Videos
"Treat Equal"
Published September 28, 2009 @ 12:27PM PT
I send thanks to animal advocate Susannah from Spain for sending along the following short video from the Stray Animals Foundation/BGD of Turkey (no links because I couldn't find any; anyone who has more information on these groups, please do share). I won't say more to introduce the ad because it speaks, simply but elegantly, for itself.
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.
Peaceable Kingdom Premieres in Boulder, Sept. 26-27
Published September 14, 2009 @ 05:41AM PT
Are you ready for some great news? This past week, the premiere of the long-anticipated Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home was announced! The film will make its debut just a couple weeks from now, at the Moondance International Film Festival, September 26-27, in Boulder, CO. See details on the weekend's events at the evite (amusing side note: it appears the premiere screening is taking place in the Dairy Center for the Arts, a former "dairy processing and storage facility" according to the center's site -- oh, the vegan irony).
A new Web site for the film has just launched as well -- http://www.peaceablekingdomfilm.org/ -- so make sure to wander over and check it out.
I'm terribly jealous of anyone who gets to attend the screenings, talks, and reception in Boulder, but I'm excited to take the first opportunity I get to see it once it starts making the rounds closer to my area. If you can get to Boulder for the premiere, by all means do, but if you can't (and, actually, even if you can), make sure to sign up for updates so that you'll know when the film is heading in your direction and when it's available on DVD. You can also keep up with what's happening with Peaceable Kingdom and other Tribe of Heart projects by becoming a fan at Tribe of Heart's Facebook page.
Related: A Film That Will Change Hearts and Save Lives -- And How You Can Help
The Tortoise at Woodstock
Published September 09, 2009 @ 03:14PM PT
Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary has a new temporary resident. Check out his adorableness (short story below the video):
From Woodstock:
Ciyalana or "Ciya" (pronounced See Ya!) is a 20 pound African Spurred Tortoise who was abandoned in a NYC park about 4 years ago. He is estimated to be 11 years old, with a life expectancy of 70-80 years! Why is a non-farm animal here at the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary? His permanent home, the Lower East Side Ecology Center in Manhattan, is undergoing major renovations over the next year, and we've agreed to provide a loving foster home for this little guy in the meantime.
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.
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
Pregnancy at Slaughter: What Happens to the Calves? Part 3 (Graphic)
Published August 22, 2009 @ 07:47AM PT
I didn't intend for there to be a third part to the posts I wrote a couple months ago about what happens to pregnant dairy cows--and the calves they're carrying--when the industry is done with them (see also part 1 and part 2). But then in recent days, this video surfaced. And of all the horrible, horrifying videos I have seen over the years, this has to be one of the absolute worst.
Notice in the background that the mother cow is still periodically kicking while bleeding out, as the calf who was brutally cut from her womb and laid out on the floor just feet away struggles and cries out for his mother. Notice how their blood--so much blood--pools together after his throat is slit too, as they die horrific deaths together, both mother and baby helpless witness to the other's suffering and violent death. For dairy.
It doesn't matter if this particular video wasn't shot in your own country of residence. The unspeakable cruelties such as these do not know borders. They happen everywhere.
This (and this and this) is dairy milk. And milk chocolate. And dairy cheese. And dairy ice cream. This horror, my friends, is dairy:
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Photo of pregnant cow on front page by Flickr user Jed Sheehan.
Photo of calves on conveyor belt courtesy Viva!
