-
-
related tags:
- animal cruelty
- Animal Rights
- SPCA
- Animal Welfare News & Animal Welfare Videos
- animal exploitation
- Animal Protection
- Animal Cruelty News & Animal Cruelty Videos
- Giraffes
- Animal Rescue
- bc
- veganism
- Circus Animals
- Animal Videos and News
- animal torture
- Factory farming
- Animal Rights = Veganism
- animal neglect
- Animal Rights - Not Welfare
- Animal Rights - Not Animal Welfare
- Animal Testing
- humane education
- animal sanctuaries
- Human Disgrace
- vivisection
- extreme animal cruelty
- Circuses
- Mercy for Animals
- Companion Animals
- Animal Rights Activism
- Elephants
- Animal Liberation
- Animal Shelters
- Animal Cruelty Investigations
- Battery Cages
- Ethics
- Animal Slavery
- animal companions
- farmed animals
- Dog Cruelty
- Dog Abuse
- Asian Elephants
- Farmed Animal Sanctuaries
- Dog Videos & Dog News
- Veganism = Animal Rights
- Compassion
- Zoo
- cruelty to animals
- Go Vegan!
- slaughterhouses
- Ban Hunting
tagged w/ Animal Abuse
-
Behind the Untold Scene: Animal Testing is an Awful and Horror Research
The testing of animals creates more horror stories that should be examined from the standpoint of humanization. It is not morally alright to experiment on animals especially since they have to undergo horrific suffering.The testing of animals creates more horror stories that should be examined from the... more-
- CHANLEEPENG
- added this
- 21 days ago
- |
- 0 comments
-
-
The Interview: Irish Setter Seamus Romney Tells The True Story Of His 1983 Car Top Ride To Canada
The real deal.-
- mfb1949
- added this
- 1 month ago
- |
- 0 comments
-
-
Ellen DeGeneres Asks for Help for Sanctuary's Rescued Animals
Ecorazzi...
.
DeGeneres Asks for Help for Sanctuary’s Rescued Animals
by Jennifer Mishler April 6, 2012
Photo: The Gentle Barn
.
Ellen DeGeneres has been a long-time supporter of The Gentle Barn. She and wife Portia have adopted two cows, Holy and Madonna, that were rescued by the organization.
The nonprofit organization rescues and rehabilitates animals saved from “severe abuse, neglect or slaughter,” while also working with at-risk children and children with disabilities. The Gentle Barn recently rescued over 20 animals from a “backyard butcher,” and Ellen is asking for help. She tweeted yesterday, “There are 20 new animals that could use our help. Donate here. http://say.ly/FDc1HNn.”
The Gentle Barn writes on their blog, “There are over 20 goats and sheep that were brought to us yesterday. They are sick, infested with parasites, malnourished, emaciated and terrified. They have such bad eye infections they are going blind! We are working hard to save them but cannot do it without your help, please support us, we need you now more than ever!” The first of the animals in the group to be rescued was a horse who is also in bad condition. “She is hundreds of pounds underweight and every bone protruding, covered with mud, she has hair falling off in clumps, sores on her face and body, a huge wound on her leg that is infected down to the bone, both eye[s] are infected, her knees are swollen and we are fighting hard to save her life.”
The “backyard butcher,” located in Santa Clarita Valley, has been arrested and according to NBC, the founders of The Gentle Barn Jay Weiner and Ellie Laks have been following the situation for four years. They and other staff call it “one of the worst cases of animal abuse and cruelty they’ve ever seen.” They had been buying animals from the butcher, picking ones that were in the worst conditions and bringing them to the sanctuary.
.Ecorazzi... . DeGeneres Asks for Help for Sanctuary’s Rescued Animals... more-
- EthicalVegan
- added this
- 1 month ago
- |
- 2 comments
-
-
Wolf Torture and Execution Continues in the Northern Rockies
Wolf advocates hope that these pictures will go viral, shaming a nation into facing the torture people inflict on animals and the moral and political failures that promote and legitimize it.Wolf advocates hope that these pictures will go viral, shaming a nation into facing... more-
- McSpocky
- added this
- 1 month ago
- |
- 27 comments
-
-
ABC's "20/20" Wins Genesis Award for Egg Farm Investigation
http://a.abcnews.com/images/Blotter/ht_genesis_tk_120326_wg.jpg
ABC...
.
ABC News Wins Genesis Award for Egg Farm Investigation
.
PHOTO: Ross investigative unit producer Cindy Galli (at microphone) accepts a Genesis Award March 24, 2012, for a "20/20" report on alleged cruelty at egg farms.
.
Investigation: Inside Egg 'Factory Farm'
.
WATCH the "20/20" report on alleged cruelty at egg farms - click on link
PHOTO: Ross investigative unit producer Cindy Galli (at microphone) accepts a Genesis Award March 24, 2012, for a "20/20" report on alleged cruelty at egg farms.
Courtesy HSUS
.
By RANDY KREIDER
March 26, 2012
.
Ross unit producer Cindy Galli accepted a Genesis Award Saturday night for an undercover expose of alleged animal abuse at the egg farms that once supplied half the nation's McDonald's restaurants -- an investigation that might now be impossible to replicate because of a batch of new state laws that "gag" undercover reporters.
"We can give these stories an audience on ABC News," said Galli, accepting the award from the Humane Society of the United States for a "20/20" report on Iowa-based Sparboe Farms. "That's easy compared to what groups like the Humane Society and Mercy for Animals do. They do the tough work of exposing inhumane treatment of animals every day."
