HighestWelfare.Humane.Assured.GoodPractices.Vegetarian. Regenerative.Flexitarian.Lies...
What is the difference between No Welfare, High Welfare, and Highest Welfare when they all require animals to die? Only human comfort, NONE protect the actual animals. The most humane, ethical, and honest Webster-defined "welfare" is NOT exploiting animals - not using, not wearing, not eating, not killing - animals. The only meaningful position is vegan, everything else is just how humans euphemize animals' required suffering and violent deaths: no human exploits animals because they honestly believe that NOT exploiting animals is UNethical or INhumane.
Hockey Player Offers $100K to Move Elephant to a Sanctuary | Let’s help: Three actions to take
1. Please click on and sign: Free Lucy the Elephant from Lifelong Imprisonment
2. Please click on and sign: Ask Edmonton to Let Lucy Pack Her Trunk!
3. Please also send a letter via post or email, there are TWO SAMPLE LETTERS below from which to choose
From Change
By Annie Hartnett
Everyone knows that no one fights harder than a hockey player. So I cheered when I learned that former NHL player Georges Laraque is fighting for the freedom of Lucy, the solitary elephant kept in Edmonton’s Valley Zoo. Laraque has offered the city of Edmonton $100,000 if Lucy is released to a sanctuary in a warmer climate.
It’s 1°F in Edmonton right now, where Georges Laraque and Lucy the elephant both live. Hockey players might not mind the cold, but Asian elephants certainly do. Lucy doesn’t have a climate controlled habitat at the Valley Zoo, and the poor pachyderm has been forced to live in a completely unsuitable environment. She’s also housed by her lonesome, even though elephants are highly sociable creatures.
Given her living conditions, it’s not surprising that Lucy is in poor health. The 35-year-old elephant suffers from upper respiratory issues, arthritis, and a chronic foot ailment.
Laraque writes in a public letter to the mayor of Edmonton:
“Lucy’s serious health problems and the signs of mental distress that she has long exhibited are reason enough to send her to a sanctuary in a warmer climate, but I hope that my proposal creates even more incentive.”
But the Valley Zoo has cited Lucy’s health problems as a reason not to move her, claiming that transporting the elephant would only exacerbate her respiratory issues.
Lucy’s situation has been an ongoing controversy, with animal rights activists lobbying for years to remove the ailing elephant from the zoo. Earlier this year, PETA and Canadian animal rights group Zoocheck filed a court case on behalf of Lucy, but the lawsuit was struck down.
Other celebrities, such as Bob Barker and William Shatner, have spoken out in the past on behalf of Lucy. But Georges Laraque’s proposal might hold more weight, as he is a resident of Edmonton and he played for the Oilers, the city’s hockey team, for years.
Hopefully Edmonton will pay attention to their hockey hometown hero and do what is best for Lucy.
Sign the petition (and the one HERE as well) to demand that Lucy be sent to an elephant sanctuary in a warmer climate.
Behaviour indicative of boredom, psychological stress
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WHERE TO SEND YOUR MESSAGES | I’ve had one returned but will keep it in: ron.hayter@edmonton.ca
Individual links:
linda.sloan@edmonton.ca
ron.hayter@edmonton.ca
kim.krushell@edmonton.ca
ed.gibbons@edmonton.ca
tony.caterina@edmonton.ca
jane.batty@edmonton.ca
ben.henderson@edmonton.ca
bryan.anderson@edmonton.ca
don.iveson@edmonton.ca
amarjeet.sohi@edmonton.ca
stephen.mandel@edmonton.ca
Or Copy/Paste as a Group:
karen.leibovici@edmonton.ca ,
linda.sloan@edmonton.ca ,
ron.hayter@edmonton.ca ,
kim.krushell@edmonton.ca ,
ed.gibbons@edmonton.ca ,
tony.caterina@edmonton.ca ,
jane.batty@edmonton.ca ,
ben.henderson@edmonton.ca ,
bryan.anderson@edmonton.ca ,
don.iveson@edmonton.ca ,
amarjeet.sohi@edmonton.ca ,
stephen.mandel@edmonton.ca ,
Mayor & Members of Council
City of Edmonton
1 Sir Winston Churchill Square
Edmonton, Alberta, CANADA T5J 2R7
SAMPLE MESSAGE ONE | From IDA
Honorable Mayor and Council Members,
I urge you to please take action to save the life of Lucy, the solitary elephant at the Valley Zoo, by sending her to a natural habitat sanctuary without delay.
Science tells us that elephants are highly social animals who should never be kept alone. For this reason, Canadian and international zoo guidelines specify that elephants be kept in social groups. No matter how good the intentions of Lucy’s keepers, they are no substitute for the companionship of other elephants.
Given the inhospitable weather that forces Lucy indoors for several months of the year, lack of space and the inadequate conditions for elephants at the Valley Zoo, it would be wrong to bring in other elephants. What Lucy needs right now is the relief and rehabilitation that can be found at an elephant sanctuary, where her physical and social needs will be better met. Elephant sanctuaries have helped many elephants like Lucy, who suffers from captivity-caused arthritis, foot disease and abnormal repetitive behaviors, by providing year-round access to vast natural habitats and the companionship of other elephants.
Please listen to the pleas of concerned and compassionate people from your own country and around the world. I urge you to order an independent assessment of Lucy’s health, then send her to a sanctuary where she can live a life much closer to what nature intended for her, and close the elephant exhibit at Valley Zoo.
Sincerely,
SAMPLE MESSAGE TWO
Honorable Mayor and Council Members,
I ask that you take immediate action to save the life of Lucy by relinquishing her an accredited sanctuary, namely PAWS Wildlife Sanctuary. Lucy’s health is badly compromised due to her current surroundings; it is negligent and irresponsible to exploit the cause of her failing health, the Edmonton Valley Zoo environment, as reason to continue imprisoning her there regardless of meaningful intentions.
Please allow me to briefly illustrate personal observations: elephants are marvelously intelligent and loving creatures, forming enduring bonds and relationships; elephants also experience profound depression in sufferable conditions, separated from others and necessary companionship. It is grossly unjust that our society finds animal abuse tolerable in cases such as Lucky’s. While we as a collective understandably react shockingly at the cruelty inflicted on our companion animal friends, as a majority we embrace apathy regarding animals imprisoned for entertainment purposes.
Circuses, zoos, roadside attractions, and animal exhibits are all defined as a socially acceptable form of entertainment but that are all realistically a brutal indication of animal exploitation and imprisonment. Animals are objectified, cruelly treated, forced to behave in unnatural manners, exposed to pain and inadequate care and environments, and made to parade in front on humans for the sole purpose of human greed. There is no enchantment or magic for animals, and even zoos that perpetrate and foster an ideal of preservation are too often engaged in the savage acquisition of stolen animals, a brutal, bloody industry that hides under the chaotic surface of zoo entrepreneurship.
