Today’s World Animal Day, celebrated across the globe since a 1931 convention of ecologists in Florence, Italy, conceived of it as a way to highlight the plight of endangered species. They chose October 4 because it’s the Catholic Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. Since then, people have used the
I’m not going to lie, I didn’t watch the video. The opening picture of the Feelgood Style post on this matter was enough for me: Here’s the full Feelgood Style post, Human Undergoes Animal Testing for Animal Rights: Performance artist Jacqueline Traides agreed to publicly undergo animal testing techniques to show what animals endure in
Animal rights activists have been threatened by a new law, the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA), that seems to violate our 1st Amendment rights (allowing the government to give protesters the label “terrorist”). Now, they are fighting back. A group of activists have filed a federal lawsuit opposed to the act. “Plaintiffs Sarahjane Blum
Bob Barker is still saving animals around the world. He recently donated $230,000 to help relocate a family of chimpanzees to Chimp Haven, a chimpanzee rescue center.
On November 18, 2011, the U.S. Congress lifted the five-year-old ban on slaughtering horses, backed by President Obama (who signed it into law), which prohibited horse slaughtering within U.S. borders. Now, it looks like horses will be heading back to the slaughterhouse. Missouri farmers, as well as some state political leaders, say that lifting the
Persistence has paid off for the Animal Defenders International “Stop Circus Suffering” campaign, although it has been long and hard battle it has paid off with a landmark victory in Peru. Peru’s President Alan Garcia signed into law an end to the use of wild animals in circuses.
A recent report from the West Virginia Racing Commission has revealed that over 152 greyhound dogs have been euthanized, due to injuries acquired while racing, since 2005. The injuries occur because of the design of the tracks’ first turn. I would think that a greyhound racetrack that makes thousands on a daily basis could afford
With all the panic around international terrorism that has dominated the media in recent years, we easily get distracted from and miss critical, internal threats (like the health threats of the food we eat), especially when such threats are hidden by mega-corporations and the former CIA officials they hire. The Nation recently did an in-depth piece on
Hundreds of dogs and cats at the OSPCA in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada were set to be euthanized due to the spread of ringworm amongst shelter animals and people. Many were saved as a result of positive human impact. [social_buttons] Something has been happening in the Toronto area in Canada that hasn’t been receiving the international
Sealers wielding clubs for the purpose of killing seals attacked two journalists, one from the UK and one from South Africa, who were filming the brutal Namibian seal cull last week. The journalists were then arrested and jailed at the Henties Bay Police Station in Namibia, and their camera and video was confiscated by authorities.
The romantic imagery painted of Spanish bullfighting in Ernest Hemingway’s famous book The Sun Also Rises might soon be the stuff of history. Spain is edging ever closer to banning the sport. [social_buttons]Thanks to a petition with 180,000 signatures, the regional government of Spain’s northeastern Catalonia area will soon debate banning the sport tied so
These organizations use tactics varying from direct action to job training, but they all are working to protect the planet in a substantial way. [social_buttons] Through twitter, anyone can stay up to date with their latest efforts to restore and protect habitats, influence environmental policy, and curb climate change. Take the opportunity to tap into
Nine monkeys escaped from an Oregon Health & Science University animal testing lab after a cage was left unlocked. Four were shortly re-captured and four others have been spotted on campus — but one has entirely eluded authorities. [social_buttons] “One of our cage cleaners accidentally left a lock off a cage,” said Jim Newman, a
Did you hear about KFC’s offer to fill the potholes in Louisville and four other US cities? Well, they’ve asked to be allowed to stencil an ad onto the pavement in exchange. Predictably, PETA and their KFC Cruelthy campaign now want some of the action. [social_buttons] “KFC might concentrate instead on improving conditions for the
The Humane Society of the United States has returned to court in attempt to stop the sea lion cull near the Bonneville Dam in Washington and Oregon. [social_buttons] Hundreds of sea lions may be trapped and killed in a program aiming to increase the salmon population in the river. The animal welfare group argues that
An undercover investigation by Endangered Species International has disclosed the horrific scale of the endangered species market in the Republic of Congo. [social_buttons] The nonprofit found that hunters source 95% of bushmeat around the Kouilou region, one of the most biodiverse areas in the country. In additon to gorilla meat, the investigation discovered the sale
A South Korean woman living in Los Angeles has been charged with importing bear bile from China to illegally sell as an aphrodisiac. She faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. [social_buttons] Investigators intercepted a package addressed the Seongja Hyun while waiting for transport to Los Angeles from a San Francisco sorting facility.
