Sign the Pledge to Be Fur-Free

Consumers everywhere need to know the truth about fur. When people learn that millions of innocent animals are beaten, boiled, hanged, and electrocuted for their fur every year; that each fur coat, each piece of fur lining or fur trim, and each fur cat toy represents the intense suffering of dozens of animals; and that furriers intentionally mislabel the fur of cats and dogs as fur from other species or as faux fur—then every decent human being will want to go fur-free.



Full Petition Text:



I, the undersigned, hereby pledge to go fur-free. I say ''No!'' to the cruel and barbaric slaughter of millions of animals around the world for their skin. I say ''No!'' to fur coats, fur collars, fur trim, fur trinkets, fur cat toys, and other products made from the fur of animals as well as to any attempt to sneak fur into everyday items. I pledge to expose the truth about fur and spread the word until we close down the international fur trade forever.

https://secure.peta.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=3191&s_src=paa_like&c=pfblike

Cool Babysitters

London, Fenwick & Haku have been looking after the 6 kittens of Sunshine. These kittens must be now 5 months old.

Time & again, animals have shown they can look after anyone’s baby. There are zillions of examples. Anyway, they all look very cute.

There are some more pics…

Source: http://lovemeow.com/2010/11/kittens-and-their-canine-babysitters/

HSI Updates On Japanese Relief Works

This is just a news update from HSI (Humane Society International) about the efforts that are already taking place to help the animals in Japan in these sad and troubled times. Although, human safety is absolutely necessary but the animals are a key priority too, which is many organizations are putting in efforts to keep them safe as well. Here is the update from HSI:

HSI disaster response team is in the Philippines and has reached out to key Japanese partner organizations to offer both immediate and long-term assistance of all kinds, including:

- Expertise and funding for rescue efforts

- Animal-related needs assessment to identify where and how best to provide emergency support and veterinary attention;

- Coordination to purchase and transport essential supplies;

- Establishment of shelters and supply depots in or near the strike zone.

Once the radiation hazards of the situation in Japan have been determined, HSI will consider direct deployment of staff members. In the meantime, they are fully committed to supporting those Japanese citizens and organizations on the ground working to help animals.

Let us pray for our Japanese friends that they remain safe and recover from this tragedy soon enough just like they always do!

In case anyone wants to help in monetary terms, HSI has set aside funds to support direct response and ongoing expenses of animal rescue and animal care in Japan and welcome donations to their International Disaster Fund.

Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support

A man and his little muddy dog reunited...I have been reading that they are doing everything to rescue animals. It breaks my heart to see this pic though.

A man holding a dog walks on a street in Kesennuma city after a tsunami devastated a swath of northeast Japan.

While there is no official news on the status of Cat Island (Tashiro Island), where hundreds of cats live among elderly humans, it is thought that the island was not swept away in the tsunami.

But Nohl Rosen posted in Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support — "I have a friend in Japan who reached others who knew about Tashirojima. People and cats are said to be okay, but the island sustained much building damage. They need bare necessities for humans and cat food.”

A coalition of three groups — HEART-Tokushima, Animal Garden Niigata, and Japan Cat Network — has united to provide shelter, rescue, and an exchange of information for animals of Japan’s earthquake and tsunami.

On this link, there are various emails & contact numbers. You can also donate money to help out rescued animals. They need volunteers.

http://www.kinshipcircle.org/disasters/japan_quake/notes.html

If you are looking to donate that can be done through paypal here:

http://japanearthquakeanimalrelief.chipin.com/japan-earthquake-animal-rescue-and-support

Cute animals

Stop the Skinning of Live Animals NOW!!

The video is very difficult to watch but you need to watch it so click the link below to view the video and sign the petition. What is happening to dogs and cats overseas is far worse than anything I've seen. It's disgusting, inhumane and emotionally distressing. THIS MUST STOP NOW!!!! There is almost 150,000 signatures already and we can't stop there.

Go to http://www.ptroa.co.il/petitionmovie/petition-English.php sorry, you may have to copy and paste the link.