Financial greed at the cost of responsibility and compassion is inexcusable, and the implications about humans who enable animal abuse are disturbing: we cannot allow our children to inherit a cruel and indifferent society where animals are freely objectified. Indeed, if we do nothing, we are teaching our children troubling lessons and encouraging intolerance.
I know your time is limited, and I thank you for your attention and consideration.
NAME | COUNTRY
From Facebook
By Shelley Bright
BRIEF
On October 22, 2008, an elite dog training & boarding facility ‘High Caliber K-9’ in Youngstown, Ohio, was raided following a report that a person was unable to retrieve her companion dog. Numerous dogs were found dead due to neglect and starvation. Steve Croley, owner & trainer of High Caliber, was arrested, charged, and convicted on just 4 misdemeanor infractions for starving 19 dogs, 8 of whom died. NITRO’S LAW is a legacy and testament in honor of a family’s Rottweiler who was starved to death at this man’s hands. Ohio House Bill 70 “NITRO’S LAW” passed the House but has been shelved in the Senate for nearly a year with time now running out.
Nitro’s Law, HB 70, dies on December 31st after sitting for almost 1 year with no progress, because of the OHIO SENATE. HELP us to demand better for these hero dog victims and all companion animals of Ohio & contact Chairman Tim Grendell (Phone: 614-644-7718 | Email: SD18@senate.state.oh.us) and PLEASE drop a line to Senator Seitz (SD08@senate.state.oh.us) – ALL CONTACT DETAILS BELOW – who will vote NO on NITRO’S LAW because he doesn’t support FELONY LAWS for animal abusers because of ‘prison overcrowding’:
I am inclined not to support HB 70 because of prison overcrowding and the attendant fact that we will only make that problem worse by creating more felony offenses. – Senator William J. Seitz.
Please send two emails, one to the entire committee, one to Senator Seitz; please also contact Chairman Grendell via phone. There are sample messages provided below, but please modify as you feel appropriate. Do this for Nitro and all other animal victims who deserve the consideration of our “lawmakers”.
Please visit Nitro Foundation for complete details, information, resources, and contacts for questions. You will find additional footage, court information, and photos. There is also a Nitro Facebook Group as well.
Click on each to enlarge | Warning, these are graphic
BACKGROUND
Nitro lived the typical suburbia New York life with his doting family and littermate, Bella. A family that cooked scrambled eggs for breakfast for them, labored with love on sewing holiday costumes, including them as members of their family in celebrations, vacations, and the many activities of life; a life any dog would be fortunate to live. It was obvious from the beginning, Nitro was the classic, determined Rottie with a high working drive and High Caliber K9 came highly recommended through Nitro’s breeder as a positive outlet and focus for him to be the best dog he could be.
Steven S. Croley, the owner of High Caliber K9 appeared to be the charismatic, gifted dog whisperer and Nitro’s family did all the necessary tasks ensuring his background was genuine and without blemish, including an 8 hour drive to be guests of Croley at his facility with impressive results. For 2.5 years a successful working relationship and bond soon developed with Croley and naturally a friendship quickly followed including social engagements and outings with all the makings of a trusted alliance.
When a family member’s critical medical emergency developed, Nitro’s family found themselves in a dilemma of commuting for long periods of time to New Jersey putting a strain on the pets in their home. Nitro being highly protective soon proved this to be increasingly stressful on him.
Croley’s facility and program of a summer dog camp seemed to be the perfect solution. Not only would he be safe with someone they thought they knew and trusted but Nitro could also work on his training in a secure and safe environment.
Nitro was a very reserved dog and not inclined to trust easily and naturally any lingering doubts they might have had regarding Croley had dissolved long ago, since Nitro thrived in Croley’s presence and openly adored his attention. This combined with their successful 2.5-year history with Croley only reinforced he was trustworthy. They would never have thought in a million years they could and would be so utterly and devastatingly wrong.
I AM NITRO’s LAW
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It is still unclear exactly what led Croley down such a self-absorbed path of destruction to take the lives of these innocent dogs in such depraved and unspeakable suffering. Even more difficult to comprehend is that their suffering was not out of sight and out of mind. Croley lived on the same property of the kennels and training area of the perfectly manicured lawn being his own backyard. The backdoor and windows of his residence faced the dog kennels in plain view. Alleged drug use is believed to be the motivating factor in robbing these dogs of the basic necessities of food for life and the substantial monies paid by the dog’s families was not used to feed their dogs, but instead was used to feed Croley’s drug addiction.
A further crime and travesty of justice occurred after these original crimes were committed. Croley was originally charged on 19 counts of animal cruelty for starving 19 dogs, 8 of which perished with only misdemeanor provisions for punishment regardless of the severity of the crime. To top off the beginning of this gross injustice, due to the dire circumstances of the distressed remaining live dogs seen from outside of the property, humane agents made the decision to enter the property without securing a search warrant. Because of this, the Youngstown Prosecutor cited a legal technicality and threw out 15 of those original 19 charges. Croley was granted a plea agreement to plead no contest to only 4 counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty. Nitro’s life would not be one of them, his charge and count was dropped. Croley was sentenced to 4 months credited with 13 days already served in county jail after decimating countless lives.
Ohio continues to rank at the bottom on animal protection legislation. The degradation of our Nation as a whole by the state of Ohio continues into the 21st century and only through legislation that allows for prosecution of animal cruelty with stronger penalties imposed on those found guilty, will Ohio be on the road to becoming a just and compassionate State.
This is NITRO’S LAW.
WHOM TO CONTACT:
Chairman Tim Grendell | he is able to decide whether Nitro’s Law HB70 will advance, tell him you want Nitro’s Law to go to the Senate Floor now:
Phone (614) 644-7718
EMAIL ADDRESSES, COPY/PASTE AS A GROUP:
SD18@senate.state.oh.us,
SD16@senate.state.oh.us,
SD12@senate.state.oh.us,
SD20@senate.state.oh.us,
SD03@senate.state.oh.us,
SD08@senate.state.oh.us,
SD33@maild.sen.state.oh.us,
SD21@maild.sen.state.oh.us,
SD25@maild.sen.state.oh.us
EMAIL SUBJECT LINE:
Holiday Greetings!