The "20/20" report used hidden-camera footage gathered by a Mercy for Animals activist working undercover at Sparboe Farms facilities in several states, including Iowa. The footage, shot during the summer of 2011, appears to show unsanitary conditions and repeated acts of animal cruelty. After being shown the video, as well as learning of an FDA warning letter sent to Sparboe regarding unsanitary conditions, McDonald's and Target ended their relationship with Sparboe. Sparboe had supplied eggs to all McDonald's restaurants west of the Mississippi River.
Legislators in a number of agricultural states, however, have responded to animal abuse exposes by proposing new laws that would make it difficult for an undercover reporter to get a job at a farm. The bills do not ban hidden camera footage, but they do make it a crime for a job applicant to lie on an employment application when asked if he or she is a member of a specific group. The governor of Iowa -- where much of the Sparboe footage was shot -- signed the country's first so-called "ag gag" bill into law earlier this month. On Friday Utah became the second state to adopt an ag gag law. Indiana, Missouri, New York, Nebraska, Illinois and Tennessee are also considering legislation.
"If Mercy for Animals had tried to go undercover today," said Galli after the Genesis ceremony, "they most likely would not have been successful. We would not have been given the video, and McDonald's would not have been made aware and pulled their contract."
Mercy for Animals, which has shot undercover footage at chicken, turkey, pig and dairy farms around the country, has joined with 26 other groups, including the ASPCA and the Humane Society of the U.S., to oppose the ag gag laws. A statement from the coalition called the bills "a wholesale assault on many fundamental values" and a threat to health, safety and freedom of the press.
"This flawed and misdirected legislation," said Nathan Runkle, executive director of Mercy for Animals, "could set a dangerous precedent nationwide by throwing shut the doors to industrial factory farms and allowing animal abuse, environmental violations, and food contamination issues to flourish undetected, unchallenged, and unaddressed."
.
2012 Genesis Award Winners
The Genesis Awards have been bestowed annually for the past 26 years by the Humane Society of the United States. Other winners of 2012 Genesis Awards, presented at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on Saturday night, include "The Colbert Report," the film "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," "Hawaii Five-0," "NBC Nightly News" and "Today." Carrie Inaba, a judge on the ABC show "Dancing with the Stars," hosted the ceremony. The awards show will air on the Animal Planet network in May.
"We paid tribute to an amazing array of works that address animal protection concerns, but the real winners of The HSUS's 26th Genesis Awards are the animals themselves, who rely on these invaluable voices to speak for them," says Beverly Kaskey, senior director of The HSUS's Hollywood Outreach program and executive producer of the annual Genesis Awards.
.
Critic Calls 'Battery Cages' Cruel Watch Video
McDonald's Drops Large McMuffin Egg Supplier Watch Video - Click on above link to view videos
.http://a.abcnews.com/images/Blotter/ht_genesis_tk_120326_wg.jpg ABC... . ABC... more-
- EthicalVegan
- added this
- 2 months ago
- |
- 4 comments
-
-
Animals Found Clinging to Life After Being Used as Bait in Dogfighting Circuit | Video
KCBS News | Los Angeles...
.
Animals Found Clinging To Life After Being Used As Bait In Dog Fighting Circuit
February 28, 2012 11:51 PM
.
VAN NUYS, CALIFORNIA (CBS) —
There is a brutal trend in the illegal dog fighting circuit that sacrifices smaller animals as bait to excite the dogs before they go in the ring.
CBS2’s Mike Dinow reports on “bait animals” and how more of them are being abandoned, clinging to life, and are in need of a good home.
“The bait allows the fighting dog to taste blood and allows that dog to think it’s OK,” said Kyle Schwab, who’s been rescuing dogs for the past 20 years and bringing them to his facility, “Smash Face Rescue”, in Van Nuys.
Schwab said 1-year-old “Zeke”, who is a bait animal survivor, was recently found on the verge of death. Zeke had dozens of puncture wounds and lacerations throughout his body. His swelling was so severe it led to an infection that restricted his breathing.
“His wounds, they’re all defensive – he has no offensive wounds,” Schwab said.
Zeke is one of many animals found abandoned and badly injured after they’ve been used as bait.
Lori Brooks of Hand, Paws and Hearts Rescue said she opened her dog rescue facility in Lancaster because hundreds of bait and other animals are being abandoned in the desert every year.
“They just drive out open the door and drop them off,” Brooks said.
Experts at the Humane Society said mostly very docile dogs and cats are used as bait animals because they won’t put up a fight. Usually, the only animals to survive are other pitbulls because of their high tolerance for pain and their ability to withstand unbelievable damage.
“Sometimes, they’ll cut their face up to draw blood on their face,” said Sasha Abelson, an independent dog rescuer, of how handlers treat the bait animals.
“People will steal family pets, cats, puppies and throw them into the rings to excite the fighting dogs,” according to Abelson.
Dog experts said fighting rings are in concentrated areas throughout Los Angeles, mainly in Pacoima, Panorama City, Sylmar and Van Nuys.
Schwab said as long as the people involved in these fighting rings continue to make huge profits they will continue to conduct dog fights and use defenseless bait animals to train them.
Authorities said you can qualify for a $5,000 reward by anonymously reporting a dog fighting ring by calling (877) NO2-FITE (662-3483).
Many of these bait animals are rescued and need good homes.
To find out how you can adopt Zeke or another rescue dog e-mail smashfacerescue911@yahoo.com or handpawshearts.rescuegroups.org.
.
If you’d like to help donate towards Zeke’s surgeries go to http://leonardossurgery.chipin.com/zeke-white-bait-dog.
.
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=6793276
.
.KCBS News | Los Angeles... . Animals Found Clinging To Life After Being Used As... more-
- EthicalVegan
- added this
- 2 months ago
- |
- 13 comments
-
-
No More Elephant Rides at Orange County Fair - Finally!
