This kind of news always guts me and I know I've just got to help. Our local Humane Society in the Windsor / Essex region of Ontario is in need of food for their many shelter animals. The Humane Society relies on generosity to provide for the many wonderful animals that come and go at shelters across the globe. No shelter animals should go hungry. Here's a couple of ways you can help my local shelter replenish their pet food <3 ARE YOU LOCAL?From Ontario and want to help? 1. Visit www.windsaorhumane.org where you can make a one-time donation or a monthly donation to help keep shelter animals comfortable. 2. A few of our local Pet Valu's in Windsor are offering a 10% discount on Performatrin brand pet food if it's being purchased for the shelter. Purchases can be made over the phone :) · Pet Valu – 8420 Wyandotte St E– 519-944-7813 · Pet Valu Westminster – 5060 Tecumseh Rd E – 519-945-1329 · Pet Valu – 13596 Tecumseh Rd, Tecumseh -519-735-0634 The pet food drive runs until tomorrow...Sunday May 30th so there's not much time! NOT FROM THE AREA?Not from the area but your love of animals compels you to make a small donation to a shelter in need? 1. Visit www.windsorhumane.org where you can make a one-time donation or generously commit to a monthly subscription. No shelter animal should ever have to endure hunger. Let's all come together for the Windsor Humane Society and restock those pantries <3 HAPPY VEG
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The Animal Welfare Enforcement Improvement Act (AWEIA) was reintroduced in the United States in an effort to improve the Animal Welfare Act by strengthening the licensing process for animal dealers / exhibitors. This improvement to the Animal Welfare Act is imperative in tackling the lackluster monitoring of animal dealers who are potentially committing animal abuses and maintaining their licensing.
Under the new AWEIA, establishments like zoos, animal sanctuaries, marine-mammal parks, and some commercial dog-breeders, will be subject to investigations during the renewal process. The strengthening of the Animal Welfare Act will include some of the following provisions; 1. LICENSES - Establishments will be reviewed yearly before a renewed license would be established. New businesses would have only 2 chances to comply with regulations before a license would be issued. If they fail to comply, they must wait a year before they can reapply. Lastly, renewal would take into consideration non-compliance orders and would deny renewals to establishments that have a non-compliance in regard to the care of animals within the past 2 years. Essentially, this will make it incredibly difficult for establishments that are currently manipulating, exploiting, or abusing animals to continue to operate. The investigation would determine if a business is complying with animal welfare standards PRIOR to issuing a license which will spare animals the agony of being exploited under the radar. 2. Preventing dealers / exhibitors from operating under a different business name or through a business partner during the period of suspension. Clearly, these business owners can currently get away with a name change or operating through a business partner after having been found to have violated the AWA. The new bill would make it incredibly difficult for these situations to occur. 3. Requiring the USDA to suspend the license of any dealer found to have violated the Animal Welfare Act and to permanently revoke the license if the business has committed multiple violations. For a full list of what would be improved through the Animal Welfare Enforcement Improvement Act, follow the link at the top of this page to the original story. What this amendment shows us is that animal welfare is still struggling to be taken seriously. When we're creating bills that are aimed at strengthening lackluster protections already in place, it's indicative of a deep rooted issue. So many establishments that exploit or abuse animals continue to operate with little to no monitoring or investigating which allows them to continue to operate without any consequences for their violations. It's sickening to think of how many places were likely slipping under the radar, being issued licenses despite evidence of animal cruelty or exploitation. I'll update y'all on this one as more information becomes available. HAPPY VEGThe Safe Act was reintroduced in the United States aiming to end the slaughter of horses and the export of horses to Canada / Mexico for slaughter. Although it is currently illegal to slaughter horses in the United States for consumption, the ban is only temporary and is reviewed annually but there is still no ban on exporting them for slaughter. The Safe Act would make it a permanent ban, sparing anywhere between 30 - 160, 000 horses every year.
