Duckies Battling the Wind

Something light for today.. :)

Meet Your Mink Coat

It is so perturbing to see so many photos of furry bags, coats, and hats when I Google images for mink..

For example, this is a Fendi mink bag:

A coat.. (brand unknown)

Who would guess that they are wearing part of the carcass of these little creatures?

This is a glimpse into the lives (and deaths) of minks at a Swedish fur farm... life outside the cages when they are finally taken to have their furs peels off their bodies is another story.. 

"Angels for Animals" in the Cold Winters

I tweeted this status a few minutes ago..

You might think PETA is extreme, but they do the work that no one else does.. to save and help animals in need. my thing is: don't criticize unless you can do better. 

Take a look at this video- a case in point. PETA makes its mission known to the world, and the organization acts on their words.. it's not about empty promises, but rather teams of passionate people doing their best to help the suffering and ignored souls on this earth.

"They're Here" by OneKind

Earlier today, someone tweeted me a link to this video by OneKind, an animal protection charity based in the UK. I watched the video.. and it made my heart pump really hard because of the suspense, even though I knew it wasn't anything horrific. But this video is something simple yet profound, do take a look if you're interested :) The actual length is only about 5 minutes, with a minute at the end for credits. It's about the human search for other intelligent beings in the universe.

I registered with OneKind to not only explore what this organization has to offer, but also to continue educating myself about animal welfare.

Help! 2 million cats/dogs in S.Korea tortured in profit-driven meat industry

Please help and spread the word to save 2 million cats and dogs in South Korea from torture and consumption based on the myth that the meat improves health and sexual powers, which is conjured by the greedy industry.
“The man dragged the dog for about twenty meters and tied him to a post. The dog was screaming in pain. The man used his two hands to pull the dog’s tail with all his strength, causing the dog to be choked, crushing his backbone.” 

"She continued, “Using all his strength he pulled the dog by his left leg. Next he did the same with the right leg. While the dog was still alive, he was tearing his body apart. The dog was moaning with horrible pain. I asked the man why are you killing the dog so painfully, so cruelly? He smiled at me and proudly told me, ‘Dogs should take a long time to be killed, that way they taste better.”

If you are not able to donate to IDA's fund specifically for this cause, please spread the word and share this with someone. 

https://secure2.convio.net/ida/site/Donation2?2480.donation=form1&df_id=2480&JServSessionIdr004=vp2e832pa1.app246b#signature

Killing Animals for their Fur Breaks Hearts

**originally written 11/9/09. picture are linked to their original sources if you click on them.

Hi dears,

I have a few questions for you. 

To what extent is it fine for humans to take the lives of animals? For food? For clothing?

To what extent is it permissible for humans to subject animals to cruel treatment, in the processes of raising livestock, killing livestock for food, testing for cures to diseases, testing products, or hunting for fur? 

I have mainly shared with you the cruel treatment of animals in animal testing and experimentation, but today I would like to share about the cruelty involved in hunting animals for their fur.

Did you know rabbits, foxes, minks, raccoons, raccoon dogs, chinchillas, dogs, cats, and other animals are tortured and killed by the fur industry?

Is it okay to wear fur and promote the hunting of animals?  For example, these are fox fur hats from Michael Kors's 2009 line:

In a blog entry by PETA about Michael Kors's use of raccoon dogs, foxes, and other animals in his clothing lines. While he has agreed to stop using the fur of raccoon dogs, he turns his back on millions of other animals, including foxes (who are also members of the canine family) that are: "beaten, strangled, anally or genitally electrocuted and skinned alive for their fur." (source: http://blog.peta.org/archives/2007/05/push_michael_ko.php) 

No, that was not a typo.. I didn't know what raccoon dogs were either, until today. Raccoon dogs are not raccoons, but are part of the canid family, which includes dogs, wolves, and foxes. They are not aggressive animals, and are originally from east Asia and live on plains, mountain regions, and woodlands. Millions of these animals are hunted each year for its fur. (Source)

Now this... is a skinned raccoon dog that is still alive: 

Do you have any idea what happens to the animals that are killed for their fur? Martha Stewart talks about her change of heart when she found out about the cruelty involved. This video may be hard to watch, but please, at least listen to it.

What are your views after watching this video? If you were given the task to kill these animals, break their bones, electrocute them, confine them to the brink of insanity, would you do it? Another important question is, would you support the practice by purchasing fur or brands that engage in animal cruelty?

The following videos below are about the hunt of baby seals. Each year, hundreds and thousands of baby seals are cruelly slaughtered in Canada for fashion. 
 

"Each year, millions of foxes, minks, raccoons, chinchillas, rabbits, and other animals—including dogs and cats—are bludgeoned, strangled, drowned, and electrocuted so their fur can be made into so-called 'luxury items.' Many of these animals are even skinned alive for fashion." (Source: http://www.peta.org/FeatureKarinaSmirnoff.asp)

Please take a minute to sign this petition to help end the Canadian seal hunt. It's as simple as entering your name, email, and birthday- no spam mail involved, just uncheck the box if you do not wish to receive news from PETA.

This post will hopefully leave you to search within your conscience and your hearts. Killing animals for their fur is only a small portion of the animal cruelty that happens in the world. This makes me ashamed to be related (as a species) to these cold-blotted and greed-driven human beings. The cruelty mentioned in this post solely reflects the nature of fur-fashion industry, as opposed to killing out of the need for survival.

I would love to hear your views whatever they may be or whether you agree or disagree. You can leave comments below or in the chat box. :)

p.s. Today is Fur Free Friday for 2010, promoted by IDA (In Defense of Animals).