Tens of millions of animals are slaughtered and butchered in China each year. Animal fur is in high demand, and the Chinese deliver. What does not get exported outside of China usually ends up on a dinner plate. The sad fact is that the animals suffer horrendous torture. They are captured on the streets, and packed by the dozens into small cages, without ability to move. They are then tossed like inanimate objects from the trucks, onto the ground, hitting each other and the steel cages. These cages are later stacked, and the real nightmare begins. The animal is brutally pulled out of the cage, and tied to prevent resistance. It is lightly stunned by a blow on the head, but still alive. If the animal is not heavy, the worker holds it by its hind legs, waves it in the air and then bashes its head against the ground. Once the animal is subdued, a new and incomprehensible stage in this ongoing nightmare begins. The worker cuts a tiny incision in the animal's rear, and then methodically peels away the skin. This skinning process takes about a minute, during which the worker actively keeps the animal alive, as it is believed that it is easier to skin the animal while it is still warm and blood flows through its veins. The nightmare does not end here. The final stage in this unbelievable horror is when the animal is tossed aside, and slowly, amidst a heap of its dying friends, it perishes as it is no longer able to withstand the pain. In other cases, when the animal's fur is not needed (mostly with cats), the animals are put in a sack, and are then cooked alive in a barrel of boiling water.

This process is extremely hard to digest, but we believe it is not propelled by cruelty, but rather by ignorance and lack of awareness to animal needs. The workers do not think to kill the animal before they begin, and are not aware of the animal's suffering. Our commitment is to provide enlightenment. It is our moral obligation to these animals. If we shut our eyes this will not go away!

http://www.change.org/petitions/stop_the_skinning_of_live_animals_now

Strange Similarities

No Elephant Acts or Exhibitions

We, the undersigned, support Alliance for Animals in their request for Dane County to adopt an elephant-free policy barring elephant acts and the exhibition of live elephants in facilities owned or operated by Dane County.

Elephants in circuses are trained using violence and intimidation. Every circus with elephants has a long list of government-issued citations ranging from the failure to provide adequate veterinary care to inflicting physical harm to the elephants. Elephant acts teach children that it is proper to harm and manipulate animals under the guise of “entertainment.”

Dane County relocated elephants from the county zoo to provide them with much better living conditions. Let's finish the job and make Dane County elephant-free

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/no-elephant-acts-or-exhibitions/

Help us to end gas chamber euthanasia in North Carolina animal shelters!

This petition supports Davie's Law, a bill being reintroduced in 2011, which requires the removal of all gas chambers from North Carolina shelters. This petition will be sent to North Carolina lawmakers; as well as the 20 county commissioners representing North Carolina counties who still use this form of euthanasia.

If passed, this bill would require the removal of all gas chambers from North Carolina shelters. The law would also ban heartstick which is a painful and cruel procedure also being used. The bill would mandate euthanasia by lethal injection of sodium pentobarbital or equivalent, or oral ingestion of the drug, for all shelter animals. Davie's Law was assigned to the state House of Representatives Agriculture Committee which, despite broad public support, never even voted on the bill and it died in committee. Davie's Law is anticipated to refile in 2011.

DID YOU KNOW:

-EBI (Euthanasia by Injection) is the most humane and safest method of euthanizing shelter animals-EBI is the method preferred by the National Animal Control Association

-IF successful, the gas chamber can take up to 25 to 30 minutes to end an animal's life, whereas EBI causes loss of consciousness within 3 to 5 seconds and clinical death within 2 to 5 minutes-Currently, only 9 states have laws that explicitly ban all forms of gassing for all types of animals in shelters
Not to mention, a 2009 study by American Humane shows EBI is less costly than gas to communities. Not only is carbon monoxide more expensive than EBI ($4.98 per animal v. $2.29 per animal) but it is also extremely dangerous for personnel because it is highly toxic and difficult to detect.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/humane-euthanasia-NC/

All Animals Have The Right to Live!

Fight Global Warming! Demand Global Conservation!

Every day, global warming is impacting our environment, our animals, our health, and the future of our planet. The damage we as humans are causing our earth is irreversible. Harmful carbon emissions from transportation vehicles are causing the ice caps to melt and sea levels to rise. Deforestation contributes to carbon levels and destroys wildlife habitat. We need to take action now if we are to halt the destruction we're doing to the environment.