EMAIL BODY:
Chairman Grendell,
Why has the Judiciary Committee been sitting on HB70 for nearly a year? I don’t understand the hesitation of the Judiciary Committee to move this bill and pass it into law. I have read that some Senators want to let this bill die. But this doesn’t make sense. Are there Senators who think it is okay to torture, starve, and abuse animals? Are there Senators who think that people should be allowed to torture and even kill dogs just because they want to?
Surely you are aware that people who will abuse, torture, or kill animals will eventually direct their deviant behaviors towards other humans. Surely you are aware that most serial murderers began by torturing and killing animals.
Decent people do not want abusers to get away with their abuse. They want penalties that fit the crime. Violence is violence no matter the target of the violence. NITRO’S Law will hold people accountable for their cruelty and violence. The people support the passage of this bill.
You should be aware of this: thousands of people all over the nation are watching to see what the Ohio Senate will do. If you continue to sit on this bill, you will be turning your back on decency and you will be remembered for that. Please do the right thing. Get this bill passed!
Sincerely,
NAME | STATE | COUNTRY
WHOM TO CONTACT:
Senator Seitz, email: SD08@senate.state.oh.us
EMAIL SUBJECT LINE:
Holiday Greetings!
EMAIL BODY:
Senator Seitz,
I am curious to know what kind of mind comes up with the idea that prison overcrowding is a good reason not to enact laws against cruelty and violence? I am referring specifically to your remark, “I am inclined not to support HB70 because of prison overcrowding and the attendant fact that we will only make that problem worse by creating more felony offenses.” Well, Mr. Seitz, that’s not a very good idea! Are you suggesting we just eliminate a few more felonies to make certain that prisons aren’t “overcrowded”? Are you asserting that prison population is certainly a higher priority for you than protecting society from people who like to inflict pain, and even death, on the defenseless?
Maybe you are unaware that studies have proven a close link between violence towards animals and violence towards people. Maybe you are unaware that most serial killers began by torturing and killing animals. Certainly, you must be unaware that when any kind of cruelty and violence is tolerated by a society, it demoralizes the whole of society. Or maybe you just don’t care?
Mr. Seitz, I don’t care how crowded the prisons are. As a citizen, I have the right to demand that your priority be the safety of society, not the economic bottom line of maintaining prisons. As a lawmaker, you have the responsibility to enact laws to protect people from violent perpetrators. Violence is violence no matter the target, and cruelty is cruelty.
The people want HB70 enacted into law. If you kill this bill, you are turning your back on decency for the sake of economics, and you will be remembered for having done so.
Mr. Seitz, please do the right thing.
Sincerely,
NAME | STATE | COUNTRY
South Africa: Declare ‘Corrective Rape’ a Hate-Crime
Please click on and sign: Declare ‘Corrective Rape’ a Hate-Crime
Targeting: Tlali Tlali (Chief of Staff, Ministry of Justice), Blendynn Williams (Head of Deputy Minister’s Office), Phillip Musekwa (Private Secretary, Ministry of Justice), Collen Msibi (Head of Communications, Ministry of Justice), Thando Ntlemeza (Parliamentary Liaison Officer, Ministry of Justice), Deputy Minister of Justice Andries Carl Nel, and Minister of Justice Jeffrey Thamsanqa Radebe
Started by: Luleki Sizwe
“Corrective Rape” is a term used to describe when a male rapes a lesbian with the aim of ‘turning’ her heterosexual!
This heinous crime is prolific in South Africa, especially in the “townships”.
Most of the victims are tortured, grievously assaulted and sometimes murdered! They are also prone to getting HIV/AIDS from the assault, and many of them commit suicide as a result of the “corrective rape”!
The South African government and justice system are failing the victims of Corrective Rape by letting the perpetrators out on ridiculously low bail, and taking literally years to bring the court-cases to a conclusion. In the meantime the victims have to live with seeing and being taunted and threatened by their rapists every day, as do those who help the victims!
In the last 10 years:
- 31 lesbian women have been murdered because of their sexuality
- More than 10 lesbians a week are raped or gang raped in Cape Town alone
- 150 women are raped every day in South Africa
- For every 25 men accused of rape in South Africa, 24 walk free
Despite all this, hate crimes on the basis of sexual orientation are not recognised by South African law!
We call on the South African government to declare “Corrective Rape” a Hate-Crime that is punishable by the harshest sentences!
Related | Corrective Rape
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MESSAGE TEXT | You can modify the message, in particular the first sentence
I am an activist for an NGO called Luleki Sizwe in the Cape Town township of Gugulethu, and I am currently covering and supporting the criminal proceedings of a victim of corrective-rape, Millicent Gaika.
Millicent was raped, beaten and strangled for five hours by Andile Ngoza in order to “turn her straight”. Please check lulekisizwe.wordpress.com for the full story.
Millicent and her friends were walking home after visiting another friend. The man, whom she said she had known for a number of years and who had never objected to her sexuality before, asked her for a cigarette. She stayed to smoke with him, and followed him into his room when he refused to pass the cigarette to her.
According to her he then locked the door and started hitting her while she tried to fight back.
“He pulled off my clothes and pushed me down on the bed. He was holding me down, strangling me with the wire and pushing his hands hard onto my neck.” She added that he threatened to kill her and throw her body in the river. “I thought I was gonna die.”
He kept saying to her, “I know you are a lesbian. You are not a man. You think you are, but I am going to show you are a woman. I’m gonna make you pregnant you are going to carry a baby for me.”
From ALDF
Please click on, sign & send automatic message HERE
BACKGROUND
(Kern County, CA) Lacey, a 6-pound terrier, was allegedly abandoned for days, reportedly having been tied to a tree, hit with a golf club and sprayed in the eyes with bleach. Animal control officers discovered her on December 4, 2010.
Lacey has since undergone extensive veterinary treatment and is reportedly undergoing rehabilitation in a loving home.
The dog’s owner, Robert Gonzales, has been charged with felony animal cruelty as well as three possession-related charges. Providing yet another tragic example of the link between cruelty to animals and violence toward humans, this defendant is reportedly the subject of a domestic violence restraining order as well.
RELATED | This Is Who We Are, ALDF
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TAKE ACTION
Send a polite letter to the Kern County District Attorney, encouraging that the case be prosecuted vigorously, with a strong and meaningful sentence sought upon conviction. You may use the automatic message HERE, but please modify so a variety of messages are received.
Local residents are encouraged to support the prosecution by attending the court proceedings. A hearing is currently scheduled for December 29, 2010.
(Always contact the Court to confirm court dates and locations as they are subject to change.)