Can you see the hypocrisy in these sorts of situations? It is very similar to the UK's original ban on the production of fur but not the import or sale. If you think it warrants a ban when it comes to consumption, why are you so willingly shipping them off, knowing they are being sent to slaughter? It's beyond hypocritical and sends mixed messaging about the United State's vision for horses. If you're going to do it, do it all the way. That's why it is imperative that the Safe Act be signed into law. Stop being complicit in the slaughter of horses and ban the SLAUGHTER, CONSUMPTION, and EXPORT for consumption immediately. HAPPY VEGBill S.1130 has moved through the senate in New York and will now head to the assembly before reaching the Governor's desk. Bill S.1130 aims to end the puppy mill pipeline and ban the retail sale of cats, dogs, and rabbits from pet stores. “With so many good animals in need of rescue, there is no need for puppy mills that abuse animals to supply pet stores,” Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris
Puppy mills are abhorrent. Breeding dogs are forcibly bred repeatedly to churn out as many puppies as possible to maximize profit. The conditions these animals live in during their tenure in these mills leaves much to be desired. Ultimately, when the breeding females are too old or too worn out to continue, they are discarded as nothing more than trash to make room for a younger, healthier female to continue the exploitative breeding. These people are profiting off of the suffering of animals and sharing the wealth with pet stores who are benefitting from the exploitation. This cycle of manipulation and exploitation is keeping innocent animals locked up in cages at shelters. It's hard to deny the charms of a puppy or baby animal. That charm is what keeps people going to breeders over rescuing shelter animals. The allure of innocent, sweet little babies is enough to have us falling all over ourselves. Rarely do we consider where these baby animals have come from or how much money the people breeding them are making off of these animals. Would people stop buying breed specific puppies / animals if they were aware of the conditions that these animals were bred in before arriving? The only reason a pet store should have animals is because they've been rescued. We must stop this vicious cycle of exploitation and give shelter animals a fighting chance at a good home. If you're truly looking for a companion and not a trophy, the breed should be irrelevant when considering adding a new family member to the mix. The only acceptable option is to ban the sale of animals that have come from breeders / mills. I'll update this story as it makes its way to the Governor's desk. HAPPY VEGThe United Kingdom is making history with new laws / amendments aimed at improving animal welfare. These historic changes will tackle various areas of welfare and will improve protections for animals both within the UK, and across the globe. “We are a nation of animal lovers and were the first country in the world to pass animal welfare laws. Our Action Plan for Animal Welfare will deliver on our manifesto commitment to ban the export of live animals for slaughter, prohibit keeping primates as pets, and bring in new laws to tackle puppy smuggling,” Environment Secretary George Eustice
Unfortunately, the innocent animals left in shelters because of these puppies are also victims of puppy mills. Sweet, loving animals looking for a second chance are left to rot in shelters while sick people profit off of the sales of these adorable little puppies. People need to wake up to the atrocities of buying puppies from breeders and the damage they're doing to shelter animals. I'm super stoked about the increased attention and resources that will be put towards ending puppy mills and puppy trafficking.
This almost somehow indicates the recognizance that animals within the UK are not treated very well when being slaughtered, doesn't it? Or is it simply an ignorant suggestion of improvements that sound great, but don't really do much to negate the fact that terrified animals are slaughtered by the millions every day. I don't know, I guess it's imperative to be grateful for ANY improvements when it comes to animal welfare, but it seems that farm animal were kind of left behind again here. As I said, it's super important to always be positive about improvements made towards animal welfare. After all, that's what we're fighting for every day right? Want to know the full spectrum of what's included in these animal welfare improvements? Visit the link at the top of this post for the original story from World Animal News. HAPPY VEGGovernor Brad Little of Idaho has signed Bill SB 1211 into law, allowing for the slaughter of 90% of Idaho's grey wolf population. This means that in upwards of 1, 300 of the 1, 500 grey wolves within the state will be executed and by any means necessary, which includes trapping, snares, aerial kills, and wildlife killing contests.
This story really shows us that not everyone is on board with conservation. It shows us that there are still people who don't understand the importance of every species on this planet and what they contribute to a healthy ecosystem. It shows us that there are still so many people out there who could care less about the survival of a species. Most of all, it shows us how eager we are as a species to kill and destroy other species. To think that grey wolves were only delisted this year and there are already multiple states that are happily shooting and killing them, it's sickening and completely disregards the efforts of conservationists who worked tirelessly for 45 years to bring grey wolves back from the brink of extinction. Follow the link at the top of this post to the original story where you can find contact information for Idaho Governor Brad Little. Let him know exactly what you think about his disgraceful decision. Our voices must be heard, wolves depend on us. HAPPY VEG
When you consider that we are in the midst of an extinction crisis, we should be constantly looking for ways to better treat this planet and everything else that inhabits it. Instead, it's like 50% of us are so completely oblivious and un-phased by the destruction we're causing that we're actually making things rapidly worse. Here are a couple of the changes that advocacy groups have recommended the United States Fish & Wildlife Services commit to;
I have many issues with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services. I find them to be incredibly incompetent and laying in bed with the animal agriculture industry. However, even they cannot deny the harm they're causing the environment, and now over 100 groups that represent 10's of millions of people are speaking out. This story represents the state of animal welfare and environmentalism to a tee. Fighting to convince a group tasked with making the right decisions for animals so that they make the right choices for animals. Pretty ridiculous. It's a no brainer here. Ban pesticides on protected lands. Ban pesticides that are known to harm wildlife or kill bees. Stop effing around, especially being called out. I'll update with more information as it becomes available. HAPPY VEGBeginning this summer, the United Kingdom has increased penalties for convicted animal cruelty. The new penalties could include up to 5 years in prison and unlimited fines for the most extreme cases of animal cruelty. These will be some of the harshest penalties across Europe, paving the way for other countries to step up and make animal cruelty a crime deserving of appropriate punishment. Animal cruelty is a serious crime, regardless of whether the courts agree. Anyone who can abuse, torture, injure, or neglect an animal, needs to be incarcerated. When you look at addiction for example, these are people who need to be rehabilitated, not incarcerated. Such is not the case with animal cruelty. I don't believe you can rehabilitate someone who enjoys beating or torturing animals. The only place someone like that belongs is behind bars, period. So where does the UK's animal cruelty punishments stack up against other countries on the globe?