"In Defense of Animals is calling on all advocates with a responsibility to agitate and stand up on behalf of animals raised and killed for their fur. Their miserable lives and merciless deaths must end. On fur farms, foxes, mink, rabbits, and other species are kept in squalid, tiny cages where they go mad running back and forth, desperate to escape. Their efforts to get out are only realized at the end of their tortured lives, when these terrified and helpless animals are killed by such stunningly crude methods, including gassing, neck-breaking, and anal electrocution. In countries such as China, their skins are peeled from their bodies while they are still alive, writhing in pain. Wild animals trapped for fur fare no better. Steel-jaw leghold traps are painful and some of the captured are willing to chew off their limbs in order to escape. Snares are also used, leaving animals in unimaginable pain as the snare slowly cinches tighter. These helpless and tormented captives linger in these traps for days and sometimes weeks before trappers come to retrieve them."

source: http://www.furfreefridayida.org/

Lawsuit: McDonald's Carcinogenic Chickens

McDonad's as well as five other chains will soon be in trial with the California Supreme Court for breaching California's Proposition 65, which requires consumers to be warned about carcinogenic products.

"In independent laboratory tests commissioned by PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine), 100 grilled chicken items from McDonald’s, Burger King, Chick-fil-A, Chili’s, Applebee’s, Outback Steakhouse, and TGI Friday’s were all found to contain PhIP, one of a group of carcinogens called heterocyclic amines (HCAs)."

PhIP is linked to breast cancer with its DNA-damaging characteristics as well as hormonal activity. Thus far, only Burger King has settled the lawsuit by posting warning signs in its California locations.

see article here: http://www.pcrm.org/newsletter/nov10/phip.html 

Canadian Medical Schools to Cease Live Animal Labs

As the title suggests, PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine) has received confirmation that the last of the Canadian medical schools using live animals for testing has agreed to use nonanimal methods in the future.Previously, the Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) used live pigs in their medical labs, which violated federal law. Also, animal labs are known to be "inhumane and educationally inferior procedures," according to PCRM cardiologist John Pippin, M.D., F.A.C.C.Instead, MUN will adopt other educational methods like human-patient simulators.

See article here: http://pcrm.org/newsletter/nov10/pittsburgh.html

Humane Mouse Traps (& My Personal Story)

The other night one of my twitter buddies asked what to do with mice in her house, and my obvious response was to trap it and set it free! I mentioned this to the bf, who said that the only way to trap them is with glue traps.. until I showed him this: http://www.humanemousetrap.info/

Even PETA sells this humane mice trap in their catalog for almost $3.00 cheaper than Amazon: http://www.petacatalog.com/products/Humane_Smart_Mousetrap-117-0.html 

My bf was a little surprised to see this contraption, and I know he was rather intrigued that I want to save mice. Many people have this negative view about these "pesky rodents." Of course, they are potential carriers of diseases but as an animal they are really adorable and intelligent, not too dissimilar from the cat, dog, or hamster you have as a pet. I firmly believe they deserve a chance to live and not die from a torturous, unnatural cause. Even as a kid, I was against the use of glue traps as I had once watched mice struggle and die on those torture devices...

This summer my cat had actually caught a mouse from the downstairs floor and brought it up to play with. She was batting it around with her paws, and the little mouse was immobilized-- I'm sure it was frightened. I was worried it would hurt my cat (if it was diseased) or my cat would hurt it with her claws, so I was thinking of a way to get it out of the house. My mom took a plastic bag, turned it inside out, and gently picked it up with the bag. When I placed my hand under the mice, I could feel the warmth of its little body through the bag and I saw it looking up at me. (It reminded me of the time I once visited a farm and petted a little lamb several years ago.. who not only looked at me with its sparkly eyes but also licked my hand-- from then on I could not eat lamb.)

Here's the little mouse before I set it free.. tell me, could you hurt him/her?

 

I ended up walking several blocks to a nearby park and dropped it off there.. although the recommended way is to drive several miles and relocate it that way, because mice are really intelligence and can find their way back if you don't far enough.

Top 10 Reasons To Not Dissect

60,000 Chickens Died Due To Power Outage

In Cleveland county, NC, about 60,000 chickens died at Greenway Farms last week when the generator connected to the chicken house failed, leaving the chickens without any air from the large fan that also stopped working. The chickens suffocated to death while in extreme confinement and turned into rotting carcasses.

Also, according to PETA, such incidents are more common than we think. Every summer, "chicken-farm operators casually write off losses of birds because of their own deliberate failure to provide or maintain back-up generators or to employ emergency evacuation plans." However, since this happened in Cleveland County, animal cruelty laws also apply to chickens, and PETA has asked the county's district attorney to consider filing animal cruelty charges against the farm owners.

Some might think it's unnecessary to file any charges, because it is just an "accident." But it's important to keep in mind that chickens and all farm animals are living creatures that deserve to be treated as such.. the chickens should not have been confined without any ability to be mobile and cramped together so closely that just a few minutes without fanned-air would lead to a painful death through suffocation. I also question why electricity stopped running in the first place.. and why there are no back-up generators when this incident is not the first of its kind. 

 http://ht.ly/2LSag

source: http://www.wbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=13211329

High School Musical's Matt Prokop on Animals

Twenty-years old actor Matt Prokop, who is in High School Musical 3, gives us a few pointers on how to help animals.

Undercover Footage From KFC Supplier

Terrifying, painful deaths for the1 billion chickens killed each year for KFC...

*watch at your own discretion

Update on Dogs Rescued from PLRS

Following the undercover PETA investigation of PLRS, some animals have been rescued from the facilities.

See original post on the investigation here: Animal Testing Exposed: PLRS (North Carolina)

Video description: "The Virginia Beach SPCA and several other animal shelters received dogs that had been used for research and testing purposes following the closure of Professional Research and Laboratory Services in Corapeake North Carolina."

Cute Piglet Goes For A Swim

Too cute to miss out on! This video shows how affectionate and intelligent piggies are, another reason why I can't bear for them to become.... the "pork" we eat.

http://wimp.com/swimmingpiglet

 

 

Bullfighting= Killing Defenseless, Frightened Animals

Up until this year, I have always thought bull-fighting was simply waving a red flag in front of a cow in order to get it to attack. And I thought it was a sport because it was the flag-waver's goal to maneuver himself out of harm's way.