KNBC News | Los Angeles...
.
No More Elephant Rides at OC Fair.
The rides were part of the fair for 25 years, and were stopped with a 6 to 1 vote.
.
By Samantha Tata
| Thursday, Mar 22, 2012 | Updated 6:25 PM PDT
Elephant Rides Nixed from OC Fair
.
Endangered Asian elephants were at the heart of the board's decision to nix elephant rides at the OC Fairgrounds.
Something big will be missing from the OC Fair this summer. Elephant rides, which have been part of the fair for 25 years, have been nixed.
The fair board voted 6 to 1 to get rid of the rides, which have drawn the ire of veterinarians, animal rights groups and elephant experts.
The private company Have Trunk Will Travel lost their contract with the fair after being notified 10 days ago that they were on the chopping block.
"It didn't make a bit of sense to me," said Kari Johnson.
Johnson said liability concerns were blamed for why she and her husband's company were let go from the fair after more than two decades.
"I think a lot of people are going to be surprised when they learn about this," said Johnson, who discovered from a blog that liability would play an role in Thursday's hearing.
She doubted the legitimacy of those fears, namely because her team of 6 elephants had never posed any problems on the road and the company has more insurance than the fair requires.
Still, animal rights concerns seemed to seep into the decision to stop the rides.
A television special chronicling elephant behavior inspired OC Fair board director Nick Berardino to examine how his own company was handling the endangered species, he said.
"I remember last year, right after I was appointed to the fair board, the fair had elephant rides and there were protesters there," he said. "So, I began to look into it."
That's when he suggested the board discontinue the rides, which cost about $7 per person and lasted for several minutes in a 50 by 100 foot grass enclosure.
Johnson's company would typically supply the fair with two to three elephants, and stay there for the five days a week that it operated before heading back to their Perris ranch.
"It was a month-long gig, and quite a chunk of income for us," Johnson said, adding that the company is privately funded and does not receive donations or grants.
The large audience, which spilled into the lobby, at Thursday’s board meeting was split on the issue.
Citing new research into how elephants react in captivity, advocates against elephant rides said using fear and "extreme human dominance" with such a large animal is unnatural and insensitive.
While others, including commercial animal trainers and singlular "nay" voter David Ellis, defended the rides by citing an incident-free history at OC Fair, coupled with a educational and sentimental value was proof enough to keep the attraction.
"We love animals elephants, and that's what we do," Johnson said, adding that Have Trunk Will Travel operates their own breeding program and is heavily involved in elephant conservation and research.
Supporters' "prime motivating factor is: we've had them for 25 years and we've never had an incident," Berardino said. "Now, given our action, we guarantee we will never have an incident."
More than 60 community members were each allotted two minutes to make their case in front of a packed board room.
Johnson also two minutes and was not asked questions by the board. She met with Berardino prior to the meeting, but suspects the rest of the board made up their minds beforehand.
"I don't think we could've done anything to please them," she said. Her husband, the company's co-founder and co-owner, was unable to make the meeting due to short notice.
Notable voices weighed in on the contested rides, including that of "The Price is Right Host"-turned-PETA supporter Bob Barker, who sent a letter to the board opposing the use of endangered Asian elephants for entertainment.
"Offering [elephants] for rides send the wrong message about how we treat our planet's rare and vanishing species," Barker wrote.
Have Trunks Will Travel is no stranger to the backlash that comes with keeping elephants in captivity. They had a similar issue at the San Diego County Fair.
That fair decided to keep the rides and revisit their liability worries in 2014, when new guidelines set by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) will go into affect barring trainers and elephants from sharing space.
Bererdino cited those restrictions as part of his decision, but Johnson said she's not sure why the blanket rule would apply to them.
AZA "continuously recertifies us, even though we offer rides, which is in conflict with their rules against elephant rides at zoos," she said. "We're not a zoo. ... We have a higher degree of training than most zoos can provide.
"I didn't quite get it."
Thursday's decision makes the fair the second Orange County entity in three months to end elephant rides.
The Santa Ana Zoo put an end to them last December following allegations of elephant abuse, which were not confirmed by a city investigation.
.KNBC News | Los Angeles... . No More Elephant Rides at OC Fair. The rides... more-
- EthicalVegan
- added this
- 2 months ago
- |
- 3 comments
-
-
Bernard Archer Allegedly Caught On Camera Raping Neighbor's Dogs
what has this world come too? :[-
- cclark_productions
- added this
- 3 months ago
- |
- 1 comment
-
-
Animals Found Clinging to Life After Being Used as Bait in Dogfighting Circuit
KCBS-TV...
.
Animals Found Clinging To Life After Being Used As Bait In Dog Fighting Circuit
February 28, 2012 11:51 PM
.
.
VAN NUYS, CALIFORNIA (CBS) —
There is a brutal trend in the illegal dog fighting circuit that sacrifices smaller animals as bait to excite the dogs before they go in the ring.
CBS2’s Mike Dinow reports on “bait animals” and how more of them are being abandoned, clinging to life, and are in need of a good home.
“The bait allows the fighting dog to taste blood and allows that dog to think it’s OK,” said Kyle Schwab, who’s been rescuing dogs for the past 20 years and bringing them to his facility, “Smash Face Rescue”, in Van Nuys.
Schwab said 1-year-old “Zeke”, who is a bait animal survivor, was recently found on the verge of death. Zeke had dozens of puncture wounds and lacerations throughout his body. His swelling was so severe it led to an infection that restricted his breathing.
“His wounds, they’re all defensive – he has no offensive wounds,” Schwab said.
Zeke is one of many animals found abandoned and badly injured after they’ve been used as bait.
Lori Brooks of Hand, Paws and Hearts Rescue said she opened her dog rescue facility in Lancaster because hundreds of bait and other animals are being abandoned in the desert every year.
“They just drive out open the door and drop them off,” Brooks said.
Experts at the Humane Society said mostly very docile dogs and cats are used as bait animals because they won’t put up a fight. Usually, the only animals to survive are other pitbulls because of their high tolerance for pain and their ability to withstand unbelievable damage.
“Sometimes, they’ll cut their face up to draw blood on their face,” said Sasha Abelson, an independent dog rescuer, of how handlers treat the bait animals.
“People will steal family pets, cats, puppies and throw them into the rings to excite the fighting dogs,” according to Abelson.
Dog experts said fighting rings are in concentrated areas throughout Los Angeles, mainly in Pacoima, Panorama City, Sylmar and Van Nuys.
Schwab said as long as the people involved in these fighting rings continue to make huge profits they will continue to conduct dog fights and use defenseless bait animals to train them.
Authorities said you can qualify for a $5,000 reward by anonymously reporting a dog fighting ring by calling (877) NO2-FITE (662-3483).
Many of these bait animals are rescued and need good homes. To find out how you can adopt Zeke or another rescue dog e-mail smashfacerescue911@yahoo.com or handpawshearts.rescuegroups.org.
If you’d like to help donate towards Zeke’s surgeries go to http://leonardossurgery.chipin.com/zeke-white-bait-dog.
.
.
Click on link to watch video
.
.KCBS-TV... . Animals Found Clinging To Life After Being Used As Bait In Dog... more-
- EthicalVegan
- added this
- 3 months ago
- |
- 3 comments
-
-
Nearly 300 (THREE HUNDRED!) Elephants Slain Since Mid-January in Massive Massacre for Ivory, Government Minister Confirms
CNN...
.
Nearly 300 elephants slain in Cameroon for ivory, government minister confirms
From Tapang Ivo Tanku, for CNN
.
updated 7:21 PM EST, Mon February 20, 2012
.
The government in Cameroon has launched a crackdown on poachers who have been killing elephants for their tusks.
.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Poachers are killing the elephants for their tusks
The ivory is smuggled to markets in Asia and Europe, an animal welfare official says
Money from ivory sales buys arms for use in regional conflicts, the official says
.
(CNN) -- Poachers in search of ivory in northern Cameroon have slaughtered nearly 300 elephants for their tusks since mid-January, according to the country's minister of forestry and wildlife.
Minister Ngole Philip Ngwese backed up a claim by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) that an armed gang of Sudanese poachers had killed the free-roaming elephants in the Bouba Ndjida National Park, on Cameroon's border with Chad.
Park officials say many orphaned elephant calves have been spotted, and concerns are high the babies may soon die of hunger and thirst.
One park official, Bouba Jadi, told CNN the deaths are worsening the situation for Cameroon's already threatened elephant populations. According to official estimates, there are between 1,000 and 5,000 elephants in Cameroon.
Officials on a tour Monday saw at least 100 elephant carcasses. More carcasses are expected to be found in unexplored regions of the national park. A massive crackdown on poachers has been launched, according to officials in the west Central African nation.
"It was common for armed gangs of poachers to cross from Sudan during the dry season to kill elephants for their ivory. But this latest massacre is massive and has no comparison to those of the preceding years," IFAW official Celine Sissler Bienvenu told a local newspaper, The Voice.
She added that the ivory is smuggled out of West and Central Africa for markets in Asia and Europe, and money from ivory sales funds arms purchases for use in regional conflicts, particularly ongoing unrest in Sudan and in the Central African Republic.
Cameroon shares a porous border with Chad. Armed insurgents from Sudan and the Central African Republic seeking elephants frequently travel through Chad.
Observers in Cameroon have been blaming the raids on poorly trained and ill-equipped park guards, who are pitted against professional gangs of poachers.
.CNN... . Nearly 300 elephants slain in Cameroon for ivory, government minister... more-
- EthicalVegan
- added this
- 3 months ago
- |
- 12 comments
-
-
Animal Slaughter On Urban Farms a Growing Concern Among Local Activists
Daily Animal News...
.
Animal Slaughter On Urban Farms A Growing Concern Among Local Activists
Urban Farms Animal Slaughter
First Posted: 02/15/2012 6:30 pm Updated: 02/15/2012 6:41 pm
.
This article comes to us courtesy of SF Weekly's SFoodie.
By Jonathan Kauffman
.
If you go to farmers' markets in the East Bay, you may have seen them: A group of activists from Neighbors Opposed to Backyard Slaughter handing out flyers raising concerns about Oakland's new Urban Agriculture Policy. "The last thing I want my daughter to see or hear are the sounds of an animal being killed next door by a DIY slaughter hobbyist," says a cartoon of a ponytailed man.
NO Slaughter's latest action, according to its website, was to appear at the El Cerrito City Council earlier this week, protesting the fact that the city's Animals Ordinance didn't include any provision regarding animal slaughter. "By not addressing slaughter specifically, El Cerrito left the interests of animals to the whims of the farmer, which as we know from observing industrial agriculture is never a good idea," spokesperson Ian Elwood wrote in an email to SFoodie. "We have seen too many instances of cruelty by urban homesteaders to recount, and there is no reason to believe that without regulation, anyone will do anything differently than what is being done already."
San Francisco, like Oakland and El Cerrito, doesn't have strict controls around what residents do with any animals they raise for food. Article 1, section 37, of San Francisco's Health Code states that people can keep up to four small animals such as rabbits, chicken, and ducks on their property. According to SF Health Department spokesperson Colleen Chawla, there are regulations around the slaughter of animals for retail sale, but "there's nothing in the health code that addresses the slaughter of these animals for personal use," she says, adding, "At the Health Department, we primarily get complaints if the animals are too noisy."
