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We take the opportunity to raise our voice for the animals with stand campaigns and signature collections, at public meetings, in awareness campaigns, on open days or anniversaries, through lectures and on many other occasions.
Here you will find some selected impressions of such events and campaigns.
On 23 August 2025, there was an open day at the Strubeli animal shelter in Hegnau/Volketswil. NetAP was also represented with a stand and provided vegan catering for the event. Of course, visitors could also buy great gift ideas at our stand and find out about the plight of cats in Switzerland, our commitment and our cooperation with Strubeli.
Around 2,000 people gathered at the Animal Rights March in Zurich on 16 August to send a message together: more rights for animals! NetAP was also there with a clear message to those who still don’t understand: animals want to live, just like we all do. And they want to live their lives without fear and pain, in the greatest possible freedom.
The association for disabled dogs celebrated the Handicap Days 2025 and NetAP was also represented with a stand. On 24 + 25 May 2025, we were able to sell great dog things for the benefit of animals in need and, of course, inform people about our work.
The animal welfare organisation Tierschutverein Appenzell invited us to give a presentation on NetAP and cat misery in Switzerland at the 2025 general meeting. The participants were very interested and amazed by some of the facts we presented. We are delighted that we will be able to step up our neutering efforts with this association in the autumn.
The Vegan Fair Zurich took place for the first time from 22-23 March at the Giesserei in Oerlikon. NetAP was also represented with a stand on these two days of the fair. Many interested visitors came to find out about our work and made purchases, with our braids being the absolute favourite. We would like to thank everyone who found their way to our stand and for your interest and the many great conversations we were able to have.
10 October was an exciting day for the children at Bellapais School in Girne, Northern Cyprus. Robert was there with his four-legged companion to tell the children more about animals, especially dogs. How do you approach dogs, how do you interact with them, when should you be careful, when can you touch a dog and why is animal welfare so important?
15 June 2024 was open day at the Pfötli-Team small animal practice in Altdorf UR. NetAP was also represented with a stand and informed interested visitors about cat suffering in Switzerland and our commitment.
In November 2023, we were once again represented with a stand at Mimi’s Christmas market at Hof Narr.For the first time, the market took place over two days. While the weather was freezing cold on Saturday, the weather gods were kinder on Sunday, so more visitors stopped by.
Tier im Fokus organised a demonstration on 26 August at Waisenhausplatz in Bern. The theme was ‘Animals in politics’. This theme was used to draw attention to the fact that the interests of animals are still inadequately represented in politics. Various speakers presented the concerns of animals to a fictitious parliament. NetAP volunteer Natalie Müller gave a speech on the plight of cats and what needs to be done politically to alleviate this suffering.
In February 2023, we were once again represented with a stand at the Swiss Dog Show in Winterthur.
We were also part of Mimi’s Christmas market at Hof Narr in Hinteregg in November 2022.
There were celebrations in Biel-Benken in September. Our partner, Tierklinik Leimental, celebrated its 30th anniversary and we were able to join in the celebrations. We have been working with this wonderful clinic for nine years now. Verena Bracher, who handed over the practice to Salome Glor, Carolin Trittel and Pedro Pinheiro in 2022, is a member of NetAP’s medical advisory board and is always on hand to answer any questions we may have about large animals. Our stand at the anniversary celebration was well attended and we were able to inform many people about the challenges in animal welfare and our important work.
On 23 July 2022, we took part in the rally for the abolition of factory farming in Bern.
We also had a stand at Mimi’s Christmas market at Hof Narr in Hinteregg in November 2021.
On 26 September 2021, we were able to inform participants about our commitment at a stand campaign at the Dog Military in Arbon.
On 26 and 27 September 2020, we took part in the Basel Vegan Fair for the first time with a stand.
In February 2020, we also had a stand at the Swiss Dog Fair in the Eulachhallen in Winterthur and were delighted with the large number of visitors who were very interested in our activities and generously bought the many items made by volunteers.
In November 2019, we also had a stand at the first Christmas market at Hof Narr in Hinteregg.
In October 2019, we had a stand at the Chilbi in Altendorf SZ. There were lots of home-baked treats to buy at our stand and we were also happy to explain animal welfare issues to interested visitors.