COURT INFORMATION
Clerk of the Superior Court
Kern County
1415 Truxtun Ave.
Bakersfield, CA 93301
Phone: 661- 868-5393
Website
Case #: BF134866A
Macedonian stray dogs: once again we must take action to stop the massacre, please send sample message
FROM Stop Cruelty to All Animals NOW! Be a Voice for the Voiceless!
BACKGROUND
Dear Friends,
Please send the letter below to the given addresses, because in Macedonia, all stray dogs are (still) a killing target, primarily in the Vardarishte. Let’s save those whom are still alive!
WHERE TO SEND YOUR MESSAGE
gradonacalnik@skopje.gov.mk,
druntevski@veterina.gov.mk,
tkirandziski@veterina.gov.mk,
dterzievski@idvet.gov.mk,
khs@khigiena.com.mk,
SAMPLE MESSAGE
To Whom It Concerns,
We are shocked from the violence and killing of animals that occurs daily in Macedonia, mainly in Skopje, in the holding facility Vardarishte.
We are disturbed based on the cruelty inflicted by your institutions, which are funded to interact humanely with the stray population, to engage and to conduct the Catch, Neuter, Release (CNR) program, the only successful program as it is appropriate for an ethical and civilized country.
But instead, dogs are persistently killed, including neutered dogs, who are caught and never released: there is no justification.
Global witnesses know the accounts about the concentration camp Vardarishte: they know that the dog catchers, until recently, were hunters and delinquents, and that they used to kill dogs on the streets, with guns, and received a financial reward. They now do the same, hidden in the rooms of Vardarishte.
We know and we have seen that the animals there have no living conditions, we have seen the official data that indicates 60% of dogs being killed, but the real bloody number is hidden.
We know and we have seen that veterinarians are engaged to kill, not to sterilize – your people are not blind and you cannot deceive!
The Mayor of Skopje has proven himself like nobody before, cruel, brutal, blind to the sufferings of animals, deaf to the calls of its citizens.
You cannot deceive either us or the Macedonian population that he is not behind the killings, because he is the one who hired new dog catchers and killers and forbade volunteers from taking pictures in Vardarishte.
Let us not lie to each other, we know it all.
We are urgently asking for this to cease and the holding facility of death to be closed: it is a bloody stain on your city, your country, your face!
You cannot hide the truth – it is everywhere, and here we are, the activists for the animal rights, to testify in order not to be forgotten!
We ask from the veterinary authorities to react and close the prisons of fear, despair, diseases, and death.
You do not have justification to be silent!
NAME/ADDRESS
Related | Do You STILL Find It Outrageous?
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Please send sample message protesting fur | Also, footage from Fur-Free Friday 2010
From Facebook | AG ARA
The Ropewalk Shopping Centre in Nuneaton, The Midlands, UK, has given a licence for a stall holder to sell sheep and reindeer fur within the shopping centre. Please send a letter protesting: e-mail and phone the Centre Manager John Kelleher and tell him that the sale of fur is not acceptable and will not be tolerated.
WHERE TO SEND YOUR LETTERS
Address:
Ropewalk Shopping Centre
Management Suite
Chapel Street
Nuneaton
Warwickshire
CV11 5TZ
Centre Manager:
John Kelleher
Telephone:
0247 6641714
Email:
john.kelleher@ropewalknuneaton.co.uk
Site Address:
http://www.ropewalknuneaton.co.uk/
SAMPLE LETTER | Please modify & shorten, additional samples can be found HERE
Dear Mr. Kelleher,
I am shocked to discover that Ropewalk Shopping Centre is commercially engaged with the fur industry selling sheep and reindeer fur to customers. Due to the inherently-brutal business of fur farming, any products derived for or from the suffering and killing of animals should be rejected, and I am respectfully requesting that you immediately cease profiting from the exploitation of animals.
Please watch the undercover footage of the industry you promote: animals are forced to endure deplorable conditions including living in cramped, feces-crusted cages; suffering from sickness and disease; lacking an enriching environment; and being subjected to substandard diets and severe psychological trauma. Those who are trapped suffer amputations, agony, and desperation in chaotic, bloody round-up procedures, separated from family, beaten into imprisonment. They are then butchered via anal electrocution, gassing, skinning alive, and forced trauma. I must ask, why would you deliberately and willingly cause such suffering?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTZQnQeAPJc&feature=player_embedded
Humans are capable, indeed obligated, to acknowledge animals as sentient beings who, like humans, experience love, anguish, pain, and suffering. Human apathy as established by the usage of fabrications and euphemisms reflects a lack of respect, not only for animals, but also for humans, and I implore upon you to examine your role in the suffering of animals and your unscrupulous conduct as host to such a cruel business. Regrettably, as long as Ropewalk Shopping Centre unnecessarily and selfishly capitalizes on the mutilation, torture, and death of animals, I will not financially support you or your associated products. Furthermore, I will share this information with family, friends, colleagues, and members of online communities.
Please make both the ethical and responsible decision to discontinue your commercial support of fur immediately: join an increasing body of corporations who are listening to a concerned and attentive consumer population who refuse to be complicit in the inherently malicious industry of fur farming.
I hope this letter finds you willing to scrutinize your own involvement and desire to protect, rather than harm, animals.
Thank you for your time and attention.
Sincerely,
NAME, ADDRESS
2010 Fur-Free Friday Video Footage from events in NY, Chicago, Utah, Beverly Hills, Las Vegas, Israel, Italy, San Francisco, Portland, etc.; if you would like your video posted here, please CONTACT OC, we would love to include it, thank you, and a big thank you to the dedicated activists who participated in the Fur-Free Friday events in all manners. (On playlist, please use the arrow at the bottom – above Embedr – to scroll through. Each video has a caption that I have NOT edited; if any of the cities are inaccurate, please let me know, I copied what was written but a couple include question marks, thank you so much.)
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To see an individual video listing and associated titles/cites, click HERE (it may take a few moments for the page to load due to the amount of footage.)
Read more…
From NBC Miami
By Jeff Burnside and Janie Campbell
Everglades Outpost says Primated (sic) Products never warned them against a group cage, but others say Everlgades Outpost should have known.
An effort to save the lives of 101 research monkeys shipped to Miami has been botched, leaving at least 21 of them dead.
The fate of the others is unknown, and there appears to be plenty of blame to spread around.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave the owl monkeys to Primate Products, a controversial Miami company that sells monkeys for research.
The CDC told NBCMiami that the intent was to find these monkeys a good retirement after a lifetime of experimentation in labs. (???)
Instead, they were mishandled, and many died.
Owl monkeys, so named because of their big eyes, are extraordinarily delicate. They mate in pairs for life. Research says if they are all put together in one cage, no matter how big, they stress, their hearts enlarge and they can die.