Are backyard butchers that much of a problem in the Bay Area? Last week, Mother Jones editor Kiera Butler, who has written about raising and killing her Thanksgiving turkey, wrote a rebuttal to NO Slaughter's flyer, addressing it point by point. For instance, the animal-rights group claimed that local animal shelters would be overwhelmed by backyard chickens and goats that urban farmers had tired of (but couldn't slaughter?), and Butler quotes an Oakland Animal Shelter rep who says there has been an uptick in chickens that the shelter has taken in -- due to a cockfighting ring that police had busted.
When asked about the problem of urban farmers besieging their neighbors with the death screams of dying bunnies, Novella Carpenter, author of the new Essential Urban Farmer, told SFoodie, "If you think you'll be sitting in your kitchen, drinking your coffee, when you hear the blood-curdling call of a chicken being slaughtered, you have never even seen an animal being slaughtered."
"There is no noise," she continued, "and [NO Slaughter] makes it sound like there's blood splattered everywhere and maniacal laughter. You wouldn't even know if it was happening next door. It's not a slaughterhouse, and that's the whole point. One animal has been loved by by the farmer, who kills it humanely and quickly. Why aren't they protesting at Tyson instead?"
.Daily Animal News... . Animal Slaughter On Urban Farms A Growing Concern Among... more-
- EthicalVegan
- added this
- 3 months ago
- |
- 1 comment
-
-
Email From MFA: Butterball Employees Arrested for Cruelty to Animals
Dear MFA Supporter,
Animal abusers beware! MFA’s latest undercover investigation into a Butterball turkey factory farm has led to landmark felony and misdemeanor animal cruelty charges against five Butterball employees by state authorities.
Additionally, Dr. Sarah Jean Mason, the director of Animal Health Programs with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, has pled guilty to obstruction of justice charges after admitting to leaking confidential information to Butterball and potentially compromising the criminal cruelty investigation by state law enforcement officials.
MFA’s undercover investigation shows that Butterball allowed a culture of cruelty and abuse to fester at its company-owned factory farms – graphically illustrating that the secret ingredient in Butterball turkey is criminal animal abuse.
Hidden-camera footage taken during MFA’s undercover investigation at Butterball reveals:
Workers violently kicking and stomping on birds, dragging them by their fragile wings and necks, and maliciously throwing turkeys onto the ground or into transport trucks in full view of company management;
Employees bashing in the heads of live birds with metal bars, leaving many to slowly suffer and die from their injuries;
Turkeys covered in flies, living in their own waste, unable to access food or water and suffering from severe feather loss and necrotic (dead) muscles and skin;
Birds suffering from serious untreated illnesses and injuries, including open sores, infections, rotting eyes, and broken bones; and
Severely injured turkeys, unable to stand up or walk, left to die without any veterinary care, because treating sick or injured birds was too costly and time consuming, as the farm manager explained to MFA's investigator.
While MFA works to expose and end animal abuse at Butterball and other giants of the meat, dairy and egg industries, you can help by contacting Butterball.
Click here (http://www.butterballabuse.com/) to sign MFA’s petition urging Butterball to implement meaningful animal welfare policies to prevent some of the worst abuses at its factory farms.
After sending an email asking Butterball to make these important changes, consider making a few changes of your own. Every time we sit down to eat, we can choose compassion over cruelty. Adopting a diet free of meat, dairy and eggs is perhaps the single most important and powerful action you can take to prevent needless cruelty to animals.
Sincerely,
Nathan Runkle
Executive Director
This email was sent to by info@mercyforanimals.org |
Mercy For Animals | 8033 Sunset Blvd, Ste 864 | Los Angeles | CA | 90046Dear MFA Supporter, Animal abusers beware! MFA’s latest undercover... more-
- EthicalVegan
- added this
- 3 months ago
- |
- 8 comments
-
-
Can An Animal Be a Slave?
The Conversation...
.
15 February 2012, 6.15am AEST
Can an animal be a slave?
Is the confinement of animals for human purposes akin to slavery? Are some animals slaves? Slavery is an evocative concept. Treating someone as a slave is one of the worst things you can do to them. Using the term “slavery” brings with it considerable rhetorical force. It’s attention grabbing. It’s…
Author
John Hadley
Research Lecturer at University of Western Sydney
.
Is the confinement of animals for human purposes akin to slavery? Are some animals slaves?
Slavery is an evocative concept. Treating someone as a slave is one of the worst things you can do to them. Using the term “slavery” brings with it considerable rhetorical force. It’s attention grabbing. It’s an expression that is likely to resonate with people, irrespective of whether they agree with the underlying political point being made.
Given its emotive force, it’s not surprising that a publicity-savvy group like PETA would try to draw attention to the plight of animals in captivity by drawing parallels with human slavery. They last week went to court, accusing Sea World of enslaving orcas used in one of its shows. The judge dismissed the case, ruling that PETA’s invoking of the term “slavery” was at odds with its “historical and contemporaneous” usage.
One could side with the judge in the Sea World case and say that PETA was being a little sneaky in trying to make a political point by trading on an ambiguity around the meaning of the term “slave”. In this view, when someone compares captive animals to slaves, they are misapplying the term slave: this is a term that ought to be reserved for persons only. But what do they mean by “person”?
A person is an individual, most likely a human being, who possesses a sophisticated psychology above a threshold level of complexity marked by specific capacities, such as an ability to reflect upon one’s thinking and life choices, to make judgments on the basis of evidence, to understand concepts such as right and wrong, life and death, and so on.