The Animal Rights March was first held in London in 2016. 2500 animal lovers marched peacefully through the centre of London to stand up for an end to animal exploitation. The idea came from Surge, the organisation of animal rights activist Earthling Ed.
The action gave rise to an international movement. In summer 2018, the march took place in 25 cities around the world. By 2019, it had already reached 42 cities, including Zurich. Around 2,500 people, including many volunteers from NetAP and the entire Executive Board, took part in this peaceful rally to demand more rights for animals. Because the suffering must be stopped. Because every life matters!
You can find an album of the Animal Rights March here
And here is the film about the Animal Rights March
We also had a great stand at the dog military in Wettingen in May 2019.
We also had a great stand at the dog military in Glattfelden in May 2019.
In March 2019, vet Susanna Käppeli and volunteer Susann Schmid gave a presentation on animal welfare in Switzerland and abroad, specifically on the plight of cats in Switzerland.
At the invitation of the Zurich Aviary Society, our President Esther Geisser gave a talk at the Annual General Meeting on cats and birds and the possibilities for better coexistence.
Romana Jäggi is a vet with a passion for animal welfare, which is why she is committed to NetAP in her free time. At the open day of her small animal practice in Breitenbach in February 2019, we were able to have a stand there and inform visitors about our animal welfare activities. And then there was also a small cake buffet with a donation box in favour of our animal welfare activities. We were delighted with the interested visitors and had some interesting conversations.
In February 2019, we took part in the dog fair at the Eulachhallen in Winterthur for the 5th time.
To mark the 10th anniversary of NetAP, the well-known philanthropist Philip Wollen took the opportunity to travel to Switzerland to congratulate us personally. In the course of this we organised an event in the Volkshaus Zurich
organised an event at Volkshaus Zurich, at which Philip Wollen gave an impressive speech. This was recorded and can be found under the following link.
In September 2018, we celebrated our 10th anniversary with a big vegan brunch at Hof Narr in Egg. Once again, visitors not only enjoyed the delicious food but also the extensive raffle. At the same time as celebrating our 10th anniversary, we were able to look back on 100,000 castrations.
Impressions of our 10 years NetAP celebration can be found here.
On 12 June 2018, we submitted a petition with 115,567 signatures calling for the mandatory neutering of outdoor cats in Switzerland. It was supported by over 150 organisations.
On the occasion of the anniversary of the Sternenberg Cat Sanctuary, we had a stand to raise awareness of the plight of cats in Switzerland.
In December 2017, we had a stand at the Green Christmas in Zumikon and were delighted with the many visitors who were interested in animal welfare issues.
Representatives of NetAP met with the Swiss Farmers’ Association on 1 November 2017 to discuss the issue of cat misery in Switzerland. The association promised to provide more information on this topic and to recommend neutering cats.
In September 2017, our President Esther Geisser gave a presentation on the plight of cats in Switzerland at the invitation of the Glarus Animal Welfare Association. A representative of the press was also present. The article published in the Südostschweiz can be found here.
26 August 2017 was open day at the Strubeli animal shelter in Hegnau Volketswil. NetAP was also represented with a stand and informed interested visitors about cat misery in Switzerland.
On the occasion of the opening of the animal crematorium in Dübendorf in September 2017, we were invited to give a presentation by our Board member Dr Enrico Clavadetscher on animal welfare in general and our commitment to animal welfare.
commitment. We were also represented at the event with an information stand. The crematorium also organised a successful fundraiser, the proceeds of which we were able to use for neutering campaigns in Switzerland.
On 1 June 2017, we held an event in collaboration with Hello Vegan in Uster to mark International Milk Day. The public was able to taste around 30 plant-based milk alternatives free of charge and choose their favourite product.
In April 2017, our President Esther Geisser gave a lecture to students at the VETERINARY ANESTHESIA SCHOOL FOR TECHNICIANS AND DOCTORS (VASTA) in Lucerne. TPAs with this specialised training are in short supply in animal welfare and yet play a decisive role in the quality of the missions.
In March 2017, our President Esther Geisser was invited by the SVBT – Swiss Association for Education in Animal Care to give a presentation on the plight of cats in Switzerland and possible solutions to combat it.
At the general meeting of the Nidwalden Animal Welfare Association, volunteer Susann Schmid gave a presentation on cat misery in Switzerland and our activities to combat it in the long term.
