I AM AN ELEPHANT by Stu Bykofsky
I was not born for your amusement any more than you were born for mine.
If you see me in the zoo, and especially in the circus, which arrived here yesterday, I am not there willingly.
I was kidnapped and carried far, far away from my home and my family. I might have been an adult, but was more likely a baby when captured. Some “brave” hunter might have killed my mother – who could be dangerous – and sold me to a zoo or circus as an orphan. Continue reading »
Watch out for HumaneWatch!
HumaneWatch has recently had full page ads in the LA Times, accusing the Humane Society of the United States of spending less than 1% of their budget on our country’s shelters. But the truth is that HSUS is not responsible for the overpopulation in our shelters nor is their mission to tackle that particular aspect of the problem. However, they do very effective work to reduce the pet overpopulation in other ways. HumaneWatch is anti-animal, anti-human and very pro-business. Too many people are fooled by their name & their confusing ads and I think it is crucial for the animal community to know that THEY ARE OUR ENEMY! Please pass this knowledge on so none of us are fooled by their ridiculous claims. Continue reading »
A Message About Our Dear Oreo
Animal Acres is a farmed animal sanctuary outside of Los Angeles, Ca. It was co-founded by Lorri Houston and myself in 2005 and it houses over 300 farmed animals who have been rescued from abusive situations. Recently, we rescued three calves from the horrendous veal industry. As is often the case, they were in need of medical care. One little guy, Oreo, never did recover completely from losing his mother and her much need colostrum and he died last week. Our education and outreach liaison, Cameron O’Steen, writes a touching piece here about Oreo and all the calves who suffer due to the milk and veal industries. Continue reading »
Elephant Movie Star Electric-Shocked!
Video released today by Animal Defenders International shows Tai, the elephant that appears alongside Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson (pictured above) in the new film Water for Elephants, being beaten and electric-shocked during training. Continue reading »
A Half Century of Suffering Ends
I was honored to be a part of Animal Rescue Corps. first legal puppy mill raid in Tennessee. We rescued 117 small dogs from horrific conditions and they are now being adopted into loving homes. So many people came to their rescue and ARC and i are extremely grateful. Puppy mills must end and to do that, we all must stop buying our pets! Continue reading »
What’s Wrong With Palm Oil
Having just visited Borneo and the Orangutan Foundation Int’l.’s 330 orphaned orangutans, I am smitten by these beautiful, affectionate, loving primates. We MUST save them and to do this, we must stop using palm oil and end the deforestation that is occurring all over the world so this species, as well as so many others, can survive. I am so impressed with this company, LUSH, and thank them for their strong stance on this. Please urge other companies to do the same. Together, we can and will save them! Continue reading »
Some Animals Are More Equal Than Others
The New York TimesBy Mark Bittman
March 15, 2011
It’s time to take a look at the line between “pet” and “animal.” When the ASPCA sends an agent to the home of a Brooklyn family to arrest one of its members for allegedly killing a hamster, something is wrong.
That “something” is this: we protect “companion animals” like hamsters while largely ignoring what amounts to the torture of chickens and cows and pigs. In short, if I keep a pig as a pet, I can’t kick it. If I keep a pig I intend to sell for food, I can pretty much torture it. State laws known as “Common Farming Exemptions” allow industry — rather than lawmakers — to make any practice legal as long as it’s common. “In other words,” as Jonathan Safran Foer, the author of “Eating Animals,” wrote me via e-mail, “the industry has the power to define cruelty. It’s every bit as crazy as giving burglars the power to define trespassing.” Continue reading »
HOLLYWOOD’S SPIN ON THE USE OF CAPTIVE ANIMALS
For the next few weeks, until the release of the film, Water for Elephants, the public relations for this film will be very busy putting a spin on the use of captive wildlife in entertainment. Their job is to convince movie-goers that using these animals in films is fine but the truth is it isn’t. Here’s a portion of one of these spins. Continue reading »
Are Girl Scout Cookies Killing Orangutans?!
I have been a strong supporter of The Orangutan Foundation for many years. Next week, I am traveling to Borneo with Dr. Birute Galdikas who runs the organization and has been studying and caring for orphaned orangutans for over 30 years. Right now, she has over 300 orphaned orangs and I can’t wait to meet and care for them too! Birute is always speaking about her concern for these animals, and others, due to the palm oil industry. Please drop this unhealthy, unecological ingredient from your menu and save our cousins! Thank you! Continue reading »
MEAT AGGRAVATES WORLD HUNGER
Cornell University Science News
Aug. 07, 1997
U.S. could feed 800 million people with grain that livestock eat, Cornell ecologist advises animal scientists Future water and energy shortages predicted to change face of American agriculture.
From one ecologist’s perspective, the American system of farming grain-fed livestock consumes resources far out of proportion to the yield, accelerates soil erosion, affects world food supply and will be changing in the future.
“If all the grain currently fed to livestock in the United States were consumed directly by people, the number of people who could be fed would be nearly 800 million,” David Pimentel, professor of ecology in Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, reported at the July 24-26 meeting of the Canadian Society of Animal Science in Montreal. Or, if those grains were exported, it would boost the U.S. trade balance by $80 billion a year, Pimentel estimated. Continue reading »