The CDC says in May 2009 it gave all the monkeys a clean bill of health before sending them to Primate Products. But an email from an anonymous employee sent to the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida says, “Primate Products couldn’t sell them, so gave them to some place called Everglades Outpost…they had been sick here at Primate Products.”
Everglades Outpost is a non-profit roadside zoo near the entrance to Everglades National Park. It’s run by a husband and wife team who live on the property and a cadre of dedicated and well-intentioned volunteers.
Workers at Everglades Outpost say Primate Products was going to euthanize the monkeys. Barbara Tansen, whose husband owns Everglades Outpost, said, “It was just sad that we took them so they wouldn’t be euthanize. Did everything we could.”
The USDA inspection says Everglades Outpost took 61 of the owl monkeys, July 9, 2009, from Primate Products. Eleven died within hours. Six died next day. Three died day after.
Then an additional 31 owl monkeys were trucked from Primate Products July 15, 2009. Six died within 48 hours.
“Well, I’m outraged,” says Don Anthony, spokesperson for the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida. “I’m outraged about the fact that…monkeys are dead because of someone’s either negligence or ignorance on how to take care of them.”
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“A lot of them that were paired up,” explained an earnest Albert Killian, an Everglades Outpost worker, “Ok, were kept in separate cages by themselves. But then there were a bunch that were just grouped together they we, just, you know, we don’t have that many cages, ok? So this was adequate enough because I thought it was large enough.”
Killian and Jonathan Shoemaker, who drove to Primate Products and brought the monkeys back, installed trees and shrubs, climbing tools and housing in two cages about 50×100 feet – and they say it looked like the monkeys were having a great time. He says he saw no violence.
But the USDA report says Everglades Outpost demonstrated “a lack of knowledge and experience regarding basic housing and social needs of this species.” And “the sudden group housing….caused overt behavior stress and physical trauma.”
TIME Names Michael Vick to Top 10 Everything of 2010 List
Please click on and sign:
TIME: Remove Michael Vick from Your Top 10 of Everything List
See Vick’s TIME tribute HERE
From Change
By Maggie Marton
Last week, TIME magazine released their Top 10 Everything of 2010. Coming in at number nine on their list of comebacks of the year?
Michael Vick.
TIME‘s Alexandra Silver writes: “Though his return to the field got us talking about a comeback last year, it’s his performance in 2010 that has everyone talking about a most valuable player designation. Vick racked up remarkable stats in his spectacular Nov. 15 game, demonstrating that his legacy might yet be measured in touchdowns and yards, rather than going entirely to the dogs.”
So it seems that as long as Vick plays well on the field, his dog-fighting days will be forgotten. This was demonstrated earlier this year when the Pro Football Hall of Fame wanted to add Vick’s jersey to their collection.
While it’s true that Vick’s high-profile bust brought national attention to the horrors and prevalence of dog fighting, his immediate forgiveness and return to star-athlete status sets a terrible example. The result? Incidents of dog fighting are on the rise in cities like Philadelphia, and young children are becoming involved.
Dog-loving Eagles’ season-ticket holders continue to protest football games, and dozens of Facebook pages protest Vick’s forgiveness by the NFL.
TIME‘s article is irresponsible. Naming Vick as one of the best comebacks of 2010 sends the message that success on the football field trumps the crimes he committed or the dogs’ lives he took.
Tell TIME magazine to remove Michael Vick from the list of top comebacks.
And please vote ‘no’ HERE and HERE
Related | Will the dogfighter who victimized Stallone be named by TIME as one of the Top 10 Everything of 2012 when he is paroled? Will he be canonized by the HSUS?
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Mememe … it’s all about me and I LOVE animals, nobody EVER said this was WRONG! It’s society’s fault! I thought it was RIGHT to hideously mutilate and kill them!
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Ironically, Vick would be good dog owner, says Humane Society chief
Editor’s Note: Isn’t that sweet? I suspect those who embrace parallel opinions believe John Wayne Gacy would have been an ideal day-care supervisor or that Karla Homolka would make a wonderful foster parent … Right. The moment people begin to emulate or honor serial killers, of which Vick is as established by his own actions, is the moment society stops caring for the victims. He mutilated, butchered, and inflicted suffering, agony, and pain on innocent beings, and he did so cheerfully and with zeal while making money and destroying life.
It is not righteous or ethical to endorse killers who betrayed decency and morality by putting so little emphasis on the importance of life. Vick tenaciously mocks decency and integrity with a round of applause from misguided people and greedy industries. There is NO redemption for habitual murderers, if there was, Ted Bundy would be selling mattresses now. You do NOT demonstrate love via torture and murder.
NFL, your precious football player is a serial killer. TIME, your endeared “Number Nine” is a murderer. People, your role model is a sociopath.
Welcome to Lunacy: Architect, Society.
Speciesist pretension and validation aside, they value their lives and fear pain and death as you and I: there can never be any moral standing by those who reject such a simple yet necessary tenet. It is our moral obligation to embrace them as we do ourselves and as long as human animals excuse viciousness against non-human animals, no peace will ever be realized anywhere for anyone. All that exists are illusions fabricated by those from which they benefit.
And please remember that there are ten billion Stallones butchered yearly in the US: your cheese, your steak, your deli cuts, your clothing, your zoos, and your drugs: the relentless suffering and murder caused by millions of killers: you may not perform the cruelty and killing yourself, but you pay someone else to do so, which is an endorsement of such.
Please go vegan and save, rather than take, lives …
SR
Read more…
Investigation: Euthanasia at NYC Animal Care & Control
From WABC TV-New York
By Sarah Wallace
There’s new controversy surrounding the city-contracted animal shelter, Animal Care and Control.
Thankfully, Darcy Baia of Mahopac, New York came to their rescue.
“So you took her to the vet, and the vet said?” Eyewitness News Investigative reporter Sarah Wallace asked.
“The vet said she’s perfectly healthy,” Baia said.
Kimmie, a stray, had ended up on the euthanasia list at New York City’s Animal Care and Control, a nonprofit charity, contracted by the Department of Health to operate three shelters, in Harlem, Brooklyn and Staten Island.
“She was sneezing and had a cold and they kill for that. They were going to kill her and her babies and she was full term,” Baia said.
Animals are routinely killed for upper respiratory infections that they often get in the shelter.
They’re fine when they arrive.
Eyewitness News recently obtained undercover video showing widespread, disgusting conditions, as one worker put it.
Tina’s capital crime was a limp.
The pit bull mix was also on the euthanasia list at AC&C before being adopted by Ann Cassano of Canarsie, Brooklyn.
