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At a time where elephants face an unknown future, the very last thing you'd expect to hear at this time is that a government has lifted a ban on hunting them. Unfortunately, that is exactly the case in Botswana after a 5 year ban on hunting elephants was lifted in 2019. The only thing currently saving the lives of these elephants is the lack of air travel that would bring hunters to Botswana. This will not last forever and these elephants are in grave danger of being hunted to extinction.
Elephants are classified as "endangered" under the Endangered Species Act which indicates that they are in danger of going extinct. There are approximately 40 to 50 thousand elephants left on this planet and they face a multitude of perils that push them further towards extinction. Habitat loss through human growth and development, human conflict, and illegal poaching all pose serious risks to the survival of elephants.
Knowing this, I'm flabbergasted at any kind of decision that lifts protections for elephants. By removing bans on hunting elephants, the government in Botswana is sending out a very clear message that the survival of the species is significantly less important than the farming / livestock industry, less important than the money generated by permitted hunts, and less important than the global population who generally wants to see elephants protected properly. Without a supportive program to protect and conserve the elephants across the globe, they will undoubtedly go extinct in the wild. That's why it is imperative that we reach out to the Botswana government and express our discontent over their decision to lift bans on hunting. Elephants are incredibly intelligent and loving animals. In fact, elephants have been proven to grieve over family / friends who have been killed and suffer extreme trauma when witnessing other elephants being killed. Elephants carry emotional trauma with them for the rest of their lives and those who have witnessed hunters slaughtering other elephants will almost always react with aggression towards humans in the future. This aggression towards humans will lead to further human / animal conflicts that will result in their being killed. It's a completely unacceptable cycle that can only be stopped by our actions. It's time to come together as a global community to protect our planet's most vulnerable species'. It's time to ban any kind of permitted hunting of wild, endangered animals. This is a no brainer, we shouldn't be allowing anyone to hunt any animal that is listed as endangered. It's thoughtless and absolutely neglectful of our duty to this planet and the animals that live on it. We need to stand up for animals, not watch as they disappear from our planet. Follow the link at the top of this post to the original story from World Animal News. They list a few ways you can reach out to the Botswana government and express your discontent over their decision to lift the hunting ban. It's an opportunity for us to let them know how important elephants are to us and why it's important to work with them as opposed to against them for the sake of their existence. HAPPY VEG
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Can I just start off by saying that it gives me such great pleasure to report good news like this when it comes to fruition! Thanks in part to the many signatures submitted and the tireless efforts of conservationists and welfare groups, the California Senate voted 5 - 0 in favour of listing the Mountain Lion under the Endangered Species Act. The vote comes after a year of analyzation to determine if the mountain lion population needed protections under the ACT. Such a unanimous vote is something to celebrate!
The Endangered Species Act is the single most successful program on the planet in terms of rehabilitating a species on the brink of extinction. Listing an animal under the ESA grants them a slew of additional protections and forces local governments to address problems head on and look for reasonable solutions to rehabilitating a species. Without these protections, money is not allocated to these ideas which further pushes animals closer and closer to going extinct and authorities do not willingly work with wildlife and conservation experts to address problems. That's why votes like these are absolutely crucial in protecting animals.
Big cats on this planet are one of the most in danger group of animals. Almost all variety of cats including jaguars, lions, and tigers, face unparalleled dangers in the wild that are pushing them towards extinction. It is imperative that we come together as a global community to tackle these issues so that big cats have as much of a chance at a future as we do. Congratulations to California for voting in favour of protecting Mountain Lions and securing a future for them. HAPPY VEG While health organizations and welfare groups across the globe continue to press China to ban its wet markets, some good news has come about. The city of Zhuhai in China has officially banned the consumption of cats, dogs, and wildlife, joining the city of Shenzhen in making the ban official in recent weeks. This excellent news could spell the end of the cat and dog meat trade in China with welfare groups hoping that other cities in China will now be inspired to commit to bans on the cat and dog meat trade.
This news comes on the heels of the Ministry of Agriculture in China making an official statement on the consumption of cats and dogs. The statement suggested that cats and dogs are pets and not livestock, stating that things have changed and China must meet global standards regarding cat and dog consumption. With this statement coming to fruition, it's obvious that China is recognizing the abhorrence of consuming cats and dogs and these cities officially banning the consumption of cats, dogs, and wildlife, is a step in the right direction.