Humane Society Canada has sent a representative to the Gulf of St. Lawrence to document and broadcast the commercial killing of over 300,000 young seals beginning today. Rebecca Aldworth, who has attended the seal hunt for 11 years in a row, has arrived in the area. She will photograph the scene and send live updates
Despite evidence that increasing the seal hunt quota could bring the harp seal population down the dangerous levels, the Canadian government has approved a 55,000 seal increase to quota for the upcoming commercial seal hunt. [social_buttons] The increase brings the total to 338,000 young seals scheduled to be brutally killed. Canada’s Humane Society said the
Weeks before the planned start to the hunting season, Russia’s natural resources minister announced a ban on hunting seals under 1 year old today. The move spares up to 35,000 seals. [social_buttons] “The bloody sight of the hunting of seals, the slaughter of these defenseless animals, which you cannot even call a real hunt, is
While 58 wolves have already been killed since Saturday, there’s hope that Alaska’s Department of Fish & Game will not reach their enormous quota. Defenders of Wildlife has taken legal action that could stop the hunt immediately. “The Board of Game did not authorize the use of helicopters by state agency personnel as part of
On Saturday Pamela Anderson appeared at a fundraiser and 20th anniversary for the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida. Prior to her appearance, she had written to the governor of Florida on behalf of chimps there held in roadside ‘zoos’ for tourists. In her statement she said, “PETA and I appeal to you to take action to prevent
HBO will premier a new documentary titled “Death on a Factory Farm” tomorrow at 10 pm EST. [social_buttons] The film is a sequel to 2006’s Emmy-nominated “Dealing Dogs,” which exposed the illegal market for dogs sold to research labs through an undercover investigation by a man going by “Pete.” Well, Pete is back again and
An Arizona man who was caught by police in August 2008 after tying his horse to the back of his truck will face charges for animal cruelty in federal court this Tuesday. [social_buttons] Gorden Allen Bates tied a horse to the back of his truck and then proceeded to stop the vehicle and beat the
In the ongoing worldwide revolt of non-human captive primates, a circus monkey in central Florida made an escape into the woods after his captor forgot to attach a leash. Today, workers at the Liebling Family Circus are attempting to lure Reggie the spider monkey out of the forest by waiting at the edge of the
Within a matter of months, activists have succeeded in changing a store from a puppy mill vendor to an animal rescue venture. A pet store in the small town of Elyria, Ohio was the target of intense protests by animal rights activists for months before deciding to close down. Now, a new owner is opening
The first two sea lions were captured today in the joint Oregon and Washintgon sea lion killing program, with one being euthenized shortly after capture. The sea lions are being targeted because they eat salmon. [social_buttons] The animal was given a health exam when a veterenarian noticed a potentially contagious wound and decided to euthanize
Animals Asia successfully rescued 13 Asian black bears (moon bears) from bile farms in the past month. This is a small step in a continuing fight, as an estimated 7,000-10,000 moon bears still suffer in bile farms across China.
Following the news of a 31-year-old chimp who evidently likes to plot out attacks on his Swedish zoo visitors, a monkey in Thailand became tired of his owner beating him and forcing him up trees to collect coconuts — so he threw one straight at the owner’s head.