“When I took her to my vet, she checked out completely and she was fine. I mean the idea that she was going to be killed because of this limp? It breaks my heart,” Cassano said.
Critics charge that animals are often mislabeled as diseased or bad to justify killing them.
Related | Allegations of neglect at city animal shelter
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Related | Euthanasia at NYC Animal Care & Control
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Charlie supposedly had a temper problem.
He ended up rescued and placed with the Stern family of Hoboken.
The bottom line is that AC&C doesn’t have enough space for all the animals it takes in and doesn’t have enough staff to care for them.
The Department of Health has slashed the budget $1.5 million in the past two years alone.
Victory! Excellent work … please do it again.
From PCRM
Another week, another victory for animals. Two weeks ago, we asked you to contact the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) and urge its dean to end the school’s deadly use of pigs in a trauma training program before the Dec. 7 course. PCRM has learned that not only did the dean commit to permanently ending this animal use, but he also made the switch prior to the course that was held last week!
There is no doubt that this victory is due to your swift action.Within just a few days, more than 10,000 of you contacted the dean’s office.
UMMS has joined the overwhelming majority of institutions that use only nonanimal methods for Advanced Trauma Life Support(ATLS) courses, which are designed to train physicians to treat acute trauma injuries. PCRM’s survey of ATLS courses shows that out of the 227 surveyed ATLS courses in the United States and Canada, only 10 continue to use animals.
While UMMS has made the compassionate and responsible choice, another institution in Massachusetts refuses to switch to nonanimal training methods. Massachusetts General Hospital(MGH) has ignored our pleas to end its use of sheep in ATLS courses. Please call or e-mail MGH President Peter Slavin, M.D., today and urge him to end this cruel and unnecessary practice.
Peter Slavin, M.D.
President
Massachusetts General Hospital
55 Fruit St.
Boston, MA 02114
Tel: 617-724-9300
E-mail: pslavin@partners.org
With your help, we will permanently end animal use in ATLS courses and save these animals from needless pain and suffering.
You may use the letter provided in the form above, write your own, use the sample below, or send a modified version; the below is the same used for UMMS.
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear Dr. Slavin,
I am disturbed after discovering that live sheep are subjected to mutilating experiments and killed in Massachusetts General Hospital’s Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) courses, a practice that inflicts immense suffering upon them. Sheep are marvelously intelligent and sentient beings, capable of thought, love, pain, and fear, and to expose them to this archaic method of training is alarming. In a recently conducted survey, it has been determined that in greater than 95% of similar programs, including at UMMS, the TraumaMan System has been utilized (PCRM). The TraumaMan System has been proven a superior model to the live sheep “model”, and I fear any student not trained on the most advanced method will have a diminished learning experience. This should be concerning to any potential patient.
Additionally, since sheep cannot be substituted for human beings, subjecting them to this exploitive process reflects a blatant disregard for life; how can we teach our future medical professionals ethics while enforcing a course that maims and kills live, sentient beings? This represents a conflict of interest as well as a contradiction in both morals and actions: if non-human animals are deemed similar enough to humans physiologically, then you must acknowledge that, as sentient beings, they should not be exploited and killed either. Any other conclusion would be considered a discord and would serve as a detriment to the learning process, especially in such a critical field of study.
It would be regrettable not being able to recommend your fine institution; however, because I value the most sophisticated and innovative learning techniques, it would be remiss of me to consider Massachusetts General Hospital based on your reliance of such an obsolete method of study. As such, I respectfully ask that you please accept the superior method of study, the TraumaMan System, for your university and students, and make yours an institution of credibility and honor.
I know that your time is limited, and I want to thank you for your attention and consideration.
NAME|ADDRESS
Five alerts including hunting and fur, please take action.
Please click on and sign the following five message petitions, these should be open to anyone regardless of location, thank you:
1. STOP abusing hunting dogs in Portugal!
3. Patagonia: Stop live feather plucking now!
4. Tell Canada to Protect its Endangered Caribou
5. Help Put an End to Oxfam’s Cruel and Misguided Animal Donations!
Started by: LoVegan Ⓥ Loredana Versaci
Matilhas Lezirias do Ribatejo is a Portuguese Company that promotes and organizes hunts and hunting competitions in Portugal and Spain.
They are so proud of their work to have a fan page on Facebook. They also upload videos to attract hunters.
Hunting is a barbarian tradition, a shame that should be banned worldwide. We left our caverns centuries ago, we don’t need to kill anyone, especially for “fun”.
Moreover, the dogs are subjected to deplorable sanitary conditions and starvation in order to have better hunting performance. When they get injured end up being left to die or are killed by their owners.
It’s about time to STOP animal abuse, we can’t tolerate it anymore!
MESSAGE TEXT
We, the undersigned, ask you to take action to protect either the dogs and the animals hunted. We also ask you to investigate on the company activity, and punish every abuse.
It can’t be legal to hunt in a pigpen, as it can’t be lagal to starve dogs: this is a clear violation of any animal welfare declarations.
It is impossible to contemplate supporting any country, via tourism or commerce, that excuses such blatant animal cruelty; as a direct consequence, the global community, refusing to defend this maliciousness, will condemn any further exploitation through personal boycotts. Ours is not an ambiguous request; you should understand that further killing will prove not only socially unacceptable but also financially irresponsible. Rather than choose complicity in the savage treatment of animals, your community can avoid any potential global boycotts by observing compassion instead.
Thank you for your time, and your action.
2. BACKGROUND | From PETA
Despite knowing about the suffering that goes into every fur-trimmed coat, hat, and bag, Kohl’s has made the cruel decision to continue selling the skins of dead animals in its stores.
Animals on fur farms spend their entire lives confined to cramped, filthy wire cages, and fur farmers use the cheapest and cruelest killing methods available. Foxes, minks, coyotes, and rabbits—and even dogs and cats—are bludgeoned, genitally electrocuted, and often skinned alive for their fur.
One of the best ways that you can help animals who are beaten and tortured for their fur is to tell Kohl’s executives that you’ll boycott the clothing retailer until it stops selling fur. Many of Kohl’s competitors and other top retailers—including Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Gap Inc., Perry Ellis, Express, Cole Haan, bebe, Wet Seal, Forever 21, and Limited Brands—have stopped selling fur.
Speak out against the killing of animals for their skins. Write to Kohl’s executives now and urge them to dump fur for good.
MESSAGE TEXT
I was shocked to learn that Kohl’s is continuing to sell real fur in its stores. There is nothing fashionable or elegant about how animals are killed in the fur industry. Animals on fur farms spend their entire lives confined to cramped, filthy wire cages. Fur farmers use the cheapest and cruelest killing methods available, including suffocation, electrocution, gassing, and poisoning.