China has reputably some of the worst animal welfare standards on the planet. Wet markets are an example of the lackluster welfare standards China has maintained. Wild animals crammed into cages, alive, and waiting to be paid for and consumed. Zoos where live animals are fed to predators in front of adoring Chinese zoo patrons and of course, the Yulin dog meat festival. These are just some of the examples of China's lack of appropriate welfare standards for animals. That's why it is so important that these welfare and health organizations continue to mount pressure on China to improve its standards for animals. It's time to ban cat and dog consumption across the nation. It's time to end wet markets which are cesspools for disease and virus'. With a second city coming out and banning the cat and dog meat trade, it's hoped that this trend will continue with an eventual ban across the nation. Learn more about the dog and cat meat trade in China by following the link at the top of this post. HAPPY VEG On April 16th, the California Fish and Game Commission will hold a vote on whether to protect Mountain Lions under the ESA and signatures are needed to help convince them that this is a crucial and necessary step. Listing mountain lions under the ESA would allow the government to allocate necessary time and funds to properly protect the mountain lions before they go extinct. Listing mountain lions under the ESA would tackle some of the fundamental things going wrong in mountain lion conservation. For example, mountain lions are at extreme risk of vehicular collision due to continued freeway development and expansion, but with the ESA protections, funds could be allocated to much needed wildlife crossings which have been proven to significantly reduce animal & vehicle collisions. These crossings would allow mountain lions and other animals to move above the freeway without risking being slaughtered by traffic.
Please take the time to visit the link at the top of this post and lend your voice to a petition demanding mountain lions be protected under the ESA. Without these protections, mountain lions will disappear and it will be solely because of our inaction.
HAPPY VEG Coming off of the heels of Shenzehn being the first city in China to ban the consumption of cats and dogs, the Ministry of Agriculture in China has addressed the omission of cats and dogs as being listed as "livestock". This marks the very first time that cats and dogs have been omitted from the list but also the first time that it has been recognized and spoken out against by a recognizable figure in China.
While most vegans would argue that it is hypocritical to be horrified by the consumption of cats and dogs while still consuming animals period, it's especially horrifying because we have for so long labelled these animals as companions and not food. For me specifically, I don't think anyone should be eating animals period but when it comes to animals designated as livestock, we shouldn't be looking outside of this box for other animals we can eat. We are already subjecting entire species to a lifetime of torture and slaughter for our plates, we needn't subject ALL animals to this horrific life.
Another thing about the consumption of "pet" animals in China is that they are bred in some of the most horrific conditions imaginable if not stolen from households to be consumed. These poor cats and dogs could very well have been a family pet before they were snatched up and caged until consumption. The images of dogs crammed into cages, whelping for their lives as they await being burned alive, beaten, or worse, is one that I cannot forget which is why it is so important that someone of high rank in China has finally addressed the consumption of dogs and cats in a negative light. This could signal the end of the dog and cat meat trade in China which would spare millions of animals from gruesome deaths every year. With Shenzehn banning the consumption and now the Minister of Agriculture speaking out, I am hoping we will continue to see good news for animals coming from China starting with a full ban on the consumption of cats and dogs. I will update you guys as more information becomes available. HAPPY VEG Despite coronavirus distancing measures put in place across the globe, the Norwegian seal hunt is intended to go on as planned with a projected 18, 548 harp seals set to be slaughtered. The news that the seal hunt was going to commence has angered animal welfare groups who are urging the government to ban the hunt this year out of concern for both human and animal welfare.
Animal welfare groups are calling out the hunt's hypocrisy regarding covid-19 and the safety of the crew. The inspector is not participating due to concerns of the virus spreading and yet the rest of the crew are not being held to that same standard, essentially putting them all at risk of contracting / passing around the virus. This hunt going forward is putting all of the crew members at risk of getting seriously ill which and possibly bringing this virus back to spread throughout their community. It makes absolutely no sense from a health perspective why the Norwegian government wouldn't recognize that this is a recipe for disaster.
Finally, the seal hunt is fucking abhorrent. These poor animals are chased on sea ice, fleeing for their lives until they are clubbed repeatedly and dragged across the ice. The visuals of bright red blood splatter across the crisp, white sea ice, is one that has been burned into my mind. There is no necessity in this whatsoever, we can all survive without seal skin / fur products, so I fail to how the pros outweigh the possible cons in this situation. At a time when our planet is suffering, animals are rapidly going extinct, habitats are being destroyed, sea ice is melting across the globe etc., we mustn't be allowing these sort of mass slaughter events. Where's the logic in allowing almost twenty thousand seals to be slaughtered when I'm sure within the next 20 years their habitat will be completely decimated? Humans continue to destroy the planet and everything that lives on it without regard for the non-human inhabitants. We are disgraceful, shameful, and sickeningly profit driven. It's time to ban the seal hunt across the globe once and for all. Stop contributing to the demise of animals in mass quantities, we must be trying to protect them and preserve them, not wipe the off the face of the planet. Head to the link at the top of the page to the original story and follow the link to add your signatures to a petition urging the Norwegian government to end the hunt! HAPPY VEG The San Francisco Federal Court approved a ban against the United States Fish & Wildlife Services from killing wildlife until they come up with a comprehensive plan as to how these killings affect the ecosystems. The ban stems from a lawsuit by the Center for Biological Diversity, Animal Legal Defense Fund, and Project Coyote, who filed the lawsuit in August of 2019.
