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China has officially made the sale of dog meat illegal throughout the entire country effectively sending out the message that dog meat is no longer acceptable. The latest National Catalogue of Livestock & Poultry Genetic Resources was announced in China and dog meat was no longer on the list. While this doesn't actually make consuming dog meat illegal, it makes the sale of dogs for meat illegal which will almost entirely wipe out the dog meat trade sparing millions of dogs from death.
The dog meat trade in China has long been under intense scrutiny from around the globe for its brutality towards dogs. Images of dogs crammed in cages with no room to move, cages full of terrified dogs being tossed off of trucks, dogs being hung, skinned etc.,m these visuals have sparked controversy for their purported violence towards dogs. While one could argue that consuming any animal is equally barbaric, the consumption of dogs is quite frowned upon globally making it especially grotesque to witness.
This important first step in protecting China's dog population is a sign that China is ready to make some changes in their animal welfare standards which are reputably some of the worst in the world. This will hopefully spur more action in terms of improving the welfare standards of animals across the country. Three cheers for the end of the dog meat trade in China! <3 HAPPY VEG
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A bill that would heavily restrict the import of wild / exotic animals that could carry zoonotic disease as well as a ban on importing endangered animal trophies has moved through its first hurdle on its way to the Governor's desk after a 5 - 1 vote in support of the bill. This bill could see the end of importing hunting trophies from endangered African animals as well as tackling the wildlife trade as it is currently believed that the coronavirus was passed on to humans from a wet market in Wuhan, China. Here's a few reasons I strongly support this bill;
This bill will put an end to the trophy hunting industry in California and would hopefully inspire other states to adopt similar bans. Endangered animals need to be protected and it's shameful that there are human beings that would rather ignore the facts and instead spend thousands of dollars to shoot them dead. Secondly, wet markets are disgusting and as mentioned, a cesspool for germs and virus'. Hygiene aside, the animals kept in these markets were either illegally plucked from the wild or bred in horrific breeding facilities only to end up in cages on show for humans that will ultimately decide when they should die. There's nothing acceptable about these markets and they too should be banned. Common sense has to come into play at some point. It's imperative that we ban trophy hunting instead of pandering to the wealthy. Animals deserve better than what we are giving them and it's time our laws protected them appropriately. I will update on this bill as soon as more information becomes available. HAPPY VEG Thousands of chickens were left to die by a billion dollar company after a tornado struck one of its plants operating in Georgia. Koch Foods, which operates several chicken factories in Georgia, abandoned one of its plants along with the thousands of chickens within after the plant was hit by a tornado. Animal activists are urging authorities to investigate Koch Foods for the needless suffering of thousands of chickens in an industry that already has a poor reputation regarding animal welfare. Rescuers inside the facility were left with horrifying visuals of chickens crushed under wreckage, some of which were clutching to life after days with no food. Chickens huddled together in dark corners, covered in feces in sediment, scared for their lives. Chickens were in such bad shape that they were dying in the arms of rescuers as they tried to save them.
Necropsy of the birds provides a saddening picture of starvation, dehydration, and other ailments the birds were suffering from not linked to the tornado including visceral gout, liver abscess, autolysis, and peritonitis, meaning that these birds were likely not being cared for properly prior to being abandoned. Being a billion dollar company, one would assume that they have all the financial means required to properly care for their birds. This company instead decided to neglectfully abandon all of the chickens under its authority and leave them to die. They are solely responsible for this tragedy and should be held accountable.
Livestock often gets the short end of the stick when it comes to animal welfare. Factory farms have so little respect for these animals that they often endure unnecessary abuse on top of the utterly horrendous living conditions they legally endure. This is why we need to start sending a very clear message that mistreatment of animals of any kind is wholly unacceptable. Koch Foods needs to be investigated and charged with numerous counts of animal cruelty for literally abandoning these chickens to die. It's time to stop pandering to the animal agriculture industry and setting an example of what proper animal welfare standards are. Considering cruelty to livestock is ilegal in Georgia, it's a no brainer that Koch Foods committed various cunts of animal cruelty and should be charged accordingly. I will update you guys as more information becomes available. For now, follow the link at the top fo the page to the original story from World Animal News where they provide some contacts you can reach out to expressing your desire for Koch Foods to be investigated. HAPPY VEG Conservationists have petitioned the Washington Fish & Wildlife Services for rules limiting when the state can kill endangered wolves for conflict with livestock. These rules would hold the state accountable when conflicts with livestock resulted in the killing of wolves. The methods currently in place are ineffective and lean towards slaughter, ignoring science and the pleas of conservationists who are witnessing these beautiful, endangered animals being killed. The rules being introduced would limit the state's ability to immediately kill wolves, instead looking for other non-lethal ways to manage them after conflicts with livestock. Of the 31 wolves killed by the state since 2012, 26 of them were killed after conflicts with the same livestock farm. In fact, it is reported that a new pack of wolves has already established itself in the area of this farm, putting them at an incredible risk of being killed. Pack after pack have been killed by the state for their interference with this particular farm and keep re-establishing themselves in the same area, indicating that slaughtering these packs one after another simply isn't working in managing the conflicts.