A person can be held morally responsible for their actions. The basic idea is that persons are authors of their own lives in a way that non-persons, like animals, are not.
For proponents of this view, slavery is an evil because it amounts to taking over the authorship of a life, and animals cannot be slaves because they lack the necessary psychological capacities to self-consciously direct their lives.
But, setting aside disputes about the scope of personhood capacities in the natural world, should the meaning of slavery be restricted to persons only? Is there anything wrong with applying the term slavery to animals in order register one’s opposition to how they are being treated or to draw attention to their plight?
I used to live in a country town not far from Sydney. On most evenings my wife and I would enjoy a stroll around the neighbourhood, breathing the fresh country air and enjoying the beautiful surrounds. On occasion we would pass the house of a Jack Russell breeder who kept bitches in small wire enclosures in his garage. We know this because very occasionally the door to the garage would be open.
Now it makes sense to me to say, in response to what I saw, that “the dogs are being kept as slaves”. It also makes sense to me to say that keeping animals in this way, ostensibly for their reproductive use, is akin to slavery or a form of slavery.
Similarly, not far from where I live now, a cockatoo is kept in a cage not much bigger than its body. We often hear this cockatoo screeching as we walk past. I personally find the sight of birds in cages distressing. My view is that there is something ignoble in the desire to look upon a caged creature that is built for flying through the sky as if it were a living figurine. I think the world would be a better place if people could express their fascination or love for animals without confining them.
Now, in light of my disapproval of caged birds, I think it makes sense for me say to that the cockatoo should be “set free”. People know perfectly well what I mean when I say this.
But, again, some might take issue with my use of the term “set free”. They may point out that when someone says a bird should be “set free” this is very different to saying that a slave should be “set free”. When a bird is set free it’s no longer subject to physical or bodily constraint; whereas for a slave, “set free” means no longer having your life directed by another’s lights.
I recall seeing a harrowing news feature about a female orangutan kept for sex by villagers in Indonesia. An NGO had made many attempts to rescue the creature, but had been shot at by the villagers who considered the ape their property. Again, isn’t this a case when it seems appropriate to say that the animal is being treated as a slave, in this case a sex slave?
If I was to talk about confining animals with my friends or colleagues, and in the process use terms like “slavery” or “freedom”, I’m guessing that the conversation would be perfectly intelligible, possibly even thought-provoking. It is very unlikely to come to an abrupt end because of some kind of conceptual confusion. What better evidence for correct application of a term can you have then successful communication between people?
Some might say that what’s wrong about using the terms “animal” and “slavery” in the same sentence is that it downplays the seriousness of slavery. But not all that is wrong about slavery needs to apply to the keeping of animals in order for us to think that the term can be meaningfully applied across the species barrier.
After all, slaves are the legal property of their owners; animals are legal property. Slaves are subject to the absolute authority of their owners; so are animals. Slave owners command obedience; obedience is a concept readily applied by owners to their animals. Slaves are kept in bondage; many orcas, Jack Russells, cockatoos and oranutans are confined 24/7.
Perhaps then we should view PETA’s strategy not so much as sneaky but as signalling how our views about the evil of slavery may no longer be so “person-centric”, and how we can discuss hitherto unquestioned instances of keeping animals in a new and engaging way.
.The Conversation... . 15 February 2012, 6.15am AEST Can an animal be a slave?... more-
- EthicalVegan
- added this
- 3 months ago
- |
- 0 comments
-
-
Animal Cruelty Law Takes Next Step
The Jambar...
Youngstown, Ohio...
.
Animal cruelty laws take next step
By Chelsea Telega
Published: Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Updated: Wednesday, February 15, 2012 21:02
.
An animal rights gathering scheduled for this Saturday will be not only a demonstration but also a celebration.
On Wednesday, House Bill 108 for Nitro's Law passed through the Ohio House of Representatives, increasing the animal cruelty penalties in Ohio from a misdemeanor to a felony.
The bill will now make its way to the Senate.
The recent House Bill vote encouraged Youngstown State University student Nova Sanguinetti to organize a demonstration for people to raise awareness for future votes and to celebrate their advancement.
On Saturday, local animal supporters plan to gather at the corner of Market Street and state Route 224.
"There are going to be a lot of tears of joy, a lot of happy people. Now we're just letting people know that we were heard," Sanguinetti said. "Your message and your voice will be heard; it just comes down to being diligent."
A page created on Facebook for the event has already had 715 positive responses from people who want to attend. Sanguinetti said she hopes to organize a group that will travel and fight for the cause.
Sanguinetti said the people she talks to are worried about their pets, and that, for many, pets are not considered animals, but as a part of the family. She wants to organize more community watches to increase progress.
"People are either heartbroken, pissed off or both. They want to be heard and want to be recognized. Our representatives have to hear us," Sanguinetti said.
Within the past month in Youngstown, two German Shepherd puppies were found strangled, two dogs were stolen and thrown over a bridge onto Interstate 680, a pit bull mix was found dead in a trash heap and a Labrador Retriever mix was found with its leg and part of its tail cut off.
To many concerned residents, Ohio's punishment laws for the first offense of animal abuse were less than sufficient.
"I looked into the Nitro laws, and I saw that the penalties for animal abuse are less than if someone had one joint on them," said animal activist Katelyn Bowden. "It's little to no penalty. Maybe 30 days in prison."
Current animal cruelty penalties in Ohio range from a minor misdemeanor to a first-degree misdemeanor, while the most costly penalty enforced if the animal is killed or injured is worth $300 or more, according to Ohio Revised Code.
The decision to pass the bill on to the Senate, however, acts as a double-edged sword for some.