In February 2017, we took part in the dog fair at the Eulachhallen in Winterthur for the third time.
In August 2016, NetAP board member Dr Enrico Clavadetscher gave a presentation on the organisation of professional neutering campaigns at the invitation of Swiss Animal Protection. STS subsequently asked NetAP to revise its internal guidelines. These form the basis for supporting the neutering efforts of the STS sections. We were very happy to comply with this request.
At the end of May 2016, we collected signatures for our petition ‘Neutering obligation for outdoor cats’ with a large team at Zurich main station.
This was followed by numerous other signature collection campaigns.
In March 2016, we took part in a rally followed by a stand to draw attention to the cruel killing of street dogs in Romania.
In February 2016, we took part in the dog fair in Winterthur for the second time.
Volunteer Prisca regularly organises bake sales in aid of our animal welfare fund, as seen here at the beginning of April 2016. She also takes the opportunity to raise awareness of the plight of cats in Switzerland.
From 25 – 27 September 2015, we were at Züspa in Zurich Oerlikon in Hall 7, where numerous visitors listened with interest to the challenges faced by the animals and how we are improving their living conditions.
In March 2015, our President Esther Geisser gave a presentation on the illegal puppy trade and other animal welfare issues relating to dogs at the Dog Symposium.
NetAP was represented for the first time with a stand at the Swiss Dog Fair in Winterthur from 6 – 8 February 2015. Our organisation was invited by the Society of Swiss Veterinarians (GST) and the Society of Zurich Veterinarians (GZT). Together with the vets, we had a very well-attended stand and received an extraordinary amount of positive feedback about our stand, our work, programmes, projects and missions, as well as about the people behind NetAP. We were also particularly pleased about the many animal welfare activists who visited us at the stand and were happy with us about all the small and large successes for the animals. Co-operation in animal welfare is very important, because through networking, exchange and mutual support you can achieve much more for the animals than on your own.
We sincerely thank all the people who made this fair a wonderful event for their commitment.
Through the desert for animals in need: the Marathon des Sables (MDS) is a challenging ultra-marathon organised in the Moroccan Sahara since 1986. The 230 kilometre route is determined anew for each run. There are 6 stages in 7 days: five stages between 20 and 40 kilometres and one stage of around 80 kilometres, which the runners have to complete in one go in just under two days (40 hours).
Participants must carry personal items and food for the entire race. Only water and an open tent will be provided. Runners must be equipped with minimal survival gear such as a sleeping bag, snake bite kit and 2000 kcal of energy per day. The running route leads over rocky plains, dry riverbeds and sand dunes, rarely crossing small villages. The temperature reaches 40°C or more during the day and drops to 5°C at night.
One of the participants in April 2015 is our NetAP volunteer Leigh Michelmore.
Leigh has decided to take on the biggest challenge of his life in the name of animal welfare and run the Marathon de Sables for NetAP.
Under the title ‘Run for Life’, Leigh wants to draw attention to NetAP’s commitment and collect donations for animals in need. The strain and agony he takes on during this extreme marathon is also intended to draw attention to the immense suffering of animals in this world and encourage people to support NetAP’s commitment. So that we can be there where the need is great and our help can sustainably improve the living conditions of the animals.
We are very proud that Leigh is taking on this challenge for NetAP and thus for animal welfare and hope that he will be motivated and supported by many donors.
Find out more about Leigh’s project and the support options: Run for Life
After the NetAP milk alternatives test, the NetAP cheese alternatives test now follows: Switzerland is a cheese country, and raclette and fondue are among our national dishes. Cheese rolls, pizza, pasta, gratin or Gschwellti – everything we particularly like seems to need cheese somehow, somewhere. No wonder that many animal lovers find it particularly difficult to give up cheese on their way to an animal-free diet. But there are more and more alternatives. But do they taste good?
That’s what the test subjects wanted to find out when they gathered at the NetAP office at Whitsun for the cheese alternative test.
32 cheese alternatives were available for the test. Soft cheese, hard cheese, processed cheese, sliced cheese and even homemade cheese! At the same time, there were side dishes such as potatoes, mixed pickles, tomatoes, olives, bread and much more.