Livestock conflicts occur often because these predators see livestock as easy targets. They are confined and unable to fend off attacks making them easy meals for a pack of hungry wolves. Unfortunately, their ease of access also puts these wolves lives in jeopardy simply for instinctually hunting as they are designed to do. Instead of looking for acceptable ways to prevent future attacks on livestock, the state would rather kill them in hopes of preventing future attacks. As the article suggests, the wolves keep coming back indicating that this strategy simply isn't working and instead, is putting wolves further and further at risk of going extinct.
It's time to start holding these livestock farms accountable and forcing them to take additional measures in preventing these attacks. Why are we not identifying how the wolves are gaining access and working towards a solution to prevent these attacks? It seems pretty straightforward to me that one would look at how the wolves are gaining access and work towards disabling their ability to do so. Unfortunately, it's just too easy to kill them all which has proven unsuccessful. This method of killing everything instead of looking at reasonable solutions outside of slaughter is the reason conservationists are demanding a set of rules that would hold the state accountable. We must stop pandering to the livestock industry. Innocent and endangered animals are being slaughtered to protect an industry that promotes animal abuse and destroys our environment. There is absolutely nothing worthwhile about the livestock industry aside from the revenue generated by them. Outside of that, there is absolutely no redeeming qualities which is why the government needs to start worrying about protecting animals from extinction. Without wolves, the natural balance of these ecosystems will be further disrupted leading to more issues including herbivorous animals overpopulating and overgrazing ultimately affecting the habitat of these animals. Start protecting wolves and stop protecting factory farms! HAPPY VEG "Ugh, please stop grouping vegetarians and vegans together." This was the tweet that sparked a debate on twitter the other day between myself and a very vegan proud tweeter. I originally retweeted the tweet claiming it was counterproductive to the message of compassion and wasn't celebratory of the efforts of vegetarians in the fight for animal welfare. She retaliated by claiming that dairy was worse than meat and there was no difference between a vegetarian and a carnivore. So, I posed her a question that she neglected to respond to and ultimately, our conversation was over at this point. "If the idea is to help ANY animal, is telling someone who makes any kind of effort that they aren't doing enough a good way to promote veganism?"
I remember back when I was living in Dublin and I had gotten into an argument with a group of vegans after I accused them of being unsupportive and self-righteous which I explained to them was counterproductive. After nearly 400 messages blasting me for being clueless, they then decided that it was in their best interest to contact the animal shelter I worked at to inform that I was only a vegetarian which in their minds, would effectively get me fired from my volunteering position. I'm sure you all can see how this is counterproductive and actually the opposite of true compassion. How does trying to get me fired from a position where I am voluntarily helping animals at shelters effectively helping animals? This is where I believe that the power of positivity is so much more effective than trying to demean and embarrass people who are trying. After going to a few of their personal pages, it was clear to me that their idea of animal activism was almost entirely relegated to animal agriculture. The meat and dairy industries were their only targets and those who didn't fall in to the vegan spectrum simply weren't doing enough. The interesting thing about this is that animal welfare encompasses so much more than factory farming and dairy shaming. What about the hundreds of animals rapidly going extinct in Africa? What about the hundreds of horses dropping to the ground from exhaustion after carrying around carriages all day? Where was the outrage at any of those things? The Power of Positivity It is so important to share in others' success when it comes to animal activism. Spreading a message through positivity and support will always yield better results than attacking and shaming people for their efforts. We are taught at a very young age that the way we deliver a message will affect how it received. If we are repeatedly negative with people who are making an effort, what motivation do they have to continue to try? How does this help animals if you've turned away someone making an effort? That person gives up and starts consuming animals again, effectively working against what the message is supposed to be.
Listen guys, whatever you're doing out there is amazing. If you're giving up meat for the first time in your 50 years on this planet, I salute you. If you're abandoning products tested on animals and making a conscious effort to buy cruelty-free, that's amazing. If you've gone fully vegan, amazing job! We must lift eachother up and be supportive if we truly want this momentum to continue. Remember, the idea is to help every animal we can and the only way to do that is to show support for anyone making a conscious effort. The power of positivity in spreading a message is unparalleled. HAPPY VEG A law to ban the sale of ivory in Washington has moved to congress for final approval. The law would make it illegal to sell ivory from rhinos or elephants helping to stop the surge of ivory products that are in transit within the district. Despite federal restrictions on ivory, there are loopholes that do not address individual states and their commerce of ivory leaving opportunities for the marke to flourish. An investigation from the Humane Society of the United States turned up evidence of the extent of the ivory industry within the district. Dozens of ivory products available including a full elephant tusk which retailed at $600, 000. The investigation proved that despite federal limitations on the industry, it is evidently thriving in areas where these restrictions are loose and not implemented fully. That's why a ban on the ivory industry altogether is the only way to ensure it is shut down entirely.
Elephants and rhinos both face an array of problems in the wild that are detrimental to their survival without even factoring in the ivory market. Habitat loss, fragmentation, agriculture conflicts, illegal poaching, and trophy hunting are all contributing to the demise of these animals. When you consider that all of these situations are human derived, it should come as no surprise that the ivory industry falls within the same category. Humans will take any opportunity to profit off of animals and at any cost. Elephants and rhinos both face extinction if serious measures to protect them are not put in to place and the ivory industry is one of the first things that needs to go.
