Animal rights activists marched to the Capitol Sunday preaching love and compassion for all animals -- human and non-human.

``If people saw and experienced what is done to animals, if they saw the atrocities... done to fellow creatures of life, they would stop (eating meat),'' said actor James Cromwell at the March for the Animals sponsored by the National Alliance for Animals.

Cromwell, the human star of the movie ``Babe,'' said he became a vegan, eschewing meat and animal products like eggs, milk and cheese, after making the Academy Award-nominated film about a pig who thinks he's a sheepdog.

``Babe was this pig that was supposed to have been slaughtered, but instead he made his message known through love and compassion,'' said Cromwell, who spoke at the march.

About 3,000 people marched from the White House to the Capitol, U.S. Park Police said. Marchers carried signs and wore T-shirts proclaiming: ``Meat thinks,'' ``Respect your fellow earthlings'' and ``Be a voice for the voiceless.''

The march attracted more than 40 animal rights groups, including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Humane Society.

The purpose of the march is to ``give a global voice to non-human animals,'' said event coordinator Peter Gerard, executive director of the National Alliance for Animals.

``Animals don't have the same rights as people. But they have a fundamental right to life, liberty and freedom from torture,'' Gerard said.

``There's an animal holocaust going on,'' said Walt Rave, of Takoma Park, Md., who carried a pole with real fox furs snagged in leg traps. ``Why do we eat meat? Taste.''

``In the never-ending AIDS war, we have fought very hard for AIDS research. Now we must fight for important animal research that will prove the safety of new therapies and ultimately save lives,'' said Matthew Sharp, a member of Golden Gate chapter of ACT UP in San Francisco.

But animal rights speakers Sunday said there isn't a conflict.

``We don't want people dying of AIDS, and we don't want animals to suffer either,'' said Jane Goodall, who has worked with primates in Tanzania since 1960. ``Most animal testing has not led to breakthroughs in human medical research.''

Goodall kicked off the march with a loud, cackling chimpanzee call.