I was so wrong.

Bullfighting is not only cruelty, it is "the most indefensible type of animal abuse" according to SHARK (Showing Animals Respect and Kindness). It is an intentional torturing of frightened animals who have no way out of their painful and slow death. Bullfighting involves confusing and frightening the bull so that a matador or several man stab or pierce through the bull's body with sharp weaponry each time there is an opportunity.. until ultimately the bull dies somehow, perhaps bleeding to death.

Bullfighting is not heroic, it is cowardly. According to SHARK, only 10 bullfighters have been killed worldwide in bullfighting for the last 50 years, but the number of bulls that are killed are unimaginable.
Bullfighting is a "blood sport" which ritually kills bulls as a public spectable in regions of Spain, Portugal, southern France, and some Latin American countries (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullfighting). 

pic source: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/05/spain_moves_tow.php

The "sport" was condemned by the pope in 1567, and one cardinal by the name of John Henry Newman stated: "Cruelty to animals is as if man did not love God...there is something so dreadful, so satanic, in tormenting those who have never harmed us, and who cannot defend themselves, who are utterly in our power."

See this video of Patricia De León, Latina actress and former Miss Panama, who urges boycotting of bullfighting.

Please spread the word. If you live in a country that practices bullfighting, please listen to your kind, humane heart by not attending or giving monetary support to bullfighting associations.

source: http://www.sharkonline.org/?P=0000000423http://www.sharkonline.org/?P=0000000423

93 Puppies Gassed at NY Puppy MIll

Federal law, as well as New York state law, prohibits kennel operators (animal shelters) from using euthanasia or killing animals with exhaust fumes.

However, David Yoder, a dog breeder at his Black Diamond Acres kennel confessed to gassing 93 dogs when he found out the dogs needed medical treatment for brucellosis. He sealed the dogs into boxes- the dogs died in the very same boxes they were born in.

According to the PETA files, "Yoder has turned in his kennel license and is now under investigation by the USDA and the local sheriff's department. He faces fines of up to $10,000 for every violation of the Animal Welfare Act."

Rest in peace beautiful puppies.

This is just another astounding reason to only adopt animals and never to buy animals from pet stores, which buy animals from puppy mills such as the one in this case.

See my post on Gas Chambers here: http://cfcorner.blogspot.com/2010/09/animal-gas-chambers.html
Article link: http://ht.ly/2ETWC

Animal Gas Chambers

I need to share a shocker that I read about on http://animalwelfare.change.org/ I have never heard of this issue before.. that animal shelters across the U.S. use gas chambers to kill homeless animals slowly and torturously. Read the actual article here.

According to a response to the article by Mary Cook:

"As of 04/02/2009 Twelve states currently ban carbon monoxide gas chamber use as a means of animal euthanasia.

Arizona
Arkansas
California
Delaware
Florida
Maine
Maryland
New Jersey
Oregon
Rhode Island
Tennessee
Virginia

Source: The Humane Society of the United States

Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, New York, West Virginia and Pennsylvania have legislation pending, according to Kimberley Intino, director of the Shelter Services Program for the Humane Society of the United States."

What are gas chambers? 

They are airtight chambers that release a high concentration carbon monoxide, a gas euthanasia, and slowly kill cats and dogs through lack of oxygen. The process of gassing animals takes about 25 minutes and most animals are unconscious within a minute. (source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/04/0411_050411_peteuthanasia.html )

So it doesn't sound too bad right? It sounds like a painless process where animals inhale carbon monoxide gas and sleep to death. However, it is nothing like a gentle or painless death.

The animals gasp for air, panic, and attack each other during the process, while trying to claw their way out. It is not only a painful but terrifying death.
(source: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-04-01-animalgaschamber_N.htm)

The only acceptable method of euthanizing animals is by injecting sodium pentobarbital, a barbiturate anesthetic, into their veins. This is the only method that allows for a quick death without the pain and stress.

Although euthanizing animals via injection involves more staff labor and training, it is the most cost-effective and least expensive, according to the Michigan Humane Society. (source: http://www.animal-abusesite.info/euthanisia.html)

Here is a personal account of someone that witnessed the gassing of animals...

"A personal transformation took over my life in 1988, when I was a
witness, through a small porthole window, of an animal shelter gas
chamber doing its savage business.

Two of the employees began pulling and tugging larger dogs toward the chamber -- this, in itself, was savage. The eyes of the dogs were full of fear as they were shoved into a large cylinder with another six dogs, all types. Next, five puppies were placed in the chamber.

Noise. Yelling. Fighting. All scared, they shivered again and again,
their eyes huge, their nostrils flaring. They were completely
bewildered. One dog in the chamber, a male chow mix about one year old, started snapping at the puppies. All the dogs and puppies were in a desperate struggle, and the gassing had yet to begin.

Then a button was pushed, and the two employees walked away as the chamber machine began pumping out streams of carbon monoxide. The little puppies started to paw at the glass window. After one full minute they started to whine and then produced a piercing squeal. Then the larger dogs started a high, mournful wailing, then a deeper howl that rose in great desperation for 45 seconds.

That morning of my witness, the time from inception of hell for the
dogs and puppies, to the completion of their cries of desperation, was between two and six minutes.

As the employees walked away, I knew it was my love, my honor, my devotion to animals that I must not blink and watch every second, every animal struggle to avoid death. However, tears from my heart did overwhelm me that tragic morning, and the final insult was having to load the bodies of the dogs and puppies into a pickup truck and haul them to a local garbage dump."

Loves, the only way to stop this very inhumane way of killing unwanted animals is to be aware and open your mind to the facts, as well as spread the word to others. I believe it takes only a little prod of the first piece of the domino chain to get the word around and impact the animal shelters, policymakers and legislature.

