worldanimalnews.com/beloved-orca-lolita-has-died-at-miami-seaquarium/​

Lolita, the Orca who gained international recognition after news that she was going to be released back in to the wild, tragically passed away this week at The Miami Seaquarium. Lolita passed away after what experts believe to be a renal condition after she took a turn for the worst a few days prior to her passing. This story is beyond saddening as Lolita was on track to taste freedom after several decades trapped in a bathtub at the Miami Seaquarium, only to pass away before she had that chance. Lolita was 56 years old, and spent 2/3 of her life in confinement for entertainment purposes.

In most cases, orca's like Lolita are plucked from the wild, and forced in to confinement for the rest of their long lives. When you consider Lolita's age, that's a literal lifetime of knowing nothing but forced performances and confinement. We are imposing a life-sentence on wild animals for our own selfish desires and forcing them in to a lifetime of servitude. These creatures knew freedom, which makes it even worse that they spend their entire lives confined until they die miserably. 

The argument that these shows or forced confinement of these species, is in any way educational, is simply our way of justifying the abuse we impose on them. The National Geographic enterprise would be considered educational. We can watch through their eyes how these creatures live and interact in the wild without adversely affecting them. To argue that forcing a wild animal in to confinement and servitude is educational in any way is embarrassing and a grotesque abuse of our ability and power over wild animals. It's time to empty these places and return these beautiful creatures back in to their natural habitats.

Lolita's story is tragic but she will not be the last orca to die in a bathtub. We must use her tragic story as motivation to advocate for the release of captive orcas, dolphins, and other aquatic creatures. We do NOT need to watch them doing tricks. We need to release them and free them from the horrors we've imposed on them for our own gratification.

​www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-raccoon-rescue-sanctuary-poised-to-shutter-1.6927576

One of the biggest hurdles an organization like Mally's Third Chance Rescue faces, is funding. Animal organizations that rely solely on the generosity of donations are often left in a position where they're not making enough to cover the weekly / monthly costs. This lack of donations / funding on a consistent, monthly basis is forcing animal rehabilitation organizations like Mally's to close their doors permanently. A loss of an organization that focuses on helping animals is not a good thing. In fact, Ontario at one point had approximately 200 wildlife rescue / rehabilitation centers, but that number has since dropped to 50 and in most cases, a lack of funding pushed them to shutter their doors forever.

With costs of operation hovering around $20, 000, and monthly donations sitting around $3, 200, it's apparent that a lack of donations and no funding from the Ontario government whatsoever, is pushing Mally's to closure. Considered a "wildlife custodian" under the Ontario Fish & Wildlife Act, organizations like Mally's don't qualify for crucial, life-saving funding that would keep the organization on its feet. Considering the scale of Mally's operations, it's disgusting that Ontario does not offer financial support that would help keep the organization on its feet. Despite these hurdles, Mally's has continued to operate and a recent fundraising event offered a glimmer of hope, but the possibility of a late September closure continues to loom.

We need organizations like Mally's to continue their life-saving work for wildlife in need. Without these organizations, injured or sick animals will be neglected and have no hope for rehabilitation. That's why I'm asking all of you to consider a monthly, or one-time donation to Mally's, to help this amazing organization keep its doors open. When you consider a donation, there's no such thing as a donation too small. Every dollar right down to the penny is crucial in keeping Mally's open and operational.

Please peep their website below to learn more about the amazing work they do every day and please consider making a donation. As I said, it's up to the community to keep these places open and Mally's needs our help. Let's keep Derek's dream of rehabilitating racoons alive!

​worldanimalnews.com/oregon-bans-the-sale-of-puppies-kittens-sold-at-pet-stores-cosmetics-tested-on-animals/

In a massive victory for animals, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, signed several bills in to law aimed at improving the state's animal welfare laws. First of all, Oregon has officially joined over 30 other countries, & 10 other U.S. states in banning the sale of new cosmetics tested on animals. As we know, cosmetics testing is wholly unnecessary and subjects innocent animals to numerous skin, eye, and ingestion tests in search of irritants. These animals often suffer painful lesions / sores on their skin / eyes, and throat, and are left untreated until they are discarded like trash when their usefulness runs dry. These animals are nothing more than products of a laboratory as opposed to being seen as living breathing, and feeling beings.

Animal testing for cosmetics is outdated, unnecessary, and blatantly cruel to animals. This is not life-saving medicine, this is beauty products that we're torturing animals for and there are so many alternative testing methods available to us that there is simply no excuse for animal testing.

The second bill passed was a ban on the sale of puppies and kittens from pet stores. This bill is aimed at supporting the work of the Humane Society by supporting adoptions of shelter animals and also ceasing any cooperation with puppy mills. Puppy mills are breeding facilities that impregnate female dogs repeatedly in order to profit off of the sale of their pure-bred puppies. These pure-bred animals are alluring and draw pet-owners away from shelter animals who are desperate for adoption. Puppies from mills are known to have health issues that follow their new owners for life on top of living in less than acceptable conditions prior to making it to pet stores. 

Every time a pet is purchased from a breeder, a shelter animal loses its chance at adoption. Pet stores should only be "selling" animals in cooperation with shelters aide in shelter adoptions.

The Massachusetts Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts, and Cultural Development, heard testimony this past week on bills that would prohibit the use of elephants, bears, giraffes, primates, and big cats in travelling circus' & shows. The training methods used for animals in circus' are far from humane, with bull hooks, whips, and electric prods all utilized to subdue and force wild animals to perform / learn tricks. Outside of the cruelty involved in training, these animals are kept in small, tightly confined spaces between shows and are subjected to perilous travel between locations for their next shows. Everything about animals in this form of entertainment is nothing short of animal cruelty.

Big cats, elephants, bears, whatever, performing tricks, jumping through hoops of fire, or riding mini bicycles, is unnatural and cruel. The things we see them doing in these shows came at a cost and it's one that is not acceptable. Wild animals deserve to live their lives able to participate in wild traits that are natural to them. Being forcibly trained to perform for humans is unethical and bans are long overdue. Massachusetts MUST take the next step and end wild animals in circus' and other traveling exhibits!