Jordi Casamitjana is a man whose life reads like a roadmap for compassionate change. A vegan zoologist, activist, and author originally from Catalonia, Jordi has spent decades in the UK investigating animal cruelty, working in sanctuaries, fighting for legal recognition of ethical vegans, and writing about it all with precision and passion.
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Jordi involvement with animals spanned everything from wasps and woolly monkeys to courtrooms and compassionate living.
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Why Wasps Matter: Seeing Value in Every Life
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Jordi’s vegan journey began, quite unexpectedly, with a wasp.
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Most people fear or dismiss wasps, he explains, because they don’t produce anything humans want. But Jordi saw something different—intelligence, society, cooperation. While studying them for his PhD, one particular encounter changed everything: a wasp “guarding” her nest looked at him, assessed him, and chose to spare him.
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“She understood I meant no harm,” he shared. “That one-inch individual judged me better than many humans had.” This moment cracked open his understanding and started him down a path of deeper empathy for all animals.
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A Life in Animal Advocacy—and a Landmark Legal Victory
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Jordi has worn many hats: scientist, sanctuary worker, campaigner, investigator, and now, a freelance writer. But one of his most significant contributions came in 2020, when he won a landmark
legal case that granted ethical vegans protection under the UK’s Equality Act.
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His story is chronicled in his powerful book, Ethical Vegan: A Personal and Political Journey to Change the World. The book weaves together his personal evolution with the global history of the vegan movement, shining a light on what it truly means to live without causing harm.
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Five Years at a Monkey Sanctuary
Jordi spent five years working at Wild Futures, formerly known as The Monkey Sanctuary in Cornwall. The residents were primarily woolly monkeys, many descendants of the exotic pet trade.
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“The sanctuary began as a rescue project and eventually tried to return the monkeys to their native Amazon,” he explained. “Unfortunately, a specific virus discovered in the monkeys made that impossible. The dream ended, but the mission shifted—to lifelong care and protection.”
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That experience left Jordi with a deep understanding of why sanctuaries matter: they provide love, safety, and dignity for animals who’ve been failed by humans.
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The Harm of Captivity: What Animals Lose
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After leaving the sanctuary, Jordi worked with the Born Free Foundation to investigate zoos. He quickly realized that no matter how “nice” a zoo may seem, captivity always brings suffering. He outlines three key losses for animals in captivity:
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- Space – Always reduced compared to the wild
- Stimulation – Far fewer sensory inputs than what they evolved to experience
- Choice – Limited autonomy over their own lives
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The result is often psychological distress, sometimes invisible but always profound.
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Carbon Footprint vs. Blood Footprint
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Jordi introduces the compelling idea of the blood footprint—a concept that mirrors the more widely known carbon footprint.
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“Every decision we make has the potential to inflict suffering,” he said. “The blood footprint is a way of measuring the harm we cause to other sentient beings.”
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For ethical vegans, reducing that footprint isn’t just a diet—it’s a commitment to making choices that cause the least harm possible.
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Bullfighting, Rodeos, and the Fight Against Cruelty
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Jordi doesn’t shy away from difficult topics, including cultural traditions like bullfighting. While progress has been made—Catalonia and Colombia have both banned it—he notes that many forms
of animal exploitation continue, simply dressed in different clothes.
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“The awareness is growing,” he said. “But knowing something is wrong and acting to change it are two different things.”
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A Dream That Changed Everything
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In one of the most moving parts of the interview, Jordi shared that his final shift to ethical veganism came through a dream—literally. After suffering a head injury and losing consciousness, he had a vivid dream that he couldn’t remember, but he knew it mattered. He took a 23-day sabbatical to a remote Scottish island to try to recall it. He did—and what emerged was The Demon’s Trial, a novel he later published under a pseudonym.
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“That dream forced me to confront the animals I had failed,” he said. “And when I returned to the mainland, I was a vegan.”