Also, because overpopulation is such a problem and the root of euthanizing millions of animals every year, it would help a LOT if you spayed/neutered your pets or adopt a friendly pet from your local animal shelter.. an animal that may not be given a chance at life without your help. I adopted my cat when she was a baby at Animal Care & Control in SF, and she is truly my love. I can not imagine being without her and I know that she is a blessing to my life. Other animals in the streets and at the shelters deserve to be fed, loved, and sheltered- it is not their fault for being homeless or born into this world.

Has Your Meat Been Sexually Molested or Abused?

Sexual abuse of farm animals?

Wait.. WHAT?

A supervisor rams a metal cane into a pig's vagina just for purposes of "fooling around".
He also thrust rods into anuses of pigs when frustrated. 
Another worker inserts his finger into a turkey's vagina, while another worker mimed raping a shackled turkey.
The undercover PETA worker is encouraged to hurt the animals, "fucking hurt them." 

If you don't think that's bad, imagine having a metal rod shoved into areas that are for sexual pleasure, reproduction or excreting waste.

This sad sexual abuse of farm animals are only a fraction of the abuse inflicted on them... physical, emotional, and psychological abuse also contribute to a lifetime of "hell on earth" for these animals.  


Credits to PETA's undercover investigators.. who expose the dirty truth in farm factories, where animals are at the mercy of wretched, cruel workers.

See full article as well as video here: http://ht.ly/2DFAf
warning: may be too graphic for some.

Baby Elephant's at Ringling's School of Cruelty

There is something that I hope you will all share with parents you know or keep in mind if you are a parent.. The circus is not all fun and games. Ringling Bros. circus claims that they train elephants through a reward system. Really? NO. Instead, they cruelly force baby elephants to become separated away from their mothers and use painful and violent ways to teach them tricks. Things like ropes, bullhooks, and electric shock prods are used. Here is a slideshow of what really happens at the training sessions.. click here.

The truth recently came out when Sam Haddock, a former elephant trainer for Ringling Bros., provided never before seen photos to PETA and the public to reveal the shocking truth about elephant  training. Sam Haddock had also contracted tuberculosis (TB) from the elephants and has died this year (2009). Elephants at Ringling are still being infected by TB and dying from the disease.. in addition to the life of mistreatment they endure.

 Caption: "Baby elephants are captured rodeo-style, roped around all four legs, tethered neck-to-neck to an 'anchor' elephant, and dragged from their mothers. From this point forward in their lives, every movement, every instinct, and every natural behavior is subjected to suppression and discipline at the whim of the trainer."

 Caption: "Once pulled from their mothers, baby elephants are restrained by four legs on a concrete flour in a barn for up to 23 hours a day to break their spirits and are never allowed to play outdoors. Chaining a curious and energetic baby elephant for such lengthy periods is psychologically devastating."

Caption: "'Training techniques used by Gary Jacobson include a lot of manpower, brute force, electricity, and a savage disposition.'--Sam Haddock"

 Caption: "'The bullhook is designed for one purpose and one purpose only: to inflict pain and punishment. I should know. I used to make them. I built them to where you can't break them, no matter how hard you hit the elephant.'-- Sam Haddock"

 Here is a video of Sam Haddock telling the story of being a Ringling elephant trainer:

Please, share the word and knowledge about circuses.

Another Orca Dies Prematurely at SeaWorld

Sumar is the third killer whale to die prematurely this year at SeaWorld.

Fact: While orca's usually live 60 years in the wild, three out of four orcas in captivity die before the age of 10.

Killer whales in captivity experience high levels of stress, leading to stress attacks on their trainers which are actually quite common at SeaWorld. Two trainers were drowned in 2009, three were attacked in 2008, two in 2007 and also 2006-- these incidents are tragic indeed, but when will people see the correlation between enslaved wild animals and deaths of their masters?

As the article states nicely, "Anyone involved in keeping orcas and other dolphins in captivity 'loves' them like a slave master loves their slaves – forcing them to perform ridiculous antics in exchange for food. This isn’t love; it’s pure exploitation."


Why did this young orca die prematurely? Because of "depression and loneliness and stress."

In the wild, orcas travel thousands of miles with their families, and male orcas are attached to their mothers their entire lives. Sumar was separated from his mother forever when he was just one years old and trapped in a small round tank his entire life.

Such killer whales in captivity go crazy and die. 

If what you have learned strikes you at all as inhumane, sad, and cruel, please share this news with others and boycott all the animal-entertainment industry.

Read the original article here: http://www.zoenature.org/2010/09/tilikums-son-dies-at-seaworld/

Animal Testing Exposed: PLRS (North Carolina)

PETA recently released the findings of a 9-month undercover investigation at an animal testing lab facility in North Carolina, Professional Laboratory and Research Services, Inc. (PLRS)

PLRS does chemical testing on animals for huge pharmaceutical companies who use chemicals and insecticides to make flea and tick products, among other pet products.

Does anyone else see the irony here?

These companies make products that are supposed to help pets, yet by making those products they harm the very same kinds of companion animals that they are catering to in the market. This investigation shows severe abuses committed against the very pets that people commonly have- cats, dogs, and rabbits.

The saddest part is that only half of the cruel involved is related to actual testing, when chemicals are force-fed to the animals or placed on animals' skin and wounds.

The other part is intentional violence towards the animals by the workers and staff, who do such terrible things to the animal subjects one would wonder how in the world such humans can exist (if they can still be called humans..)

In the video below, you will see:

• a worker viciously slamming a metal gate against a cat whose body was halfway out of the cage 

• workers screaming at the animals, insulting them and cursing profanities at them

• a female workers repeatedly holding a cat against a chain-link fence- once the cat tries to hold on to the fence, she tears the cat off while saying that she wants the cat's claws to rip off

• a dog is given expired anesthesia, which gives no pain relief, before having its tooth pulled out by a pair of pliers as it cries in pain

• dogs locked up in filthy cages in an extremely loud environment of ~107 decibels, inducing high levels of stress and "stereotypic behavior" to stress like continuously pacing around in circles. According to a standard decibel sound chart, 107 decibels is equivalent to the loudness of a power motor. 107 decibels is also louder than a subway train and above the level at which continuous exposure may result in hearing loss. 