In almost all cases, predators are killed because of their interference with humans despite the fact that it is our continued growth and development that intrudes on their natural habitat. By continuing to grow and develop, we take away much needed land for wild animals which forces them to get too close to us in search for food. This in turn spurs an unfortunate chain of events that leads to so many animals being killed when we are in fact to blame for their interactions with us. How can we blame these animals for their natural instincts when we are aware of what our growth and development does to an ecosystem?
With the ban on future killings until a plan is put in place, my hopes are that non-lethal methods will be preferred when dealing with predators. Secondly, I also hope that the development ceases in order to analyze what space is needed for these animals to naturally roam and procreate without humans invading and taking their land away from them. It's common sense, if we stop taking more and more space away from them, they will stop ending up in our backyards putting our children and pets at risk. I mean, if you leave garbage out unattended, you can't blame the rats and skunks from finding food right? That same logic applies here, we can't keep going around killing everything. It's shameful when we have other options that are non-lethal. Congratulations California, I truly hope a respectable and appropriate plan is put into place by the United States Fish and Wildlife Services to manage the predator population. HAPPY VEG Experts have predicted that mountain lion populations in California will be extinct in the next decade if we do not take action to protect them. This very stark warning comes as California prepared to offer ESA protection to its mountain lion population. The petition ended yesterday so we will now wait and see if California steps up and does the right thing here which is to fiercely protect mountain lions from extinction.
I'll say this a million times over, trophy / sport hunting of endangered animals NEEDS TO BE BANNED. Why the fuck are we still naively believing that profits from these hunts ACTUALLY benefit conservation? There is no bigger hypocrisy on this planet than one that claims that hunting endangered animals will somehow help them to thrive. It's despicable.
Secondly, ban the rodenticides. You know what would happen if we stopped slaughtering all of the natural predators? Animals deemed pestilence would be addressed through the animal kingdom's food chain. We destroy foxes, mountain lions, coyotes, wolves etc. and then complain because there are too many deer, rodents, herbivores etc., but if we would smarten the eff up and stop allowing these predators to be killed, the balance would return. We have interjected ourselves into every single aspect of the animal kingdom and have put so many species on a path towards extinction because of our own greed. Lastly, stop pandering to the livestock industry. Our salacious yearning for meat is literally destroying our planet and all of its inhabitants. If every single person on this planet committed to reducing their meat intake and eating vegetarian / vegan even 2 days a week, there would be no need for continued expansion of livestock areas. Why is it that we can cry out when our government fails animals but can't admit our own participation / guilt regarding the situation? Whether we're discussing wolves or mountain lions or grizzly bears, the reasons for their path towards extinction is all because of us, and if we don't smarten up, we will see the end of so many species on this planet. Head to the link at the top of this post and learn how you can contact those in California responsible for protecting mountain lions. The petition might be closed but that shouldn't stop us from speaking out and demanding protections for these beautiful animals. They need our help! HAPPY VEG The US Fish and Wildlife Services is once again facing lawsuits after they approved a decision to terminate 72 grizzly bears near Yellowstone National Park. The reason these grizzlies were permitted to be slaughtered you ask? Well, it turns out it is once again to accommodate the livestock industry. The lawsuit, put forth by the Center for Biological Diversity and Sierra club, challenges the decision that grizzly bears should be killed to accommodate livestock grazing. Too many times do we hear stories about the livestock industry being responsible for decisions surrounding the slaughter of natural predators. Whether it's wolves, coyotes, foxes, or bears, it's far too easy for the government to approve the slaughter of these animals if it means protecting the livestock industry which appears to be the root cause for many of these decisions.
When will people wake up to the continued damage they are doing to our planet? When will the survival of wild animals trump the profits of the livestock industry? How many wild animals will be approved to be slaughtered at the hands of the livestock industry?
I liken this very much to trophy hunting, which at this point you guys must know I loathe. Those people argue that the money they spend on hunting endangered animals is funnelled into conservation efforts. What the fuck are we conserving if they're all dead? Apply that to grizzlies and we have the exact same situation. The government would sooner eradicate the entire grizzly population as opposed to restricting the continued growth of the livestock industry. Profit continues to fuel the destruction of our planet and we will be forced to watch as things go downhill unless these lawsuits knock some fucking sense into the government. I truly hope this one brings upon change and demonstrates that the livestock industry is not in any way, shape, or form as valuable as the survival of an entire species. I hope to update you guys with good news as it develops! HAPPY VEG |
Stay educated and remain involved in animal welfare. Together, we can all make a difference!
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