The Global Conservation Act of 2010 (H.R. 4959) would address the issues of global warming and lead the world in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reversing some of the tendencies that are leading us to environmental ruin. Sign the petition asking EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to support this important legislation and take a stand for the health of our earth.

http://www.therainforestsite.com/clickToGive/campaign.faces?siteId=4&campaign=GlobalConservationAct

Baptism of fire: The festival of San Bartolomé de Pinares

The Luminarias Festival in Spain is a celebration of the patron saint of animals where Spaniards ride their horses through bonfires. It is religious celebration that takes place every year on the eve of Saint Anthony's Day in the village of San Bartolomé de Pinares.

According to tradition, people ride their horses through fire to purify the animals, insisting that animals are never hurt, instead they are protected for the coming year by the smoke and flames.

SAMPLE LETTER

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am contacting you regarding the annual tradition that takes place in San Bartolomé de Pinares, where villagers ride horses, donkeys and mules through bonfires as part of the Luminarias celebration.

This cruel tradition, that has already been condemned by several equine welfare experts and animal welfare groups, causes the animals unnecessary stress and poses a danger to the animals and to the participants. There has been a tacit agreement under which the riders have agreed not to leap over the flames, but to pass around the burning logs. Even under such conditions, the event will undoubtedly cause a tremendous stress and suffering to the animals, due to their great natural fear of fire. It is a common occurrence that the rider has been thrown off the animal, due to the animal's distress of being engulfed in 8 ft of flames. It is well possible that the rider may, under such circumstances, be thrown directly into the flames. Many horsemen do not follow this agreement and instead leap through the flames, which can easily lead to severe burns or worse.

Tradition is no excuse for animal cruelty. Please put an end to this practice and find an alternative way to celebrate the patron saint of animals, specifically a way that is based on compassion and respect for all living beings, and that does not endanger the lives or welfare of the participants.

Sincerely,

[Name]

CONTACT

Mayor of San Bartolomé:

VICTOR GÓMEZ MARTÍN

DIRECCIÓN ADDRESS

C/LA VIRGEN, Nº 1 C / LA VIRGEN, No. 1

CP: 05267. CP: 05267.

SAN BARTOLOME DE PINARES.

Telephone / Email

920 270 001 270 920 001

sbartolomepinares@diputacionavila.es

http://www.diputacionavila.es/diputacion/correos.php

E-mail block (paste into BCC):

presidencia@diputacionavila.es, secretaria@diputacionavila.es, turismo@diputacionavila.es, sbartolomepinares@diputacionavila.es

Help Outlaw Bestiality in the Sunshine State

Unbelievably, bestiality is still legal in Florida. Numerous states including Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Alaska, South Dakota, and Washington have passed laws prohibiting this exploitive and abusive practice.

Florida SB 344/HB 125 filed by Senator Nan Rich and Rep. Marty Kiar would outlaw sexual conduct or sexual contact with animals. Anyone violating this law would be guilty of a misdemeanor.

Please sign the petition and ask Florida state legislators to outlaw bestiality.

http://animals.change.org/petitions/view/help_outlaw_bestiality_in_the_sunshine_state

You must live in the U.S. to sign this petition.

Pamela Anderson Shows That All Animals Have the Same Parts

In this sexy ad for PETA, the blonde bombshell shows some serious skin and looks as if she's been tagged by a butcher, making it clear that humans and animals are composed of identical parts.

Just like humans, animals are made of flesh, blood, and bone and have organs and senses. Animals also have emotions and unique personalities, feel pain, and create families and relationships with other animals, if given the chance.

Ninety-seven percent of the U.S. meat supply comes from factory-farmed animals. Animals on factory farms are deprived of everything that is natural and important to them. They are forced to live in filthy, severely crowded conditions and are often fed an unnatural diet that includes antibiotics and other drugs. Disease spreads quickly on factory farms, and animals are often denied proper veterinary care and forced to stand in their own waste. These animals' short lives come to a painful end at the slaughterhouse where cows, pigs, and chickens often have their throats cut and are dismembered while they are still conscious.