• dogs forced to sit in their own waste (urine and feces), which leads to developing open sores that are bloody and raw

• the workers spraying the cages down with water mixed with soap, bleach, chemicals while the animals are still in the cages, putting the dogs in even more pain as their open sores are exposed to the chemicals  

• rabbits also forced to sit in their own waste, developing "hind sores" on their sensitive legs without receiving any medical attention 

• When asked about veterinary care for the animals' sores, a supervisor says it's a waste of time because "If you've got 10 dogs that have the same problem, it's not a problem. It's a living condition here. We need to write up things that are abnormal. That is normal life here."

• a supervisor breaks a needle in a cat's back but leaves it there, saying she'll "get it a later" 

• a rabbit, whose back has been shaved, is forced to lie on its back against a container of thousands of mosquitoes to have its blood sucked for 15 minutes daily. This is done in order to have the mosquitoes have blood to reproduce and lay eggs (for unknown purpose).

• a dog has his ear repeatedly cut open over many weeks but without receiving adequate veterinary care- instead, it is left bleeding

• cats have their eyes burned and blinded by experimental chemicals; one cat crouches helplessly with her eyes closed in the corner of her cage as she suffers from the pain

Of course, words can not fully describe the experiences of the animals. The video compiled of footage clips at PLRS will actually let you see with your own eyes and hear with your own ears the cries of the animals and the kind of pain they are forced to endure.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:
1. signing and sharing this petition to urge pharmaceutical companies to cease business with this lab PLRS: https://secure.peta.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=displ...ay&page=UserAction&id=3187
2. share this investigation on facebook by clicking here 
3. spreading awareness on animal testing and to encourage others to shop cruelty-free
4. follow this blog to keep updated on modern animal rights news and issues

source: (link to the main article)http://ht.ly/2Bc9l

9/21/2010
Update on the rescue of some dogs from PLRS: http://cfcorner.blogspot.com/2010/09/animals-at-plrs-testing-lab-rescued.html

Know the Fur Industry: Would You Wear Your Cat or Dog?

**This post contains no pictures or videos, because photo evidence of the fur industry can be too graphic for some. However, I would appreciate if you gave this a read, for the sake of love and compassion.

The cruelty of killing animals for their fur has long plagued my mind. Although I have known about this heart-wrenching side of the fashion or clothing industry for quite some time, the truth just gets uglier and uglier with each new thing I learn about this atrocious practice.

In November of last year, I wrote a brief post on this issue- "Killing Animals for Their Fur Breaks Hearts." As I have become more and more conscience and attuned to animal-suffering related issues, I can not sit back and let the cruelty continue. Innocent animals are suffering in these times because of human greed for profit and also because of human ignorance to these problems. The people who condemn animals to a life or death of misery and pain for profit motives are supported by you, me, and all the consumers out there. It doesn't take someone who has studied economics to understand the concept of demand and supply in capitalist society.

Companies, regardless of industry (fashion, food, manufacturing, etc.), exist today because they earn enough money to stay afloat or even thrive in the midst of competitors. And you know how companies receive profit-- consumers pay for their products and services. When consumers keep buying products, demand is created and companies or industries are more than happy to keep producing (or supply) people with what they want.

$$$. Why are people selling their souls to the devil for this thing we call money?

In the clothing industry, somehow it has become acceptable to kill living creatures to make fur-embellished clothing and profit immensely through that practice. Do animals need to be killed in order to make clothing? Do animals need to be killed in order to make fashionable clothing? Do animals need to be killed in order to protect consumers from freezing to death?

If you say yes, then you might as well take your dog, cat, or backyard squirrels and raccoons and slaughter them up so you can wear a patch of their fur on your body.

If you are not able to do such a thing, why would you allow this kind of slaughtering to happen in the world?

One of the life sayings I stand by is this: With knowledge comes responsibility. 


If you do not purchase fur, chances are that you know about the fur slaughter and that it is plain wrong. It is wrong in terms of ethics, and it is wrong in a basic human sense.

According to PETA, the organizations based in both Germany and Asia have seen firsthand the fur-skinning practices occurring in China that leave about 2 million cats and hundreds of thousands of dogs slaughtered each year. Investigators describe the butchery in fur farms:

Hundreds of animals crammed in tiny cages are transported by trucks across China, and some of the dogs and cats still have their collars-- domestic pets are sometimes abducted for slaughter.

The cages are so full the animals can not move and have no access to food or water. Dying animals are crammed together with living animals, while they all are terrified and act out in psychological distress.

The cages are thrown down 10 feet from the top of the trucks to the ground, shattering the bones of the animals.

It only gets worse. The "cost-effective"methods used to kill these animals are also the most cruel. In order to cut costs and avoid damaging the fur, the killing methods including" anal electrocution, bludgeoning, kicking, strangling with wire nooses, drowning by forcing water down animals' throats with a hose" and very commonly, skinning the animals alive. (Keep in mind, there is NO method that will ever be humane enough or that justifies taking an animal's life to make clothes to be sold in this industry).

These animals that are having their bodies sliced open and their fur torn apart from their flesh are the ones you see in homes-- tabbies, Siamese, German shepherds, golden retrievers, etc. Kittens and puppies are not spared.

Where does the fur go? It is used as collars on shirts or coats, lining in gloves/boots, or even rugs. Of course you will not see a clothing item that lists "dog fur" or "cat fur" on its labels.. instead it will be purposely mislabeled as things like "Asian jackal" or "rabbit." (Although I can not understand why it's deemed more acceptable for people to buy Asian jackals or rabbits when they are killed in the same ways). These mislabeled items are sold in the U.S. and Europe.

