Who was Vicki Moore?
Vicki Moore with two goats she rescued from a Spanish Blood Fiesta
Continuing the theatrical traditional of her mother's family, Vicki trained as an actress. She worked in repertory, musicals and films. In 1973 she married Tony Moore and they formed a cabaret act that took them all over Europe.
Vicki had always felt a great affinity with animals and in helping those animals that were in trouble. She was a committee member of the Southport branch of the RSPCA from 1978 until 1988.
In 1987 Vicki rescued the donkey 'Blackie' from death in Villanueva de la Vera, Spain. She discovered that there were many thousands of Blood Fiestas.
"When I became aware of the immensity of the problem of the Blood Fiesta and the atrocities committed on the animals [of Spain], I was confronted with an almost metaphysical awareness of being given a cross to carry, like penitents of Semana Sancta. A cross called conscience was put before me, and I hesitated before picking it up."
“In August 1987 I shouldered the burden and within days witnessed a bound and screaming 'fire' bull dragged to it's death, down a street called Calle de Calvary in Canet de Berenguer, after hours of torture and pain. My true initiation into the Calvary of the animals had begun.”
Time and again Vicki risked the wrath of those responsible, as she gathered the evidence and exposed the cruelties. In June 1995, whilst videoing 'undercover', in the village of Coria, Spain, Vicki was gored by a bull. She was tossed into the air 10 times, gored 11 times in the chest, back, groin and legs. She also suffered a punctured lung, 8 badly smashed ribs and the loss of a kidney.
Vicki's life was saved in a seven-hour operation. She was in a coma for three weeks and spent five and a half weeks in intensive care. She struggled for years with the legacy of her injuries, but preferred not to talk about her daily plight, for fear it would detract from that of the animals she championed.
Despite being in constant pain Vicki continued to campaign for the animals by giving talks and interviews and appearing on many TV and radio shows around the world. She even managed to do some undercover investigations, risking her life again for these oppressed creatures.
Vicki underwent further operations until her body could stand no more and she died on February the 6th 2000.
Vicki was a vegetarian from the age of eighteen and worked to right the wrongs committed on animals such as; live transport, vivisection, hunting, hare coursing, horse racing, tethered horses and so much more.
She dearly wanted her work for the animals to continue. The Vicki Moore Foundation was formed to carry on the work that Vicki started.