wool industry’s failure to fulfil its 20-year-old promise to end live lamb cutting prompted FOUR PAWS to launch the Be Their Voice campaign, calling for an end to this practice. To kick off the campaign, FOUR PAWS released an animated video with a star-studded cast. Australian actress Danielle Macdonald recognized for her roles in Dumplin' (alongside Jennifer Aniston), and Bird Box (with Sandra Bullock) narrates the voice of lamb Sunny, while American actor Scott Evans, famed for Grace and Frankie and the blockbuster Barbie, voices Jesse. Together, they help give a voice to lambs through the power of AI.

The film was narrated by charity advocate Sir Stephen Fry, who expressed his pride in supporting the cause, “I am so proud to be part of a campaign that highlights such a grave injustice to animals. In a day and age when people are constantly seeking animal-friendly options it is incomprehensible that such cruelty is still practiced, all for so-called fashion. Hopefully, Sunny’s story will lead to better protection of lambs in Australia and end the process of live lamb cutting once and for all.”

Live lamb cutting is a painful procedure performed to prevent flystrike, despite the availability of pain-free alternatives. As the world's largest wool producer, Australia contributes 70% of the apparel wool used in the global fashion industry and 81% of world’s superfine wool, making this an issue with global ramifications, driven by the worldwide demand for wool.

80 per cent of the fine merino wool for the global fashion market comes from Australia - the only country in the world where live lamb cutting is legally and commonly practiced. This mutilation of lambs is used as a quick and cheap method of preventing fly infestation (flystrike). However, there are alternative methods available such as breeding plain-bodied sheep who are naturally resistant to fly infestation and proper management of the animals. This can eliminate both flystrike and lamb cutting. Additionally, industry research and farmers’ accounts reportedly associate plain-bodied sheep with higher lamb survival rates.

One hundred international fashion brands, including leading names such as Zara, Patagonia and Hugo Boss, have publicly committed to excluding wool sourced from live lamb cutting by signing FOUR PAWS’ Brand Letter of Intent, a clear signal for more animal welfare in the industry. The growing number of international companies will increasingly urge the Australian wool industry to stop the brutal practice and transition to industry-proven alternatives by 2030.

Bio Danielle Macdonald & Scott Evans

Danielle Macdonald is an Australian actress known for her breakout lead role in “Patti Cake$” as well as starring as the title character opposite Jennifer Aniston in “Dumplin'”. She also appeared opposite Sandra Bullock in Netflix's hit “Bird Box” and in the Oscar-winning short film “Skin”. Currently, she can be seen in the thriller series “The Tourist”. Danielle lives with her rescue pets in Los Angeles and adopted a plant-based diet.

Scott Evans is an American actor and producer known for his roles in the Netflix hit show “Grace and Frankie” and Greta Gerwig’s record-breaking blockbuster “Barbie”. He will next be seen in Mindy Kaling’s forthcoming series “Running Point”. Scott lives with his rescue dog in Los Angeles, is an advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights and is the younger brother of actor Chris Evans.