I am disappointed that Kohl’s is promoting cruelty to animals when fashionable cruelty-free materials are readily available. Whether it comes from minks, foxes, raccoons, chinchillas, beavers, rabbits, or lynx, fur looks best on its original owners. I refuse to buy anything from Kohl’s stores until the sale of all real fur has ended.
Related | Hare Coursing & Bloody Harvest: The Real Cost of Fur
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3. BACKGROUND | From Four Paws
Patagonia likes to present themselves as a responsible company that takes conservation and sustainability very seriously. Seemingly, this sense of responsibility appears to end when it comes to the protection of animals. A company document as well as research carried out by FOUR PAWS proves that Patagonia sells down from live feather plucking.
The feather-plucking causes severe injuries to the birds which will often mean the need for stitches. The animals are so stressed that they panic and crush themselves to death in the corners of the barns. After their feathers are plucked, many geese are left behind with broken wings, suffering in pain and dying.
Ask Patagonia and its retailers to immediately stop the selling of feather down products!
MESSAGE TEXT
Subject: Stop live feather plucking
Dear Sir/Madam,
The international animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS has informed me that your company sells products which contain down that have been plucked from living geese.
A statement by your company mentions the so called “moult plucking”. This is merely an ambiguous term for live feather-plucking. Undercover research which FOUR PAWS undertook in twelve Hungarian farms reveals the cruel reality behind “moult plucking”. Shocking footage of the cruel process was recorded. Research ascertains that there are business relations between these farms and the down suppliers of Patagonia.
“Slaughter plucking” is not an alternative, as this method of plucking cannot be regulated. In the past, FOUR PAWS has encountered cases where down from live plucking has been sold under the label “slaughter plucking”.
I am calling for you to respectfully remove all products containing feathers and down taken from live animals from your ranges. We ask that you introduce animal-friendly alternative products instead, for example those containing siliconised hollow fibres. These products function as well as down and do not endorse any animal suffering.
Yours sincerely,
[First name] [Family name]
4. BACKGROUND | From Animal Rescue Site
Canadian caribou are facing grave danger when it comes to the survival of their species. The woodland animals, who live in Canada’s southern regions, are fighting against logging and commercial development in their forest habitat. There are only about 60 caribou herds left.
Alberta, Canada, where many of these herds reside, has yet to prohibit logging operations in the area, and loggers continue to destroy the forests in the name of development and human advancement.
The woodland caribou need our help. Sign the petition urging the Committee on the Status of Endangered Species in Canada to encourage preservation action on behalf of the endangered Canadian caribou.
Imagine … If All Humans Were Vegan
Vegan Mother, Vegan Baby, Vegan Earth
By Arthur Poletti
*IMAGINE …
WHAT KIND OF INCREDIBLE WORLD IT COULD BE IF ALL HUMANS WERE VEGANS*
AND ALL FACTORY FARMS AND SLAUGHTERHOUSES CLOSED SOON AFTER THE COMPLETE COLLAPSE OF THE LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY.
Ending a multitude of the most destructive worldwide catastrophic atrocities in recorded history.
Setting the stage for the most beneficial improvements and monumental achievements imaginable, for humans, animals, the earth, and the earth’s atmosphere.
VEGANS have *MUCH STRONGER IMMUNE SYSTEMS* and can expect to live healthier and much more productive lives for at least 5 to 10 years longer than former FLESH EATERS.
Because of their strong immune systems, VEGANS rarely contract any of the illnesses or diseases listed below, many of which are directly related to eating chemically-preserved decaying flesh from the corpses of tortured and murdered animals.
Strokes, Heart Disease, Osteoporosis, Kidney Stones, Colon Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, Cervical Cancer, Stomach Cancer, Endometrial Cancer, Breast Cancer, Hypoglycemia, Diabetes, Kidney Disease, Peptic Ulcers, Constipation, Hemorrhoids, Hiatal Hernias, Diverticulosis, Obesity, Gallstones, Hypertension, Asthma, Salmonellosis, Trichinosis, Irritable Colon Syndrome, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (the human variant of Mad Cow Disease), Smithfield’s Swine Flu Virus (Influenza)
Agriculture, particularly animal flesh and dairy products, accounts for 70% of global freshwater consumption, 38% of the total land use, and 19% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Vegan Society via The Guardian UN Report
To produce a day’s food for an ANIMAL FLESH EATER requires 15,000 litres of water compared with 5,000 for a VEGETARIAN and 1,500 for a VEGAN.
The transformation of most of the millions of acres of fertile land currently used to grow plant based foods to feed billions of farmed animals would instead be used to feed hundreds of millions of humans, which would, in a few years, significantly reduce famine, starvation, world hunger, and global warming.
Lastly, IF ALL HUMANS WERE VEGANS the following quotation would NO LONGER BE TRUE!!!
The awful wrongs and sufferings forced upon the innocent, helpless, faithful animal race form the blackest chapter in the whole world’s history.
Edward Freeman
I WANT TO LIVE
I want to feel the warmth of my mother’s skin
and the sun on my face
I want to feel the grass under my feet
and see the twinkling stars at night
I want to feel the tickle of butterflies on my nose
and stand in awe of the birds mid air fluttering in prose
I want to learn all the wonders I was born to see
Are you so different from me?
I want to live …
KL Bemus
Related | Vegan Society’s Making the Connection
Vodpod videos no longer available.Related | A River of Waste: The Hazardous Truth About Factory Farms
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End the international primate trade
From NEAVES | Project R&R | BUAV
Please click on and take action on the following, details below:
- Send Sample Message to the (same) embassy: mauritius.embassy@verizon.net
- Call 202-244-1491, ext. 1492
BACKGROUND
NEAVS, in support of BUAV’s campaign, is working to end the international trade in nonhuman primates for research. The campaign has exposed the cruelty and suffering inflicted on thousands of wild primates who are torn from their families and jungle homes to be exported directly for research or imprisoned to produce monkeys for laboratories worldwide.
The BUAV investigation revealed that these monkeys sustain injuries, broken limbs and even deliberate cruelties. One “official” trapper routinely caught monkeys by grabbing their tails and swinging them and kept them in appalling conditions on his property.
The U.S. is the largest importer of primates. U.S. companies include Covance Research Products, Charles River Laboratories and Worldwide Primates.
The primates are transported as cargo on airlines. In just one day, Charles River received a shipment of 1,168 primates while Covance received 2,050 macaques in just two shipments. In 2009, Covance alone imported over 9,000 primates.