"I just kind of calmed down. It's been a rough day, but of course it's very hard. My dog suffered and died, so while I'm happy, it's bittersweet," said Elizabeth Raad, the founder of Nitro Foundation
In 2009, Nitro's Law was introduced after Raad encountered a devastating issue at High Caliber K9, a dog daycare and obedience school in Youngstown. Raad left her dog, Nitro, at the facility while tending to a family crisis.
Raad said she would call the facility a few times a week to check on her dog, and during one phone call, she was told that Nitro was excelling and that she and her husband could even extend the dog's stay.
"We were told to leave him for another week or two and that he was doing great," Raad said. "When he told us that, Nitro was already dead. This is definitely not an accident; you don't starve to death overnight."
Seven dogs were found dead and 12 were found starving in the facility after a police investigation.
Steve Croley, the owner of the facility, was sentenced to four months in jail on four counts of animal cruelty and neglect.
Raad said that while the votes were coming in, she was "hysterically crying" because she was proud that her efforts came to fruition as the bill passed through the Ohio House.
"A lot of people have really stepped up to the plate, went door to door, passing out fliers. This is 100 percent a grass-root effort," Raad said.
Younger people are becoming increasingly passionate about combating the abuse of animals in the area and are elated with the news of Nitro Foundation's progress.
Sanguinetti watched live coverage of the decision and recalled all of the work the group has done up to this point.
"It's kind of ridiculous, but as I was watching it, I just began crying. I couldn't believe that it was finally there and on the floor," she said. "When I saw how many people voted ‘yea' for it, it warmed my heart. I just felt a great sense of accomplishment that all of these calls we made and letters we have written aren't in vain."
Years ago, Sanguinetti found a stray cat in the woods behind her grandparents' house. Not long after, she took in the stray and found that its neck had been slit with fishing wire, as though someone had tried to hang it.
Another one of her past pet cats, she said, was poisoned.
After experiencing these — and multiple other — cases of animal abuse, Sanguinetti became a fervent supporter of Nitro's Law and its components.
"When I had heard about what had happened to Nitro, it completely broke my heart, especially because it was someone who was supposed to be trusted," Sanguinetti said. "When you leave your animal with a professional, you expect them to be safe."
.
http://www.thejambar.com/polopoly_fs/1.2701456!/image/1809330219.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_260/1809330219.jpg
.The Jambar... Youngstown, Ohio... . Animal cruelty laws take next step By... more-
- EthicalVegan
- added this
- 3 months ago
- |
- 6 comments
-
-
Harling Farm Exposed | Inside the British Pork Industry | Graphic Underground Video
YouTube...
.
Harling Farm exposed | Inside the British Pork Industry
.
Animal Equality has carried out an intensive two-month undercover investigation into Harling Farm, belonging to A. J. Edwards & Son. Harling Farm is typical of a farm in Britain.
Over 200 hours of footage and recorded conversations, and 335 photos provide a shocking insight into the British pig industry and demonstrate that regardless of whether a farm is labelled as 'Quality Assured' there exists pain, suffering and exploitation on a huge scale.
.YouTube... . Harling Farm exposed | Inside the British Pork Industry .... more-
- EthicalVegan
- added this
- 3 months ago
- |
- 0 comments
-
-
Mother Orang-utan Protects Her Baby From Gang of Bounty Hunters
NineMSN At A Glance...
.
Orang-utan protects baby from gang
AEST 11:40, Sat Jan 28 2012
3 images in this story
THIS PHOTO:
The petrified orang-utan hugs her daughter.
(All photos Four Paws/RHOI)
.
A pregnant orang-utan protectively hugs her baby as a gang of bounty hunters surround the pair, hoping to cash in on a palm plantation's reward to get rid of the animals.
Luckily for the orang-utans, an international animal rescue group arrived in time to stop the slaughter in Borneo.
The mother and daughter were captured by members of the Four Paws group and taken to a remote and safe area of the rainforest, away from people trying to kill them for cash.
"Our arrival could not have been more timely," said Dr Signe Preuschoft, a Four Paws primate expert.
.NineMSN At A Glance... . Orang-utan protects baby from gang AEST 11:40, Sat Jan... more-
- EthicalVegan
- added this
- 4 months ago
- |
- 11 comments
-
-
Dogs Saved From Slaughter
VegNews...
.
Dogs Saved from Slaughter
A Chinese blogger's call to action has saved the lives of more than 1,100 dogs that were destined for dinner plates.
By Hilary Pollack
.
A vigilante blogger in China saved the lives of thousands of dogs by posting an online plea to have them saved, according to China Daily.
After spotting more than 1,100 dogs tightly packed into stacked crates on a flatbed truck, a blogger with the Chongqing Small Animal Protection Association posted a call to action online to intercept the animals and save them from their fate at a butchery.
Other similar stories have taken place in China this past year, as in April 2011, a truck was blockaded by activists who negotiated the release of hundreds of dogs, and last September, residents of Qianxi protested and successfully cancelled an ancient dog-slaughtering ritual for the first time in 600 years.
.VegNews... . Dogs Saved from Slaughter A Chinese blogger's call to... more-
- EthicalVegan
- added this
- 4 months ago
- |
- 0 comments
-
-
Tejon Ranch Halts Hunting After State Probe of Illegal Cougar Killings
Los Angeles Times...
.
Tejon Ranch halts hunting after state probe of cougar killings
Suspension is likely to be lifted by the fall hunting season, after ranch officials investigate operations. Kern County prosecutors are weighing charges in illegal hunting of the mountain lions.
PHOTO:
A tule elk on Tejon Ranch is shown. Hunting has been suspended on the property after California officials found mountain lions had been killed illegally.
(Los Angeles Times)
.
By Louis Sahagun, Los Angeles Times
January 21, 2012
.