Ivory is a novelty product designed only to make humans rich at the expense of endangered animals. Ivory is not a necessary product therefore it is something that we must ban on a global level to protect rhinos and elephants. Black markets will always exist but we need to quash the legal aspect of things to effectively tackle the black market. Same rules apply to trophy hunting in my opinion. One cannot argue that they are aiding in conservation of a species by paying large amounts of money to shoot these animals dead, there is no bigger example of hypocrisy. The ivory market needs to go, plain and simple. If we are to see elephants and rhinos in our future, we need to act aggressively in banning things that work towards their extinction and that includes the ivory market. I strongly hope that this bill immediately passes congress and becomes law. Elephants and rhinos depend on these bans for their survival. HAPPY VEG A new bill that aims to ban gestation crates for pregnant pigs has been introduced in New Jersey. The bill would effectively ban one of the most reputably cruel aspects of the pig farming industry with a whopping 91% of New Jersey residents surveyed supporting the ban.
Farm animals in the animal agriculture industry endure some of the worst treatment on the planet and have very little rights. Their lack of rights allows for them to be treated extremely poorly with little repercussions. When one considers that these animals have been documented being bicked, puched, thrown, choked, and stepped on, their legal treatment shouldn't be equally as bad for them. Gestation crates are undeniably cruel and can be likened to slavery when one considers the lack of rights, forced servitude, & unfair treatment these poor animals endure their entire lives.
The time is now to ban the crates. New Jersey would join nine other US states including Ohio, California, and Florida in banning gestation crates if the bill is passed. It's up to the residents of New Jersey to make their voices heard and get the crates banned. Want to help? Follow the link at the top of this page to the original story by World Animal News where they provide names and contacts to reach out and support the ban. Let's get gestation crates banned in New Jersey! HAPPY VEG While Colorado already had a ban on killing larger wildlife in place, they have now moved forward with a ban on the the killing of smaller and fur bearing wildlife contests. Aside from animals like coyotes, fox, and bobcats being spared needless death, animals like prairie dogs, ground squirrels, and racoons will also be spared terrifying deaths at the hand of these contests.
Colorado is not the only state to enact some kind of ban regarding these contests. New Mexico and Vermont have enacted bans on coyote killing contests while Massachusetts, California, and Arizona have banned predator / furbearer killing contests. Partial bans exist in Idaho, North Carolina, Utah, Washington, and Montana. These bans are an indication to me that the general populous is against these violent contests and that we need to move forward with bans on these contests entirely.
Contests designed to eliminate sentient beings are despicable and shameful. The human race has decided that we are allowed to take from this planet in any way we desire. Whether it's the destruction of habitats, drilling for oil in areas where animals are facing extinction, slaughtering contests such as these etc., we should be ashamed of what he have done to this planet and the animals that inhabit it with us. BAN WILDLIFE KILLING CONTESTS AND STOP PROMOTING BLOODSHED AS A FORM OF ENTERTAINMENT! HAPPY VEG A new report has emerged from the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) naming some of the worst slaughter facilities in the United States. The list was developed after AWI analyzed government documents regarding the slaughterhouses and their animal welfare infractions over a three year period. Unsurprisingly, these facilities were found to be in breach of animal welfare standards countless times over this period with the worst of them having reported 132 infractions. The bulk of the infractions were due to improper welfare standards when slaughtering animals. Particularly, animals were not properly stunned prior to being shackled and hung to be dismembered. This undoubtedly caused the animals immense physical pain as well as an unbelievable amount of mental and emotional stress and turmoil as they desperately tried to escape the shackles prior to being killed. It doesn't stop there, one can assume that there were other animal welfare infractions tied to abuse, poor quality of life, dirty / disease ridden living quarters, and lack of veterinary care when applicable.
This report certainly paints a very bleak picture about the current state of animal welfare in the United States and the future of animal agriculture. If these facilities are knowingly continuing to operate despite being found to be in breach of animal welfare standards repeatedly, what the hell is being done to enforce change? This horriific pattern of repeated animal abuse is shocking and demands that there be a change within the industry. Who's monitoring these establishments? Who follows up with them after these infractions to ensure that it doesn't happen again? Is anyone holding these facilities accountable or is it simply swept under thee rug to protect the agriculture industry?
Our government's have pandered to the livestock industry for too long. Wild animals are rapidly losing habitat over the continued growth of the livestock industry. Wild animals are being killed regularly for interfering with the livestock industry despite some of these animals facing extinction. It's evident that the livestock industry will be protected at all costs so why even bother catching them in the act of animal abuse if nothing is going to be done about it? The livestock industry is despicable and profits off of the continued abuse of animals that are poorly looked after until their demise. Do the meatless mondays! Go vegetarian / vegan! Stop contributing to this horrendous industry that cares so little for the animals you are seeing on your plate. That steak comes with an abhorrent amount of abuse. HAPPY VEG |
Stay educated and remain involved in animal welfare. Together, we can all make a difference!
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