As you can see, the United Kingdom was simply catching up in some cases to other countries around the globe. What this information shows us is that animal cruelty is not viewed similarly across the globe and that fines / jail times vary widely depending on where you are across the globe. It should also be mentioned that despite jail time being a possibility, animal cruelty convictions simply don't get punished with jail time as often as they should. As I said, jail time is one of the only ways to send a clear message that animal cruelty is abhorrent, unacceptable, and deserving of time behind bars. Simply slapping fines on people is not enough and is the reason why animal cruelty continues at such a rampant pace across our planet. The United Kingdom continues to make strides in animal welfare but as always, there is much work to do. Check out the original article at the top of this page for more information on the UK's changes to animal cruelty convictions. HAPPY VEGTHIS. IS. BIG. EFFING. NEWS. Y'ALL!Ok y'all, I can't think of better news to be sharing with you all on this super typical Monday and I hope it perks you up much the same as it did me. South Africa has announced that they are taking immediate steps to end the captive lion industry. Minister of Forestry, Fisheries & The Environment Barbara Creecy, shared the news stating that the country will “no longer breed captive lions, keep lions in captivity, or use captive lions or their derivatives commercially.”
Lions bred in captivity are denied everything that is natural to them and are exploited from the minute they're born. Young cubs end up in lion petting and cub petting facilities. These facilities pass around baby lions like products when in fact, this is extremely degrading and exploitative to a species that is so important to our planet. Once the lions begin to grow too large, they are destined to either be slaughtered for bones or subjected to canned hunts. Canned hunts are beyond despicable, and anyone who would pay thousands of dollars to shoot and kill an endangered animal that has literally led such a miserable existence to that point is a complete loser. I could rant on and on about canned hunting but that's another topic for another time. :P At the end of the day, if South Africa is willing to cut ties with an industry that generates millions of dollars every year, it's indicative of change. It tells me that there is hope for Africa's most imperiled species. That there's hope for elephants, leopards, cheetahs, pangolins, rhinos...the list goes on, but there's hope. For every endangered animal someone pays to shoot and kill, that's one step closer to never seeing one of these beautiful animals ever again. Humanity must wake up to the nonsense and stop turning a blind eye to the fact that we are wiping everything off of this planet. Head to the link at the top of the page for the original story from WORLD ANIMAL NEWS. HAPPY VEGAn extremely controversial bill was passed in Idaho, heading towards Governor Brad Little's desk for final approval. If approved, 90% of Idaho's wolf population will be permitted to be slaughtered, reducing the amount of wolves in the state from 1, 500 to a mere 150. This bill is a direct attack on wolves and will ultimately lead them back to the Endangered Species Act, forcing resources and efforts into protecting and rehabilitating them once again.
This pattern of heavily protecting the animal ag industry at any cost is leading to the endangerment of a variety of species, including wolves. I can't help but wonder why money is being funneled into decimating wolves which will ultimately lead to funding to protect them when this money could be allocated towards better protecting livestock. Why are these animals so accessible? What kind of perimeter protection do they have and can it be improved? Why is it that resources are immediately funneled towards slaughter instead of prevention? As I said, all of these resources to kill them which will lead to further resources to protect them. Seems a bit ridiculous if you ask me. Most people on this planet support the rehabilitation of endangered species and would likely not support their tax dollars going towards killing innocent wolves. It's time to start focusing on prevention and how to better protect livestock as opposed to killing everything and hoping that works. This is irresponsible, thoughtless, and ineffective. We have spent years rehabilitating wolves only to have Idaho actively work against that rehabilitation to protect the animal ag industry. Enough is enough. Follow the link at the top of this post for the original story from WORLD ANIMAL NEWS and some information on how you can help wolves in Idaho. Time is of the essence here folks so follow the link and let Governor Brad Little that you do NOT support the mass slaughter of wolves to protect the livestock industry! HAPPY VEG |
Stay educated and remain involved in animal welfare. Together, we can all make a difference!
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