Tejon Ranch announced Friday that it plans to suspend its lucrative hunting operations after a California Department of Fish and Game investigation into the illegal killing of mountain lions on the 270,000-acre property.
The yearlong investigation was prompted by claims in a whistle-blower lawsuit filed by a former Tejon Ranch hunting guide who alleges that he was fired after he complained about the illegal killing of mountain lions at the direction of the company.
Bron Sanders made the claims in a lawsuit filed May 3 in Kern County Superior Court. In an earlier interview, Sanders said he personally witnessed 20 mountain lions that were killed without authorization.
Sanders said the killings were motivated by angry sentiments among ranch managers toward a 1990 law that made hunting mountain lions illegal in California. He said managers also blamed mountain lions for eating game prized by trophy hunters who pay up to $20,000 to shoot elk on the ranch, about 60 miles north of Los Angeles.
Tejon Ranch officials said the lawsuit was recently settled.
State wildlife authorities completed their investigation late last year and forwarded the findings to the Kern County district attorney's office, which is weighing possible charges. Kern County prosecutors declined to comment on the case.
Tejon Ranch officials initially denied the allegations, claiming they were "ridiculous and untrue."
But in a statement Friday, Robert A. Stine, president and chief executive officer of Tejon Ranch Co., said the investigation determined that mountain lions were killed without authorization "in clear violation of company policy and the state statute regulating the take of mountain lions in California."
"I was appalled and outraged when I learned the results of the investigation," Stine said. "Tejon Ranch did not then, and certainly does not now condone such activity, and we sincerely regret that such activity took place on our ranch. Accordingly, we are taking every step necessary to ensure it won't happen again."
Tejon Ranch officials said the suspension will begin Jan. 30 with the cooperation of state and federal wildlife authorities and remain in force until the company completes an evaluation of its hunting operations, which generate up to $2 million a year in revenue for the company.
Tejon Ranch spokesman Barry Zoeller said: "We expect to resume hunting operations in time for the fall hunting season, but with more restrictions and fewer hunters."
State law permits the killing of a mountain lion only if it poses a threat to humans or livestock. The hunter must obtain a state-issued permit and must present the carcass within 24 hours of the kill.
Any violation of the permit requirements is a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for up to one year or a fine of up to $10,000, or both.
Sanders said his problems started in July 2005 after he killed his first mountain lion. The ranch had a permit for the kill, but Sanders said that Don Geivet, vice president of Tejon Ranch operations, told him: "Don't call anyone about this, and do not turn that carcass in."
Sanders said: "We got two to three mountain lions with that one permit."
.Los Angeles Times... . Tejon Ranch halts hunting after state probe of cougar... more-
- EthicalVegan
- added this
- 4 months ago
- |
- 0 comments
-
-
Jabba, Los Angeles Zoo's Only Hippo, Has Been Euthanized
Los Angeles Times...
.
L.A. Zoo's only hippo euthanized after weeks-long illness
January 20, 2012 | 6:56 pm
.
Jabba the L.A. Zoo's hippo had to be euthanized
.
The sole hippopotamus at the Los Angeles Zoo was euthanized Friday after being ill with an unknown ailment for a month and not responding to treatment, zoo officials said.
Zookeepers noticed in December that the 28-year-old hippopotamus, Jabba, had a decreased appetite, abnormal bloating and was not responding to medication, zoo spokesman Jason Jacobs told City News Service. The hippo was under close veterinary care, but his condition rapidly worsened in the last few days.
The zoo's staff made the "difficult decision" to euthanize Jabba, according to a statement released by the zoo.
Jabba had been at the zoo since 2009. Before that, he lived at the San Diego Zoo for several years, where he sired several calves.
His body will be taken to the California Animal Health & Food Safety Laboratory System at UC Davis for a necropsy.
.Los Angeles Times... . L.A. Zoo's only hippo euthanized after... more-
- EthicalVegan
- added this
- 4 months ago
- |
- 3 comments
-
-
Tucson Zoo Problem Involves Two Beautiful Elephants and Bob Barker
Los Angeles Times...
.
Tucson zoo fight involves elephants, Bob Barker
January 18, 2012 | 3:52 pm
PHOTO:
Elephant herd at San Diego Zoo's Safari Park
.
Connie is an Asian elephant, Shaba an African one. Nonetheless, they formed a bond, paling around together for three decades at Tucson’s Reid Park Zoo.
So when zoo officials announced plans last year to move Connie to the San Diego Zoo –- without her buddy Shaba -– animal activists were enraged.
The Tucson zoo was planning to bring in a herd of African elephants from San Diego, the Arizona Daily Star reported. Because zoo accreditation standards demand that new herds not mix African and Asian elephants, "due to multiple species differences and possible disease transmission issues," Connie would join other Asian elephants in San Diego.
But local activists Tracy Toland and Jessica Shuman considered the separation cruel. It “defies everything we know about elephants: their intelligence, profoundly deep social bonds (females remain with their mothers for life) and the capacity for deep emotion,” they wrote in the Daily Star.
The women launched a campaign to keep Connie, 44, and Shaba, 31, together and added some celebrity sizzle to the debate. At their behest, former “Price Is Right” host and well-known animal advocate Bob Barker recently offered to contribute $500,000 to send the elephants to a California sanctuary if others could raise matching funds.
This week, Tucson zoo officials reversed course, announcing that Connie and Shaba could both move to San Diego, the Daily Star said. Turns out, San Diego’s Asian elephant herd already has an African member, so Connie and Shaba’s cross-species kinship will fit right in.
.Los Angeles Times... . Tucson zoo fight involves elephants, Bob Barker January... more-
- EthicalVegan
- added this
- 4 months ago
- |
- 4 comments
-