To get straight to the point: This test was exclusively about flavour and not about composition, price or appearance. Time and again, meat eaters, vegetarians and part-time vegans complain that they simply can’t do without cheese because nothing comes close to the flavour of their mozzarella, Appenzeller or Gorgonzola.
We started with a total of seven cheddar alternatives from Pural, Sheeze, Vio Life, Tofutti, Wilmersburger and Teese. The clear test winner in this round was the Wilmersburger Block Cheddar, closely followed by the Sheeze Smoked Cheddar Style and the Sheeze Red Cheddar Style. The latter two also performed very well in the melted version. The cheddar from Vio Life was also very popular with the test group. Pural, Teese and Tofutti, on the other hand, were not to the taste of those present.
In a second round, the hard cheeses from No Muh were tested. The Blue Classic was the most surprising. Lovers of blue cheese will love this cheese! If you don’t like Gorgonzola and the like, you won’t be able to make friends with this cheese either. The herbal and the spicy/recent No Moo tasted good to almost all test persons. The subtle variant also met the taste of those present. No Moo Walnuts and No Moo Golden did less well.
Next, the mozzarella alternatives were scrutinised. In addition to the Vio Life mozzarella and the mozzarisella, a homemade mozzarella made from cashew and psyllium seeds was also tested. With a good balsamic vinegar, a flavoursome olive oil and organic tomatoes, all three products were rated as very good, with the homemade mozzarella clearly coming out on top.
In the next category, numerous sliced cheeses were scrutinised. The absolute favourite was Vio Life Smoked, followed by Vio Life Original and Vio Life Pizza Flavour. However, Wimersburger Classic, Spicy and Tomato Basil were also enjoyed by almost all of the testers. A real alternative to cow’s milk cheese in sandwiches. The Jeezini brand performed less well.
As a soft cheese, the Nagel Veggie Belle products, which taste good both cold and lightly fried, were met with enthusiasm by some test eaters.
Soyana’s cheese spreads (herbs/garlic, dried tomatoes or horseradish) also found their fans.
CONCLUSION: With the huge selection of cheese alternatives, there is hardly any reason why you shouldn’t find one or more products that will make it easier for you to give up cheese made from animal milk. On the contrary: the animal suffering it prevents makes it even more enjoyable!
We therefore recommend that all animal lovers carry out a cheese alternative test together with like-minded people. It’s really fun and a fun way to find your favourite products.
Sources of supply:
www.vegusto.ch (all No Muh variants)
www.fabulous.ch/veganshop (Vio Life, Sheeze, Tofutti, etc.)
www.soyana.ch (Soyana)
as well as Coop, health food shops and numerous organic food shops.
Milk cheers up tired girls… and men too! But not if the milk is associated with animal suffering, which is what animal milk is, because in order for a cow to give milk, it must first give birth to a child. The child is taken away from her so that her milk can be pumped out for humans. Mother and child suffer from this separation.
If the child is a girl, it expects the same fate as its mother. Permanently pregnant, separation pains and when the milk production decreases, off to the butcher.
If the child is a boy, it does not become a ‘farm’ animal but is ‘useless’ because the calves of dairy cows produce too little meat to be worth fattening. In many countries, these calves are killed immediately after birth or left to die. In countries like Switzerland, this is forbidden, but even here they do not live more than a few months.
Reason enough to give up milk? The test subjects of the Easter milk alternatives test, which took place in the NetAP office on Good Friday, thought so. Although milk is delicious and an important ingredient in many dishes, it can easily be replaced, whether in coffee, with cornflakes or on its own. There are also plenty of alternatives available today for cooking and baking.
35 milk alternatives were available for the test, including soya, oat, rice, almond, spelt, millet and hazelnut milk. Whereby milk is actually the wrong term, as it is reserved exclusively for animal milk. Manufacturers must therefore label their plant milks with the term ‘drink’.
To say it straight away: No plant milk tastes absolutely identical to cow’s milk. But is that even necessary? Shouldn’t it just taste good and be used in the same way as conventional milk (simply without a guilty conscience)?
Some of the test subjects had already had experience with individual products and were sure that they did not like rice milk, for example. During the test, however, it quickly became clear that the rice milk from producer A cannot be compared with that from producer B and that the differences are sometimes huge. The same applies to other plant milk alternatives.
Everyone found a few favourites among all the products. Some of the products were described by everyone as extremely tasty.