Other animals like raccoon dogs, foxes, coyotes, and lynxes all suffer in similar ways for the fur trade. As PETA describes it, the scenes of the fur slaughter are worse than horror films. I can attest to that through undercover documentaries and footage of the slaughter in China. Cats, dogs, rabbits, raccoon dogs, and other animals writhe in terror and pain as they are hung up by their legs and tails, while their fur is peeled from their flesh. Their bleeding bodies, with only a layer of flesh remaining on their bones and organs, are then tossed on to a pile of other bodies.. while they continue blinking their eyes, struggle to breathe, and slowly suffocate as their heart and lungs die.

The fight to end fur farming and such slaughter of animals is not a lost cause. After meeting with PETA, Polo Ralph Lauren went fur-free. Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein are now removing fur from their collections.


The first step towards fixing any problem is to become educated on an issue and knowing your position, morals, and standards. The simplest thing to do, to help save animals from torture they don't deserve in any lifetime, is to not purchase clothing items with fur or material resembling fur.

Also, the state of California has been placing animal-welfare measures on its ballots-- it is important to vote for what you believe in. I know that the issue of mislabeling of fur on clothing items is gaining momentum right now, so if there's a way to vote against animal suffering, I trust you will take that step as a responsible and intelligible being no matter where you are located in the world.

As I grow on this journey to being my own animal activist by learning about issues and spreading awareness and knowledge, I welcome you to tune in to my future posts on ways to be a loving and compassionate person by helping the animals whose voices are silenced and unheard.

*All facts mentioned are credited to PETA.

Want to learn more?
Click here to see the PETA factsheet on (fur) factory farms.
"A Shocking Look Inside Chinese Fur Farms" (more info and video)
Fur is Dead: http://www.furisdead.com/
Wikipedia on Fur Farming
Video on China's Cruel Fur Industry

The Faces Behind Animal Experimentaion: Monkeys

Did you know that monkeys are 99% similar to humans by DNA? (If you don't believe me, look it up.) Yet many of them are abused and tortured in cruel, invasive experiments that leave them in states where they are better off dead. This may sound harsh, but what people have done to animals in animal testing falls can seriously constitute as "hell on earth." We humans somehow think we have the power to use any other creature on this earth for our use simply because they are non-human. Monkeys, who are almost just like us except for outer appearance and mechanism for spoken language, are highly intellectual animals capable of feeling emotions, pain, as well as communicating other forms of language and building relationships with others.

Let me introduce to you the monkey subjects of animal testing:

Posted by PETA2, these photos are shot inside Primate Products and can be found at the company website here: http://directaction4.info/USA_primates_Aug10/index.html

Believe it or not, Primate Products is a company that makes money off of inhumane suffering by selling primate torture devices and facilities the importing of primates for testing.

These monkeys have had their "scalps and skulls butchered and crudely stitched up" and some suffer from "other injuries that appear to be from fighting or self-mutilation. Monkeys often bite at their own limbs and tear out clumps of their own hair because of the trauma of being confined, deprived, and tormented while being used as living test tubes." (PETA2)

The raw cruelty involved in animal experimentation is, in my opinion, the main reason that you and I should opt to purchase only cruelty-free products that involve no animal testing in their products or products' sub-components/ingredients.

While all animal experimentation can not be halted solely by change in consumer choices to cruelty-free, positive change will be able to gain momentum for the lives of innocent animals.

Another thing you can do now is to sign this petition against planned NASA-funded experiments that will torment chimpanzees (all that is required is name and email-- also, PETA will not send you any emails if you uncheck the box): https://secure.peta.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=3260&c=923fs

What You Need to Know: Animal Welfare and Rights

There is a popular concept in animal rights philosophers, as advocated by Peter Singer (leading philosopher of modern animal rights movement), which is that if you were to mistreat animals based on their lower abilities in thinking, then it should be just as acceptable to mistreat people with disabilities and mental retardation or even babies. Other than discrimination against animals based on their cognitive abilities, what other reasons can one possibly give that justifies inhumane treatment towards animals?

Is the reason appearance and looks? Unjust discrimination of this kind is  called speciesism, and if you admit to that you basically acknowledge to accepting racism against other humans of a different race or ethnicity. Because really, what is the difference between discriminating against animals and other human races based on outward appearance?

Or is your reason that animals are physiologically different than us? Sure, they are wired differently but did you know all mammals share the same basic nervous system as humans? This means not only that their body and organs function similarly, but also that they are fully capable of feeling pain and experiencing suffering. Animals are also sentient beings, having the ability to perceive and feel, as well as be conscious and aware of themselves and the world. Animals consciously want to be happy and to live happy lives, out of harm and danger's way. By choice, no animal wants to suffer and they can feel misery, unhappiness, and pain if say a human decides to kick it or lock it up eternally while causing open wounds on the animal's body.

That is the core of animal rights. 

"The question is not, 'Can they reason?' nor, 'Can they talk?' but rather, 'Can they suffer?'" -Jeremy Bentham (first champion of animal rights) 

Do You Eat Babies? Cruelty to Baby Calves at Veal Farm

Do you eat veal?
Do you know what veal really is?
Do you know the kind of misery and suffering baby calves are subjected to (from life to death) just so you or someone else can enjoy a slice of "veal"?

photo credit

This is the story of the baby male calves at one of the nation's top veal-producing farms: Buckeye Veal farm near Apple Creek, Ohio. 

This video, "Crated Cruelty: The Hidden Price of Veal," is narrated by Bob Parker and shows undercover footage from Mercy For Animals (MFA).



The important things you need to know:

• Baby calves are direct byproducts of the dairy industry, since dairy cows must be repeatedly impregnated (often artificially re-impregnated) to produce milk.  

• The male offspring of these dairy cows are dragged away from their mothers after birth, never to receive the nurture and affection from the mothers that they need.