PETA already has a website dedicated to pressuring Al Gore to drop the meat from his diet, but when they caught wind of his proposed new .ECO domain, they couldn’t resist the opportunity to take another stab at him. [social_buttons] Ingrid Newkirk, PETA’s president and founder, sent a letter to the CEO of the Internet
A chimpanzee at Sweden’s Furuvik Zoo has been observed chipping at concrete to create discs to throw at visitors. He even made weapons at night to throw at visitors when the zoo opens in the morning. [social_buttons] While Santino the chimp’s retaliatory ways are amusing, they’ve also impressed scientists who believe this is the first
The Canadian seal hunt comes around once a year, and along with the hunt comes the international day of action against it: March 15th. [social_buttons] This year is looking more promising than ever. The European Union is considering a complete ban on seal products, a bill to ban the hunt has been introduced in the
Canadian wildlife conservation group the Lifeforce Foundation wrote letter to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans to ask that Daisy the porpoise be released from the four-foot-deep wading pool that she has been held inside for the last six months. The harbor porpoise was rescued in August after she washed up on a beach. Experts
The five Sea Shepherd crew members on board the Steve Irwin found Tasmanian police back at their ship a few weeks after they had confiscated all their video material from the latest campaign. But this time, the police arrived to protect the crew. [social_buttons] “Someone called in a bomb threat about 20 minutes ago, stating
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/3lBsxsR3Ha0&hl=en&fs=1] To update a previous post on the topic, above is a video of activists confronting government scientists and press representatives about the plan to kill up to 85 sea lions because they’re eating salmon. Activists organized a protest today at the Bonville dam and are encouraging all Oregon and Washinton residents to contact their
A syndicated news story made its way into multiple English papers earlier this week claiming that arsonists with the Animal Liberation Front inadvertently killed dozens of birds in an attack on a zoo in Italy. Now the New York Times has reported that this may not be the case: [social_buttons] “A recent such protest in
Why kill sea lions instead of lowering allowed fishing quotas? This question and others were left unanswered at a press conference today. Activists with In Defense of Animals and the Sea Lion Defense Brigade were awarded hard hats and badges before attending a press conference by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the
Apparently sea lions like salmon a little too much. People in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho are threatened — they want all the tasty salmon for themselves. Okay, perhaps that’s a bit of an oversimplification. But I have to wonder — if salmon didn’t taste good, would people be going to such great lengths
Sabah, a large Malaysian state, is considering banning the practice of shark finning after scuba divers threatened to boycott the country. [social_buttons] The Semporna Tourism Action Council proposed the ban because they believe sharks are largely responsible for the area’s booming touring industry. The council includes members of the Sabah Fisheries Department, Sabah Tourism Board,
Two British supermarket chains will ensure that none of the seafood products they carry will be supplied by companies that support or engage in whaling or the hunting of other sea mammals. [social_buttons] Waitrose, one of the two stores, has already written to the Icelandic government asking them to reverse their decision to allow an
The US Fish and Wildlife Service rejected an attempt by trophy hunters to re-allow shipments of polar bear parts from countries where it is legal to kill the embattled species. [social_buttons] The Humane Society of the United States lobbied the agency hard against the proposed reopening of the trade. The animals are listed as a
The Animal Legal Defense Fund is celebrating their annual Justice For Animals Week by asking people to partake in a new, specific action for animals every day this week. [social_buttons] For the first day, they’re asking people to help spread the word by telling friends on Facebook, Twitter, and elsewhere to visit their site to
Federal authorities have arrested four animal rights activists suspected in anti-vivisection actions in Santa Cruz and Alameda counties, a federal terrorism task force reported Friday. [social_buttons] The Joint Terrorism Task Force of the FBI arrested four animal rights activists as “terrorists.” Details of the arrests and the charges are still coming, but this is the
Things turned bad for Sea Shepherd when they arrived back to port in Tasmania today. They were greeted by Australian federal police who boarded the Steve Irwin ship with a warrant. [social_buttons] They confiscated “all edited and raw video footage, all edited and raw audio recordings, all still photographs, producer’s notes, interview transcripts, production meeting
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) recently re-launched the ‘McCruelty’ campaign against the fast food giant McDonald’s, saying of their treatment of animals, “I’m hatin’ it.” The original campaign against McDonald’s was launched in 2000, and after the company worked with PETA to make some basic animal welfare changes, the campaign was withdrawn.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/jsearqknaE8&hl=en&fs=1] Warning: Video contains disturbing content. This video is very hard to make out (and all online Turkish-to-English translations don’t yield much more insight), but this appears as if a small town in Turkey gathered together to encourage their dogs to attack and kill a captive wolf. Please comment if you have any idea what
Contrary to previous reports, Iceland’s new government announced that they will keep the controversial increased whaling quota that the outgoing Fisheries Minister enacted last month, just one day before leaving office. [social_buttons] Steingrimur J Sigfusson, Iceland’s new Fisheries Minister, said that the country will keep the whaling quota, but added that whalers should not expect
The 120-year-old lobster was out the door and heading towards freedom, but then an obstinate UPS driver wouldn’t agree to give the lobster’s box careful handling on its way back to the Atlantic. [social_buttons] Craig the 20-pound lobster made headlines after PETA asked Brooklyn restaurant owner Gina Ng to allow the animal to be released