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A Vegan World: Fantasy or Future?
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Jordi paints a vision of a world where sanctuaries become peaceful reserves, domesticated animals return to nature, and vegan values guide global policy. It’s not utopian, he insists—it’s possible. But it requires collective will, political action, and ongoing advocacy.
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“It’s a matter of when, not if,” he says. “Veganism is not a fad. It’s part of our natural evolution toward cooperation and non-violence.”
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Staying in the Mainstream and Offering Choices
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Jordi encourages vegans to live visibly and lead by example—not to isolate themselves but to engage, educate, and inspire.
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“If we want to change the world, we must be in it,” he emphasized. “It’s about helping others see they can make more compassionate choices—and showing them how.”
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Jordi’s Top 3 Tips for the Vegan-Curious
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For those just beginning their journey, Jordi offers three simple but powerful steps:
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- Start with whole plants – Fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes are available everywhere.
- Read the labels – Many personal care and household products are now clearly marked as cruelty-free.
- Aim to reduce your blood footprint – It’s not about being perfect; it’s about making consistent, kind choices.
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Connect with Jordi
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Jordi is active on all major social media platforms, and you can find his writing, insights, and projects through his website: www.jordi-casamitjana-animal-protection-consult.com
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You can also read his book Ethical Vegan for a deep dive into the intersection of personal transformation and global activism.
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Episode Highlights
[00:00] Introduction
[03:30] Why the lives of wasps are important and what they can teach us.
[07:15] What Jordi learned from the monkies.
[11:00] The truth about zoos and why animals actually suffer in confinement.
[14:00] Carbon footprint versus blood footprint.
[17:00] The cruelty of bullfighting and why it must end.
[19:00] The dream that “spoke” to Jordi.
[22:30] Normalizing veganism and doing no harm.
[28:00] What does the future hold?
[33:00] Making vegan choices in various areas of our life.
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About Jordi Casamitjana
Jordi Casamitjana is a vegan zoologist and author originally from Catalonia, who has resided in the UK for several decades. Throughout his career, he has been deeply involved in various aspects of animal protection, dedicating himself to the cause through scientific research, undercover investigations, animal welfare consulting, and animal protection campaigning. Jordi has been an ethical vegan since 2002, and in 2020, he achieved a significant milestone by securing legal protection for ethical vegans in Great Britain against discrimination. This landmark ruling came through an employment tribunal case that garnered widespread global attention.
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Now a freelance content writer, Jordi contributes to several vegan and animal-focused organizations. He is also the author of the book Ethical Vegan: A Personal and Political Journey to Change the World, where he shares his insights and experiences in advocating for ethical veganism and animal rights.
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https://jordi-casamitjana.animal-protection-consult.com/
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Social Media
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https://www.facebook.com/veganjordi
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordi-casamitjana-36586a15/
https://www.instagram.com/jayseecosta/?hl=en
About Cheryl Moss
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Cheryl Moss is the host of the Better Life for Animals podcast, where she shares uplifting stories from sanctuaries and highlights the work of vegan activists, ethical consumers, and animal welfare leaders. A passionate advocate for animal welfare, she is dedicated to ending factory farming and is working to raise $100,000 for Mercy For Animals to support underrepresented sanctuaries.
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Beyond podcasting, Cheryl is a banking professional and an accomplished children’s author. A graduate of Main Street Vegan Academy, she promotes plant-based living through her books,
Gabriel, Cluck, and Pickle the Pig, which inspire young readers to embrace kindness, sustainability, and compassion for animals.
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When not advocating, she enjoys Pilates, show jumping, and spending time with her rescue dogs and grandchildren. Through her work, writing, and activism, Cheryl continues to inspire positive change for animals and the planet.
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https://www.facebook.com/BLFAnimals/
https://x.com/betterlife4anim
https://www.instagram.com/betterlife4animals/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherylmossabetterlifeforanimals/
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