Investigations and Rescues
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Undercover at the Pig Farm: This Is Where "Bacon" Comes From
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Sadness to Sweetness
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Investigation: Abhorrent Cruelties for Land O'Lakes and Other Dairy
Captive Tigers Languishing in Deplorable Conditions in Cancun
Published September 24, 2009 @ 02:33PM PT
For the last year, Mexican and American animal advocacy organizations have been working together in an increasingly critical effort to save seven tigers from horrid captive conditions in Cancun, amid the debris of a former restaurant (where they've been held for several years). And although it looked like the groups and the government had come to agreement on a plan to rescue the animals, officials failed to follow through.
A recent news release explains,
Last Chance for Animals (LCA), The Wild Animal Sanctuary (TWAS) and Gente Por La Defensa Animal (GEPDA) have been negotiating with the Mexican government since August 2008 to rescue and relocate 7 tigers held in abhorrent conditions at Pepe's restaurant, in Cancun, Mexico.
Another Undercover Look at Eggs: How Much Cruelty in Your Dunkin' Donut?
Published September 15, 2009 @ 01:54PM PT
Last month, I wrote about Compassion Over Killing's "Dunkin' Cruelty" campaign (link best opened in a browser other than IE) aimed at getting the popular chain to remove egg and dairy from its doughnuts, in addition to providing vegan menu options. But despite COK's concerted efforts and the many e-mails, calls, and letters from customers and potential customers of Dunkin' Donuts, the company has all but ignored the campaign and the information provided on the cruelties of dairy and eggs.
They'll have a hard time ignoring this latest aspect of the campaign.
Dolphin Slaughter on Hold After Attention from the Cove
Published September 03, 2009 @ 06:55AM PT
Back in February, I wrote briefly on The Cove, the gripping documentary on an annual dolphin slaughter in the Japanese village of Taiji that's been a hot topic among audiences and animal advocates this year (official site here). It's been out in select theaters for about a month now, and in that time, Taiji's Australian sister city has severed ties with the village, and far more significantly, the outcry from audiences has been so great that so far this year, though the slaughter was set to begin this week, the normally blood-red waters of the cove are still running clear: no slaughter yet (see this post from ecorazzi for a striking image comparison).
You can read more about what's happening in Taiji and keep apprised of updates by checking in with Ric O'Barry's SaveJapanDolphins.org blog.
See two different intense trailers below (after the jump) and check to see if there are screenings anywhere near you here.
The Undercover Hatchery Investigation--Not Just for "Factory Farms"
Published September 02, 2009 @ 02:25PM PT
Mercy for Animals' undercover investigation into what happens at hatcheries for the egg industry, about which I told you yesterday, has been getting lots of attention, via mainstream news and blogs and animal rights blogs alike. But one terribly frustrating aspect of reading some of the mainstream blog coverage and comments has been these repeated themes: "Well, this is another reason not to buy industrial eggs"; "I buy free-range, so I'm proud to say I'm not a part of this"; "If you buy local, this doesn't happen."
Not true. Many seem to be missing the point that hatcheries supply free-range operations, "local" egg producers, feed stores, and backyard hobbyists with their hens too; hens exploited for eggs, no matter where you're buying the eggs, come almost entirely from hatcheries that do exactly what the video shows.
This is not a factory farming problem. This is an animal agriculture, eating-of-eggs problem, even if you're buying "free-range."
Undercover Egg Industry Investigation Shows Chicks Ground Up Alive
Published September 01, 2009 @ 07:18AM PT
Edit: See also this follow-up post: "The Undercover Hatchery Investigation--Not Just for Factory Farms."
Numerous posts have appeared on this blog in the last year describing and showing the standard cruelties inherent to all egg production (whether battery or free-range), from the gruesome killing of 250 million malechicks each year at U.S. hatcheries to the ultimate slaughter of all egg-laying hens.
Today, you can see clearly for yourself what happens at the hatcheries, how and where large egg farms and backyard operations alike get the female chicks they will use as egg-laying hens -- and what happens to the other half of the hatched chicks, who are unfortunate enough to be male and of no economic value to the industry (because they have not been bred to grow fast enough for the flesh industry). Mercy for Animals has just released the following video obtained during an undercover investigation at the world's largest hatchery for egg-laying operations: "Thrown, dropped, mutilated, and ground-up alive. This is the shocking reality faced by hundreds of thousands of chicks each day at the world's largest egg-laying breed hatchery."
Please watch. And please remember -- this is not an investigation revealing unusual cruelties. These are the standard, accepted, long-known-about, and defended practices across the egg industry. Read and see more from the undercover investigation on MFA's site dedicated to it. Now is the time to kick the egg habit.
Image and video courtesy of Mercy for Animals
Inside the Humane Slaughterhouse
Published August 17, 2009 @ 07:22AM PT
I saw the link being circulated sometime in the last couple months. I couldn't get past the first few seconds at that time. But last night, a fellow animal advocate used the link to the video in our #oink efforts on Twitter, and I finally made myself watch. Be warned: it's brief (under 2 minutes long), but it's graphic. It's also standard. These actually aren't the worst of the horrors that animal-using industries insist are rare, and this certainly isn't a long, comprehensive video showing everything from transport to dismemberment, or even showing what happens to all the different categories of animals (e.g., the hellish slaughterhouse experience of chickens is not shown here). Rather, this is barely a snippet of what's legal and "humane." And it's what ultimately happens to all farmed animals, whether they're raised for their flesh, their milk, their eggs, or their wool. Video, photo, and investigation courtesy of the always active, always dedicated Igualdad Animal/Animal Equality. (And the post continues after the video.)
Explore helpful, compassionate websites such as this one if you're ready to not be a part of this anymore. And keep an eye on the Friday Food roundups on this blog for all sorts of ideas for compassionate, animal-friendly meals and snacks.
Because Sometimes We All Need a Little Bit of Adorable
Published August 06, 2009 @ 08:20AM PT
Wally and Nemo; photo courtesy of Woodstock FAS
In February, the folks at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary uploaded the below upbeat video of the happy arrival of four rescued piglets, Eva, Nemo, Pinky, and Wally. Noting similarities between pigs and dogs is nothing new, but still, I don't know how anyone could watch these little ones running around and playing gleefully at their safe new home and not think of puppies (and question their eating of pigs). The story of how they ended up at the sanctuary appears after the video:
