​worldanimalnews.com/court-rules-that-undercover-investigations-whistleblowing-are-protected-under-the-first-amendment-in-north-carolinas-ag-gag-law/

A court in North Carolina ruled that undercover investigations & whistleblowers were protected under the First Amendment, striking down North Carolina's ag-gag laws. The Anti-Sunshine law extended past animal agriculture, including undercover videos / investigations in daycares and nursing homes. Under the law, journalists and undercover investigators were susceptible to being sued if they publicized information that came from undercover investigations that included videos, conversations with employees, and documented abuse / neglect on animal ag farms and in nursing homes. 

Ag-Gag laws are designed to conceal the truth. The only reason an ag-gag law exists is to protect the animal agriculture industry from being exposed. These laws are laughable in their intent because despite what they claim the laws are aimed to do, they are only designed to keep the abuse and atrocities committed from being made public. Why? If the public finds out about these instances of abuse, neglect, or cruelty, then their opinions of said industry would be affected. These laws are designed to protect these industries from being exposed to the public. My question is, if you're operating a business to the highest standard, then why exactly would you be concerned about someone filming or gathering information? If you've nothing to hide, then let them in. Let them film. Let them show the world that you operate as per welfare standards or within the spectrum of human decency.

The fact is, they likely are NOT operating within set standards. Why would there be a law that punishes someone for exposing abuse rather than a law that tackles these abuses before they're exposed? If you're knowingly protecting people who are engaging in practices that are outside of the acceptable standards, that paints a pretty bleak picture about what North Carolina's real ambitions are. It's easier for them to blame and persecute those who expose the abuse, rather than those who are committing it. It's easier to penalize the person who films workers kicking, punching, spitting on, or tackling farm animals, as opposed to addressing those welfare issues at the forefront. Obviously, this extends to daycares and nursing homes. Why would the government want to hide what's happening to our children or our elderly unless the were concerned that there were things happening that were not acceptable and would not be well received by the general public?

These laws are designed to inhibit transparency. Kind of like, if you don't know about it, you can't care about it. When we've gotten to a point where we'd rather hide abuse than expose and address it, we're in serious trouble. People in North Carolina SHOULD be concerned that their government is hiding information from them. Would your opinion of an animal agriculture industry change if you knew they abused the animals prior to slaughtering them for food? Would you be outraged if you found out that nursing home or daycare employees were abusing or neglecting your loved ones? Of course you would be, and that's why ag-gag laws exist. Not to address problems, but to hide them/

I'm pleased that North Carolina's Anti-Sunshine law was struck down. Address the short-comings in these industries and you won't have to worry about a whistle blower. If workers are following welfare standards set out for their industry, then there shouldn't be a darned thing to worry about. My hope is that this law being struck down sparks a conversation among the people of North Carolina. Your government is trying to hide things from you and it's information regarding your loved ones and the food that makes it to your plate. You SHOULD care about why they're trying to hide things from you.

​www.ctvnews.ca/canada/cruelty-investigation-launched-into-b-c-slaughterhouse-after-secret-video-obtained-1.6285404

Advocacy group Animal Justice, filed a legal complaint against Meadow Valley Meats, after an undercover video exposed several potential instances of blatant animal abuse / cruelty. The video, filmed last summer and submitted to Animal Justice this past month, depicts cows, sheep, and goats, being kicked and hit with various instruments; not in line with the standards set out for slaughterhouses. Unsurprisingly, this is not the first time that BC's largest producer of beef, veal, lamb, and goat meat, has been in hot water. Under its previous name, Pitt Meadow Meats, the slaughterhouse was charged with knowingly selling meat tainted with e-coli, and two of its current directors were charged with animal cruelty on a dairy farm they were tied to in the past. It seems that Meadow Valley Meats has a history of animal abuse.

Any time I hear "humane" when it comes to meat, it's almost laughable because these same farms / slaughterhouses are often filmed doing things that are hardly humane. All the terminology does is sugarcoat what's actually happening in these places. Let me be frank; there is no humane way to slaughter an animal that fears for its life. There is no humane way to slaughter an animal after you're documented kicking, punching, and hitting it in the face with random objects. Humane meat is a myth. These animals can be seen fearfully trying to avoid slaughter. They've been documented screaming, trying to run, being pushed & prodded towards slaughter. Producers of meat simply hide behind this terminology, but the fact is, you can't humanely kill something that doesn't want to die.

Look, if you're convinced that this is an isolated incident, think again. I can almost guarantee that if an undercover video was taken of ANY slaughterhouse, there would be documented abuse and cruelty outside of Canada's slaughter / welfare standards. People working in these places are completely desensitized to the suffering of these animals. They see these animals as nothing more than products, which is why abuse is not uncommon. If they can desensitize to animals in fear for their life, what makes you think that they'd have any trouble kicking, pushing, punching, or prodding those same animals? They wouldn't, that's the problem.

I hope Meadow Valley Meats gets charged and convicted of animal cruelty / abuse. I hope that every single slaughter house on this planet that is abusing animals behind closed doors is exposed for the corruption they contribute to. I hope that one day we recognize that mass produced meat IS animal cruelty. There's simply no way to humanely slaughter hundreds of thousands of animals on any given day, week, month, or year. 

​Learn more about the investigation through the link at the top of this post. 

​worldanimalnews.com/imperiled-leopards-are-one-step-closer-to-increased-endangered-species-act-protection/

Fragmentation, habitat loss, ceremonial use of pelts, poaching, and trophy hunting; African Leopards are facing never-ending, human caused perils that are putting them in danger of possible extinction. Despite having some Endangered Species Act Protections, the rules surrounding trophy hunting imports have left leopards susceptible to continued poaching. Now, the USWFS has agreed to a June 2027 deadline to analyze whether the African Leopard requires further protections that would specifically target trophy hunting and trophy imports.

One of the things I would like to remind people who argue against these protections is that at one point in our history, every single species on the Endangered Species List was abundant on our planet. Every species that has since gone extinct, was at one point abundant on our planet. The fact is, as the human population continues to grow, the animal kingdom will inevitably decline, unless we change the things we are doing. When we're using terminology like "endangered", "threatened", "vulnerable", or "extinct", this should be an immediate response from our Governments to tackle ANY human-caused peril that is putting a species in danger. However, it seems like it takes several lawsuits and many years before the responsible parts of our governments decide it's time to act. 

Our inaction is negligence. While we drag our heels, leopards are being killed for trophies. There cannot be conservation when we are simultaneously permitting shooting leopards for the right price. Leopards must receive the highest form of protections through the ESA in order to properly help the species rehabilitate. It's time to stop pandering to wealthy hunters and start pandering to our planet's imperiled species. Once they're gone, they're gone, no more trophies, no more leopards. There's only one responsible solution here; give leopards the protections they deserve.

​Learn more through the link at the top of this post.

​worldanimalnews.com/wan-exclusive-with-eduardo-goncalves-founder-of-campaign-to-ban-trophy-hunting-urgent-need-to-pass-legislation-prohibiting-the-import-of-animal-trophies-into-the-uk/

We've all seen the photos on social media of these creeps posing behind the corpses of Africa's most majestic animals. Every time I see one of those pictures, I can't believe how much pride these people have over putting a bullet in an animal already facing perils to its survival. The U.K. has introduced a bill to ban the import of hunting trophies and it continues to make its way through Parliament after a second reading back in November. If passed, the United Kingdom would send an incredibly strong message to the rest of the world about the importance of banning trophy imports to protect vulnerable species.

The argument that trophy hunting helps with conservation would suggest that these species' have benefited from being hunted for sport. Let's take a look at the numbers to get a really good idea of how well things are going for some of Africa's most hunted species.

LIONS:
2023 Population - Approximately 20, 000
1923 Population: Approximately 200, 000
Decline - 90% In 100 years

GIRAFFES:
2023 Population - Approximately 100, 000
1993 Population - Approximately 140, 000
Decline - 40% in 30 Years

ELEPHANTS:
2023 Population - Approximately 400, 000
2013 Population - Approximately 648, 000
Decline - 62% In 10 Years

CHEETAHS
2023 - Approximately 8, 000
1983 - Approximately 16, 000
​Decline - 50% in 40 Years

While exact numbers are hard to determine, in every case, these species have declined exponentially over decades. We're losing these animals at an alarming rate and coupled with habitat loss, fragmentation, continued human conflicts, and illegal poaching, they are all on a dangerous path towards extinction. Knowing this, why are we allowing these animals to be shot and killed for sport? The numbers don't lie, they're all headed towards further endangerment and inevitable extinction. We've gotten to a point where hunters are shooting and killing captive-bred lions to protect the wild population. You heard that correctly y'all; instead of breeding lions to rehabilitate the species, we're literally breeding them so that wealthy people can kill them for fun. That's the state of humanity's concerns when it comes to the extinction of wild animals.