• The male calves are shipped off to veal factory farms where they are chained by their necks inside 2-feet wide wooden stalls (aka veal crates). The calves can't even turn around or lie down comfortably in this kind of narrow confinement.They never breathe fresh air or feel grass and never get to run or play.

photo credit: http://www.animalwritings.com/archive/2005_02_01_blog_archive.asp

• Besides saving space, there is another reason behind such cruel confinement. Veal is valued for its tenderness, and immobilizing and restricting the calves to movement leads to muscle deterioration.

• Thus, the baby calves are also fed an iron-deficient formula that forces them to be borderline-anemic. The baby animals suffer from ulcers, pneumonia, lameness, and diarrhea. 

photo credit: http://www.all-creatures.org/sof/plate-veal.html

• The calves only live 18 to 20-week before they are sent off to slaughter. Can you imagine if a human baby were treated the same way and if its live was also ended at only 4 to 5 months old?   

• The American Veterinary Medical Association opposes chaining calves in restrictive crates and five U.S. states (California, Michigan, Maine, Arizona, and Colorado), as well as all 27 countries in the European Union, have outlawed the use of veal crates.  

 photo credit: http://www.rrrina.com/

• Costco and Giant Eagle grocery stores continue to sell veal from these cruel veal farms. You can send polite emails to Costco's CEO, James Sinegal, at jsinegal@costco.com and Giant Eagle's CEO David Shapira, at david.shapira@gianteagle.com 

• As the Mercy for Animals video above shows, cruelty to farm animals also come in the form of physical abuse by workers and handlers. 

Sources (&Resources)

• http://www.mercyforanimals.org/veal/
• Animal Rights Group Releases Video From Veal Farm
• http://www.noveal.org/

Here is a cartoon video that shows how easy it can be to make the right choice. This video is not gory or graphic. (To see the original high-quality version go here: http://www.noveal.org/forgetaboutit/)

Dear reader, I trust that you will make an informed and compassionate decision the next time you think about veal. However, because dairy cows will always be in demand for their milk, there will continuously be baby calves being born in the farming industry.

Avoiding veal is only the first step to sparing them from a lifetime of suffering and pain-- grocery stores, restaurants, and policy makers must be informed and pressured by the public as well, so that permanent changes can be made to help baby calves live happy, healthy lives.

 

photo credit: http://www.puzzlewood.net/News.html

photo credit: http://lifeisfare.wordpress.com/2009/09/page/2/

Sept 1, 2010 UPDATE.

As of yesterday, August 31, 2010 Costco Wholesale announced that it will no longer carry veal from Buckeye Veal farm and other farms that condemn calves to the crate-and-chain method. See article here: 

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2012772042_costco01.html

However, other types of cruelty involved in veal production and farming are not eliminated-- also, even if crates are not used, the calves are not guaranteed to live in cruelty-free conditions.

Guide to Animal Sanctuaries

credits to the 2010 Veggie Awards survey by VegNews magazine.*This list is by no means comprehensive and will be updated periodically. Please feel free to make suggestions and recommendations to the list.

Animal Sanctuary

•  Animal Acres (Acton, CA)
•  Animal Place (Grass Valley and Vacaville, CA)
•  Best Friends Animal Society (Kanab, UT)
•  Black Beauty Ranch (Murchison, TX)
•  Catskill Animal Sanctuary (Saugerties, NY)
•  Farm Sanctuary (Watkins Glen, NY and Orland, CA)
•  Peaceful Prarie Sanctuary (Deer Trail, CO)
•  Pigs Peace Sanctuary (Stanwood, WA)
•  Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary (Pollesville, MD)
•  Sasha Farm (Manchester, MI)
•  Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary (Woodstock, NY)

Guide to Vegan Household and Cleaning Products

credits to the 2010 Veggie Awards survey by VegNews magazine.*This list is by no means comprehensive and will be updated periodically. Please feel free to make suggestions and recommendations to the list.

Cleaning Products

•  Biokleen
•  Bi-O-Kleen
•  Bon Ami
•  Earth Friendly Products
•  Eco Clean
•  Fields Organics
•  Method
•  Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day
•  Planet
• Seventh Generation

Guide to Vegan Apparel Brands

credits to the 2010 Veggie Awards survey by VegNews magazine.*This list is by no means comprehensive and will be updated periodically. Please feel free to make suggestions and recommendations to the list.

Vegan Shoes

•  Bourgeois Boheme
•  Cri de Coeur
•  Mink Shoes
•  Neuaura Shoes
•  Novacas
•  OlsenHaus
•  Ragazzi Vegan
•  Vegan Wares
•  Vegetarian Shoes

Guide to Vegan Personal Care and Cosmetics Brands

credits to the 2010 Veggie Awards survey by VegNews magazine.*This list is by no means comprehensive and will be updated periodically. Please feel free to make suggestions and recommendations to the list.

Hair Care

•  Aubrey Organics
•  Avalon Organics
•  Aveda
•  Beauty Without Cruelty
•  Giovanni
•  Jason
•  Kiss My Face
•  Lush
•  Nature's Gate
•  ShiKai

Vegan Makeup 

• Arbonne
• Bare Escentuals
• Beauty Without Cruelty
• Ecco Bella
• Emani
• Larénim
• Lavera
• MyChelle Dermaceuticals
• Urban Decay
• Zuzu Luxe

 Body Care

• Alba
• Aubrey Organics
• Avalon Organics
• Aveda
• Beauty Without Cruelty
• Dr. Bronner's
• EO
• Jason
• Kiss My Face
• Lavera
• Lush
• Zia

Guide to Vegan Pet Food Brands

credits to the 2010 Veggie Awards survey by VegNews magazine.
*This list is by no means comprehensive and will be updated periodically. Please feel free to make suggestions and recommendations to the list.