In the ad, Pamela Anderson shows off her outer—and inner—beauty to promote a vegetarian diet and point out the similarities between humans and animals. There are many cruelty-free and tasty alternatives to meat available, and going vegetarian saves the lives of approximately 100 animals a year!

Do something good for yourself and for animals. Join Pamela Anderson and pledge to be vegetarian now!

https://secure.peta.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=3205

2,400 pigs have been buried alive in the Republic of Korea

The Republic of Korea is a member of the OIE (World Organization for Animal Health) and live burial of animals is in clear breach of the OIE Guidelines on the Killing of Animals for Disease Control Purposes.

Please we need a flood of letters to South Korean authorities.

http://www.ciwf.org.uk/news/compassion_news/reported_live_burial_of_pigs_in_the_republic_of_korea.aspx

Sample letter to the Embassy of Republic of Korea in London.

http://www.ciwf.org.uk/includes/documents/cm_docs/2010/s/supporter_letter_korea.pdf

Petition to sign:

http://www.change.org/petitions/view/animals_buried_alive_in_korea

Thank you !!!

4 reasons why you should go vegetarian

1. Because eating meat is murder.

Everyone who eats animal products is responsible for the abuse and deaths of beings with lives and personalities of their own—beings who did not choose to be carved up and put on the dinner table.

2. Because eating meat is torture.

Animals raised for food are separated from their mothers shortly after birth and spend their brief, miserable lives crammed together by the thousands in factory farms, sometimes unable to move or to take a single step in any direction.

Animals raised for food are so stressed and fearful, factory farmers think that the only way to prevent them from fighting is through systematic mutilation. Chickens' sensitive beaks are cut off with a hot blade, and pigs' teeth and tails are cut off—all without the use of painkillers. On the killing floor, many animals are still conscious when they are skinned and cut into pieces.

3. Because eating meat is suicide.

4. Because eating meat just isn’t fair

The suffering of humans and the suffering of other animals are interconnected. By alleviating the suffering of other animals, we also help alleviate human suffering.

Simply put, the more meat you eat, the fewer people you feed. You can feed 20 vegetarians on the amount of land needed to feed one person on a meat-based diet.

Source:

http://www.petaasiapacific.com/issues-nottoeat.asp

Tell North Utah Valley Animal Shelter: Stop Selling Homeless Animals for Experimentation

Dogs and cats at the North Utah Valley Animal Shelter (NUVAS) are ready for their forever homes. Yet the shelter has betrayed the trust of the animals in its care. NUVAS actually sells homeless dogs and cats to the University of Utah’s laboratories for animal experiments.

Until early 2010, Utah maintained an archaic law that mandated that public shelters give strays and other unwanted animals to research. The new law, H.B. 107, means pound seizure is now discretionary and all shelters – except NUVAS – have abandoned the cruel practice.

http://www.change.org/petitions/view/tell_north_utah_valley_animal_shelter_stop_selling_homeless_animals_for_experimentation

Groups Want Gas Chamber To Euthanize Animals Banned

The State of Alabama should ban the use of all gas chambers as a means of euthanasia for animals in private and/or government shelters.

The eyes of the world are upon The State of Alabama as Alabama continues to use this cruel and outdated method of euthanasia. This petition is to protest the use of gas chambers in Alabama Animal Shelters.

The use of lethal injections for purposes of euthanasia brings death within seconds, without pain. The gas chambers used to asphyxiate shelter animals result in terrifying final struggles for life that take merciless minutes upon minutes and are not always successful on the first attempt.

The banning of the gas chambers would phase out all gas chamber types operated that collect and care for strays, neglected, abandoned or unwanted animals in private and public animal shelters throughout Alabama.

The State of Alabama is encouraged to promote the control of pet populations through low cost Spay-Neuter Programs. More people in Alabama would have their pets spayed or neutered but are prohibited by the costs.

We present our petition respectfully to The State of Alabama on behalf of The Voiceless Ones who cannot speak for themselves regarding this cruel and outdated practice.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/BanGasChambersInAlabamaAnimalShelters/