Banning hunting trophies is a necessary step if a country is truly going to commit to ending trophy hunting. By banning the import of trophies, it sends a message that as a country, trophy hunting is widely frowned upon and recognized as a peril that is putting Africa's most recognized species at further risk of extinction. The UK banning these trophies would hopefully push other countries where trophies are permitted in to reconsidering their position. When these animals are already on a path to extinction, why are we helping them along for sport? 

Learn more by visiting the link at the top of this post. It's long passed time to end trophy hunting! Find the CAMPAIGN TO BAN TROPHY HUNTING on Facebook and show them your support!

​www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/horse-transport-flight-canada-1.6737522

While a lot of Canadians may not be aware, Canada is responsible for exporting approximately 4, 000 or more horses per year. Typically these horses are shipped from Winnipeg to Japan, where they are fattened up before being slaughtered for meat. Canada is also home to 4 equine slaughterhouses that are responsible for the slaughter of up to 25, 000 horses annually or more. Despite promises made by Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in regards to the live export of horses, they are still being shipped to Japan and in some cases, enduring irresponsible amounts of time without access to food or water.

Canada's animal welfare reputation is hardly a shining example of things gone right. Our country continues to allow the horrific slaughter of seals annually, production and import / export of fur products, and hasn't done enough to tackle live exports. When it comes to live exports, there are so many risk factors involved and the voiceless animals are the ones who suffer. These journeys cause intense stress on innocent animals and there's something so disgusting about watching beautiful horses loaded in to crates knowing that they are being sent to their death. It's such an abuse of a relationship that goes back in to our history for centuries. Horses have been with us throughout our history and yet here we are in 2023, sending them away to their deaths. It's abhorrent.

New Zealand most recently initiated a ban on live exports after a boat carrying 6, 000 cows capsized, killing crew and plunging 6, 000 innocent cows in to the ocean to drown agonizingly. The fact is, there's no guarantees when it comes to live exports and the insignificant amount of money tied to horse exports is not worth the hell we put them through to get them to their destination. Canada has an opportunity to step up and do the right thing for animals. There's no other option. It's time for Canada to ban live exports of animals intended for slaughter. 

Learn more about the incident that sparked outrage for horses and the horse export industry by visiting the link at the top of this post. Let's spread this and share to remind our government that most Canadians want a ban on horse exports!

​worldanimalnews.com/undercover-investigation-of-fur-farms-in-finland-reveals-sick-suffering-foxes-being-kept-in-small-barren-cages/

Undercover footage of Finland's fur farms has turned up horrifying examples of animal cruelty. The footage displays several instances of blatant cruelty, neglect, and frankly, abuse, as calls for the EU to ban fur farming continue to grow and pick up steam. The cruelty and neglect displayed were in direct contrast to Finland's SAGA furs assurance scheme which promises the highest level of animal welfare commitments. Should we be surprised that an industry that exploits animals also lies about the conditions in  which they are kept?

While this information is shocking and saddening, the fact is, this isn't limited to Finland's fur farms. During my time writing for this blog over the years, there have been several stories regarding fur farms and all of them share similarities in that the animals on their farms are neglected, left without adequate food, water, or shelter, and are often in peril from a lack of veterinary care. These places don't give a rat's ass about the welfare of these animals as long as their pelts remain usable and in good condition. This blatant exploitation for furs that are outdated and no longer widely accepted in our society needs to come to an end. 

We've seen countries, state's, and major fashion labels turning their backs on the fur industry in recent years as the anti-fur movement continues. There is no place for fur in our society any longer and there is certainly no excuse for abusing innocent animals that are skinned and dumped like trash after a life of misery, sickness, and filth. It's time to finally end the fur trade and be done with this unnecessary cruelty.

Learn more by visiting the original story through the link at the top of this post.