One of the many horrors of this trade is the forced separation of mothers and infants. Long-tailed macaques normally wean their babies gradually at around 14 months and continue intimate contact for years. If captured and destined for research though, forced separation is immediate and extremely distressing for both mother and baby. On breeding farms, infants assigned for research are often removed under one year, as early as 8 months.
Related | Gateway to Hell
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It is estimated that each year more than 100,000 primates are used in research worldwide—predominantly in the U.S., Japan and Europe. Small, barren, steel cages are standard housing, with no meaningful opportunities for enrichment or socialization. These unnatural conditions cause monkeys to develop abnormal and self-destructive behaviors from stress related trauma. In a typical lab, monkeys pace, rock, sway, bite the bars, and self-mutilate—having been driven to what, were they a human-primate, would be called “insane.”
In addition to their suffering from confinement, primates are used in toxicological (poisoning) research which lasts months, even years. They may be regularly dosed with chemicals or drugs through injection or forced tubal ingestion. They may be deliberately inflicted with brain damage or have electrodes implanted in their brains. Experiments can even include multiple surgeries just to prepare the primate for a study. For example: first to implant a head mount onto his/her skull, second to dissect his/her eye or ear to implant search coils, and third to destroy part of his/her ear canal, eye, brain, etc.
SAMPLE MESSAGE ONE | COURTESY OF BUAV
Dear Consul General,
I am shocked by the findings from the investigation by the BUAV into the trade in primates for research in Mauritius.
The trapping of wild monkeys is extremely cruel and causes great suffering. The conditions in which captive primates are kept fail to meet the many complex behavioral and psychological needs of these highly intelligent and social animals.
Your government may be unaware of the ultimate fate of these monkeys. I urge you to consider the pain and suffering that is inflicted on them in overseas research laboratories. For example, many will be used in toxicity tests which involves the forced ingestion, inhalation or injection of potentially lethal chemicals.
I appeal to you to ensure that immediate action is taken to put an end to this appalling cruelty and ban the capture and export of primates. I hope that you will be moved not only by the findings of the BUAV investigation, but also by the impact they will have upon Mauritius’s international reputation.
Thank you for your attention to this urgent issue.
NAME|ADDRESS|COUNTRY
SAMPLE MESSAGE TWO
Dear Consul General,
I am extremely disturbed to learn the cruelty inflicted on primates as captured, imprisoned, and exported by Mauritius for research, the efficacy of which is unproven, demonstrably cost-prohibitive, and lethal, not only on non-human animals, but also on human animals. These experiments subject these sentient animals to enormous suffering and pain, and I respectfully request that you immediately cease your participation in such an unethical practice.
Animals are sentient beings, capable of thought and emotion, including love and suffering. I appeal to you to acknowledge this important condition that both humans and non-humans share. We must teach our children respect for, and empathy towards, animals, for our children are undeserving of this cruel legacy whereby animals are exploited and suffered for human greed and egotistical motive. Please consider my request, immediately cease causing harm to these inquisitive and intelligent animals, and implement animal research and testing alternatives that have proven both superior and financially beneficial as compared to unreliable and archaic animal models.
NAME|ADDRESS|COUNTRY
Additional Anti-Vivisection Sample Letters HERE
Quarter Of A Million Cries Unheard – Never Again In Nepal
From Kinship Circle
Please click on and sign and send the following automated message:
Please make the Gadhimai animal-free in 2014
You have the option to send via internet, mail, or fax. If you prefer email, complete your details on the right, input Captcha, and hit “send message”; please comment if you would like additional direction, thank you.
WHEN BABIES WEEP: NEPAL’s FESTIVAL OF BLOOD
November 24-25, 2010, was the one-year anniversary of the world’s largest animal sacrifice. The magnitude of violence in the Gadhimai Festival is daunting.
Last year, some 250,000 water buffalo, pigs, goats … and other animals were slowly dismembered by a frenzied crowd wielding butcher knives and swords. Heads were severed and throats slit to commemorate the Hindu goddess of power, Gadhimai, who apparently requires a sea of blood before she’ll fulfill the wishes of her human disciples. The two-day sacrifice occurs in Nepal’s Gadhimai area, at the village of Bariyapur in the Bara District. In 2009 five million visitors were present.
This ancient ritual repeats itself every 5 years. In 2014 hundreds of thousands of live animals will be gored again. United voices worldwide want to shut down the Gadhimai. The time to protest is now. Again and again … until the 2014 festival is canceled or replaced with nonviolent symbolism.
WITNESSES | GADHIMAI FESTIVAL 2009
Manoj Gautam, Roots and Shoots Nepal:
Baby buffaloes were bleating for their mothers. Not a single animal survived the bloodbath.
Bibi Funyal, photographer (assigned to festival):
It took them a long time to sever heads. Buffaloes were mooing, a terrible sound. I stepped over thousands of bodies and heads, wading through animal blood. It was something I will never do again, even if they offer me an award.
Krishna Singh, Program Manager, Animal Nepal:
Before the killing a baby goat died from lack of food and water. Scared baby buffaloes wanted to be petted. They needed comfort.
Lesser graphic footage | If you wish to view the unedited, extremely graphic version, click HERE
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Norway becomes first country to ban fur for ‘Fashion Week’ event
Related, please click on and sign the following: Ban Fur Industry in Denmark
From This Dish Is Veg
By Robin Lawless
The city that hosts the Nobel Peace Prize every year is taking a step toward making it a more peaceful world for animals. There will be no fur on the catwalk at Oslo’s Fashion Week next February, making Norway the first country to enact such a ban for the event.
The ban was a response to a massive candlelight vigil protesting fur last November by The Norwegian animal rights group NOAH. The organization also collected signatures from more than 200 designers, models, photographers and other members of the Norwegian fashion industry who refuse to work with fur.
“It has been a very natural choice for us,” says Paul Vasbotten, general manager of the Oslo Fashion Week. “We are doing this in order to increase ethical values in fashion.”
One of Norway’s top designers, Fam Ivoll, who previously used fur in her designs, is also a supporter of the ban.
Last November Norwegians were shocked when graphic images of caged, sick and injured animals held in fur farms were broadcast on local TV. Several political parties demanded that the fur farms be shut down. The current government has warned the fur farms they must improve conditions for the animals or face sanctions. The farms have six months to comply.
- English: Oslo Fashion Week bans fur | Norwegian: Oslo Fashion Week forbyr pels
- Learn about the Animal Rights Group NOAH HERE
- NOAH’s Fur Campaign, Information, and Activist Resources HERE
Related | Footage from Forby Pels
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Our Compass 