​worldanimalnews.com/hundreds-of-whales-brutally-slaughtered-during-the-faroe-islands-whale-hunting-season-this-must-end/

I was trolling the internet for stories to report on this morning and I stumbled across a post about the annual whale hunt in the Faroe Islands. Despite activist's best efforts, the hunt continued this year despite hopes that the pandemic would halt the hunt. When I saw the photos of dozens of men with spears wading through blood soaked water, it reminded me of one of the biggest truths about human beings, that we are the ultimate savages on this planet.

We have given the right to wealthy, privileged folk to go ahead and shoot endangered animals dead solely for the purpose of "sport" or "entertainment". We have plucked animals from the wild and enslaved them in the entertainment industry for their entire lives. We breed endangered animals solely for the purpose of allowing hunters to shoot them in enclosed spaces. We mass produce animals in the worst living conditions imaginable to slaughter them rapidly for meat. We punish violent animal abuse with paltry fines or community service when jail time is the only reasonable answer to crimes of that nature. All of these situations point to a one-sided relationship with the animal kingdom, one that demonstrates our complete lack of respect towards animals. We have proven that animals are nothing more than props for us to do with as we please despite the fact that this planet is meant to be peacefully inhabited by us all. 

We are savages, destroying everything in our path on our quest to the top. Anything we want, we take regardless of the potential downfalls of our actions. We continue to allow sport hunting and trophy hunting despite overwhelming evidence that these hunts are contributing to the endangerment of animals like giraffes, lions, and elephants. We put value on ivory which pushes the most desperate of us to slaughter endangered elephants and rhinos in hopes of cashing in on the ivory through the black market. We have literally destroyed every single ecosystem on our planet through our greed and carelessness. 

What are we leaving behind for our children / grandchildren? We are leaving them with a planet that is in dire straights. We are leaving them with a planet full of animals on the verge of going extinct because of our actions. We are leaving them with destroyed rain forests, coral reefs, and forests. We are leaving them a planet that is in desperate need of our help and protection but we have taught them through our own actions that none of this matters. We have taught the children that we are the only species that matters and that everything on this planet is fair game for us to do with as we please without repercussions. We have taught our children that we are nothing more than brainless savages and that it is entirely OK to be this way.

I'm scared for what our future holds. 

HAPPY VEG

​worldanimalnews.com/urgent-call-to-action-calls-needed-tomorrow-at-10am-pst-to-support-ca-bill-that-would-ban-the-possession-and-parts-of-africas-most-iconic-species/

After a report from the Los Angeles Times on a trophy hunter who slaughtered an endangered African elephant emerged, he was used as motivation for a proposed ban on the import of trophies from African wildlife. Locals are urged to phone in before 10 in the morning tomorrow to voice your support in banning trophy hunters from bringing back trophies from Africa's imperiled wildlife. If you are from the area, [please follow the link at the top of this post for who to contact and how you can help.

I have a major issue with this entire thing, allow me to explain.

We are in the midst of an extinction phenomenon and yet we are still putting out votes on whether we should be protecting animals? What the flying eff is wrong with humanity? Why are we voting on something that frankly, seems so obvious and incredibly important to the survival of Africa's most vulnerable wildlife. At this point, there should be no argument in defense of trophy hunting, especially if it pertains to endangered animals. The answer is simple, ban trophy hunting for good and start funneling that money into conservation efforts that will actually work towards protecting animals.

Africa's wildlife are under constant threat, almost entirely at the hands of human interference. Habitat loss is a direct result of continued human growth. As we take more and more of the land away from animals, they are left scrambling to find food, water, and a place to exist peacefully. This brings us to human-animal conflicts resulting in animal death. As we take the land, these beautiful animals are left in a position where they must now search for new areas to eat / drink which can in some cases cause these animals to encroach on human inhabited areas. These conflicts can result in the deaths of endangered animals to protect human livelihoods, further pushing these animals towards extinction.

And that brings us to poaching / trophy hunting. We have put value on things like ivory which can only be obtained by slaughtering endangered animals and sawing off their tusks / horns. We have put value on an animal's head, allowing wealthy people from across the world to shell out tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars to shoot these animals for trophies. It is wholly because of us that these animals now face the risk of going extinct in the wild.

There should be no votes, only we can undo what we have done to these animals for decades. Ban trophy hunting once and for all. Focus our efforts on cracking down on poaching and the illegal wildlife trade, and devalue ivory across the board to prevent the continued poaching of endangered rhinos and elephants. If we TRULY want to see these animals saved from the brinks of extinction, there must be no more voting, only action. Animals don't have time for us to play around with the idea of protecting them, we must act now while there is still time.

HAPPY VEG

​worldanimalnews.com/urgent-call-to-action-south-african-citizens-needed-to-help-stop-cruel-shipment-of-up-to-85000-sheep-to-middle-east/

As the NSPCA (National Council of SPCA's) prepares for its third court hearing August 6th to block the live export of sheep from South Africa to the Middle East, the Humane Society International / Africa is urging South African citizens to lend their voices to the cause. With the public's help, it is hoped that this export will be blocked and future exports potentially blocked as well.

Recognizing the horrific conditions these animals endure, heavily reliant on animal agriculture New Zealand went ahead and banned live exports entirely. Australia also banned live exports to Kuwait after recognizing the horrific conditions these animals must endure. In some countries, it is a requirement that Veterinary care be available on board but South Africa does not have such a rule. In fact, on both reported voyages, HSI/A and NSPCA have offered to cover the cost of veterinary care to no avail. They were either denied or ignored entirely. It is evident that South Africa has a long way to go when it comes to animal welfare and the appropriate care / transport of animals.

We must end live animal exports once and for all. Much like we are outraged over dogs being left in hot cars, we must be equally outraged over tens of thousands of sheep being crammed in a hot, filthy boat with little room to move and poor air quality. These situations are exactly the same and if we can be outraged over innocent dogs being kept in stifling vehicles, we cannot be hypocritically oblivious to the perils live export animals endure. There is no justification for putting so many animals at risk of death outside of human greed and profit. It's absolutely shameful and despicable that money is more important than the livelihoods of animals.

Make sure to check out the original article from WORLD ANIMAL NEWS by clicking the link at the top of the page. They provide some resources on how we can help particularly if you are from South Africa. Let's work together to end live animal exports!

HAPPY VEG