Alpro, Soyana, Provamel sweetened and unsweetened, Coop Naturaplan, Migros Sojaline and Berief were tested for soya milk.
Alpro and Berief were chosen as the tastiest, with Berief receiving an extra point because, unlike Alpro, it is organic.
Soya milk is easy to froth and is therefore also suitable for latte macchiato. In muesli and with cornflakes, the differences are much less noticeable than pure. Pure Alpro comes closest to cow’s milk.
Soyana, Coop Naturaplan, Berief, Lima, Isola Bio, Granarolo and Coop Reis Quinoa were tested for rice milk.
Lima and Coop Naturaplan were chosen as the tastiest. Both are organic. The consistency of rice milk is not as milky as that of soya milk. Nevertheless, the colour is appealing in all cases and with cornflakes and muesli the differences are also minimal, as with soy milk. Rice milk does not froth well, but otherwise it also tastes good in coffee.
Soyana, Provamel, Migros, Coop Naturaplan, Coop Reis-Mandel, Isola Bio, Bjorg and Dr Ritter were tested for almond milk.
Bjorg and Coop Reis-Mandel were voted the tastiest. Almond milk has a strong flavour of its own (a bit like marzipan) and is suitable for cooking or baking sweet dishes.
Alnatura, Soyana, Provamel, Isola Bio and Oatly were tested for oat milk.
Isola Bio was chosen as the tastiest, followed by Soyana. The oat milk must be shaken well before it is consumed. The surprise was great for many, as the expectations of the oat milk were low for some, but each of the test persons enjoyed at least one product. Foaming oat milk is hardly possible, but it goes well with cornflakes or muesli and is ideal for cooking savoury dishes.
Various hazelnut milk alternatives as well as Isola Organic Millet and Isola Organic Spelt Milk were also rated as very tasty.
The participants did not rate the composition (e.g. sugar content, calories, fat content, etc.) and the prices. These vary greatly. It should not be forgotten that cow’s milk is also heavily subsidised and can only be so cheap as a result. In our opinion, the price does not justify the suffering associated with the consumption of certain products anyway.
With regard to soya milk, it is pleasing to note that the soya beans come almost exclusively from organic cultivation in Europe.
CONCLUSION: With the huge selection of milk alternatives, there is hardly any reason why you shouldn’t find one or more products that make the switch from cow’s milk to plant-based milk more palatable. On the contrary: the animal suffering it prevents makes it even more enjoyable!
We therefore recommend that all animal lovers carry out a milk alternative test together with like-minded people. It’s fun and a fun way to find your favourite product.
In November 2014, we were invited by VetSuisse to organise a small exhibition about the work of NetAP and our animal welfare concerns. The exhibition lasted several days.
On 13 May 2014, Board members Esther and Enrico gave a presentation on NetAP’s animal welfare work at the Vetsuisse in Zurich at the invitation of the Association for Veterinary Medicine. The audience consisted mainly of students of veterinary medicine. There was great interest and the time passed far too quickly. The students of today are the vets of tomorrow and vets in particular have the power to do a lot to combat animal suffering in this world.
Some of the images shown shocked the audience. Hardly anyone realised how much suffering there is for cats in Switzerland, for example, or how much the animals suffer during transport for slaughter. We hope that we were able to make many students think so that they will make an active contribution in their lives against animal suffering in this world.
On 11 August 2013, NetAP organised a ‘Pick it up’ campaign on Lake Zurich and collected hundreds of cigarette butts in addition to various items of rubbish thrown into nature. The aim of the campaign was to draw society’s attention to the negative consequences of cigarettes in bodies of water. A single cigarette butt can contaminate 1000 litres of water with nicotine, poisoning the habitat of small aquatic animals.
Since the company was founded, volunteers have repeatedly set up stands at flea markets and not only sell all sorts of things in favour of animal welfare, but also regularly tell interested parties about our challenges and what each individual can contribute to animal welfare.
In August 2013, we celebrated our 5th anniversary in the Angels Food Cooking Lounge. The great vegan aperitif riche was offered by Nicole Bernet-Oppermann. A lavish raffle and various speeches rounded off the successful event. The invited guests were full of praise for the event, so that we can look to the future with much encouragement.
Impressions of the 5th anniversary celebrations can be found here.