Vegan Dog Food

• Ami Dog
• Avoderm Natural Vegetarian Dog Food 
• Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Vegetarian Formula
• Evolution Diet
• Natural Life Adult Vegetarian
• Nature's Recipe Farm Stand Selects Vegetarian Recipe
• Pet Guard Organic Vegetarian Entree
• V-Dog
• Wysong Vegan

Guide to Vegan Food Brands

credits to the 2010 Veggie Awards survey by VegNews magazine.
*This list is by no means comprehensive and will be updated periodically. Please feel free to make suggestions and recommendations to the list.

Vegetarian Restaurants

• Blossom NYC (New York, NY)
• Blossoming Lotus (Portland, OR)
• Candle 79 (New York, NY)
• Chicago Diner (Chicago, IL)
• Great Sage (Clarksville, MD) 
• Herbivore (San Francisco, CA) 
• Horizons (Philadelphia, PA)
• Karyn's on Green (Chicago, IL)
• Laughing Seed Café (Asheville, NC)
• Loving Hut (Worldwide)
• Madeleine Bistro (Los Angeles, CA)
• Millennium (San Francisco, CA)
• Native Foods (Southern California)
• Plum Bistro (Seattle, WA)
• Pure Food and Wine (New York, NY)
• Ravens' Restaurant (Mendocino, CA)
• Real Food Daily (Los Angeles, CA)
• Spiral Diner & Bakery (Ft. Worth and Dallas, TX)
• Sublime (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
• Veggie Grill (Southern California)

 Vegan Bakeries 

• BabyCakes (New York, NY + Los Angeles, CA)
• Cinnaholic (Berkeley, CA)
• Mighty-O Donuts (Seattle, WA)
• Pattycake Bakery (Columbus, OH)
• Sticky Fingers Bakery (Washington, DC)
• Sugar Plum Vegan Café (Sacramento, CA)
• Sweet Avenue Bake Shop (Rutherford, NJ)
• Sweetpea Baking Company (Portland, OR)
• Vegan Treats (Bethlehem, PA)
• Watercourse Bakery (Denver, CO)

  Vegan Bakeries (Online)

• Favorite Vegan Bakery (Online)   Allison's Gourmet
• Augusta Vegan Bakery
• C'est La V Bakeshop
• Emily's Desserts
• Everyday Gourmet
• Liz Lovely
• Sassy Gourmet
• Sweet & Sara
• Sweet Fritsy
• Sweet V Confections

 Vegan Cookie Companies

• Allison's Gourmet
• Alternative Baking Company
• Boston Cookies
• Kookie Karma
• Liz Lovely
• Lucy's
• Nana's Cookie Company
• Sun Flour Baking Company
• The Inspired Cookie
• Uncle Eddie's

Vegan Chocolate 

• Allison's Gourmet
• Alter Eco
• Chocolate Decadence
• Chocolate Inspirations
• Divvies
• Endangered Species Chocolate
• Lagusta's Luscious
• Rescue Chocolate
• Righteously Raw
• Rose City Chocolatier
• Sjaak's Organic Chocolates
• VeganSweets

 Vegan Ice Cream

• Alkemie Dairy-Free Ice Cream
• Blue Mountain Cashew Creamery
• Chicago Soydairy Temptation
• Good Karma Organic Rice Devine
• Henry's Frozen Delight
• Luna & Larry Coconut Bliss
• MaggieMudd Mudslinger's Freestyle
• Organic Nectars' Agave Gelato
• Rice Dream
• Soy Dream
• Tofutti Premium Frozen Dessert
• Turtle Mountain Purely Decadent

Vegan Milk

• Almond Breeze
• Edensoy
• Living Harvest Hemp Milk
• Pacific Natural Foods Soymilk
• Rice Dream
• Silk Soymilk
• So Delicious Coconut Milk
• Trader Joe's Soymilk
• WestSoy Soymilk
• Wildwood Soymilk

 Tofu 

• House Foods America
•  Mori-Nu Silken
•  Nasoya
•  Small Planet
•  Soy Deli
•  SoyBoy
•  Sunergia Soyfoods
•  Trader Joe's
•  White Wave Foods
•  Wildwood

Vegan Cheese 

• Bute Island Foods Sheese
• Chicago Soydairy Teese
• Daiya
• Dr. Cow Tree Nut Cheese
• Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet
• Galaxy Vegan Cheese
• Rella Good Cheese VeganRella
• Tofutti Soy Cheese Slices
• VBites Cheezly
• Wayfare We Can't Say It's Cheese

 Veg Meat

• Amy's Kitchen
• Boca
• Field Roast
• Garden Protein International (Gardein)
• Gardenburger
• Lightlife
• May Wah
• Morningstar Farms
• Turtle Island Foods
• White Wave Foods
• Yves Veggie Cuisine

 Energy Bar

• Amazing Grass Green Super Food
• Bumble Bar
• Clif Bar
• Larabar
• Luna Bar
• Prana Bar
• ProBar
• Pure Fit
• Raw Revolution Organic Live Food Bar
• Vega Whole Food Energy Bar

 Condiments

• Bragg's Liquid Aminos
• Eat in the Raw Parma
• Eden Foods Gomasio
• Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Cream Cheese
• Follow Your Heart Vegenaise
• Huy Fong Sriracha
• Nasoya Nayonaise
• Organicville Ranch Dressing
• Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream

Tea Companies

• Favorite Tea Company   Celestial Seasonings
• Good Earth
• Guayakí
• Numi Organic Tea
• Stash Tea
• Tazo Tea
• The Republic of Tea
• Traditional Medicinals
• Yogi Tea
• Zhena's Gypsy Tea

 Supplements

•  Amazing Grass
•  Country Life
•  Deva
•  Dr. Fuhrman
•  Garden of Life
•  Healthforce Nutritionals
•  New Chapter Organics
•  NuTru
•  Rainbow Light
•  Solgar
•  Vega
•  Vegan Life
•  VegLife

This blog will be an ongoing project for issues dear to my heart, mainly animal rights and animal welfare in modern times. Please stay tuned as I gradually build on this.

:)