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France has announced a multi-faceted plan to tackle different animal welfare topics with the Minister of Ecological Transition quoted as saying; “Big cats, elephants, killer whales, dolphins, or even mink, it is time to open a new era in our relationship with these animals,” The key areas they plan to address and tackle are:
While the article points out that this will be a gradual process, it is nonetheless a commitment to bettering animal welfare standards in the country. In 2020, we know better than to continue to allow these things. Orcas and dolphins are too intelligent and cherished to be kept in bathtubs their entire lives. An animal's life is significantly more valuable than any jacket, boot, or fur trimmed hood. Wild animals belong in the wild and DEFINITELY NOT in circus', forced to perform. We need to do better by animals, it's as simple as that.
HAPPY VEG
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A massive lawsuit is heading towards the CEQ after moving forward with regulations that will shield federally-funded slaughterhouses (CAFO's) from environmental review. These new regulations will also hinder the public from receiving information on the damage caused by slaughterhouses preventing them from challenging them. Information will be so limited that communities may even be unaware of CAFO slaughterhouses opening up in their areas. These regulations make it abundantly clear that factory farming and the profits that come from it are significantly more important than transparency, environmental health, and most of all, animals.
This is no different than an ag-gag bill in that it's sole purpose is to keep us out and protect the animal agriculture industry. These regulations are simply another attempt to deflect attention and accountability by denying us access to information that should be accessible. A small community has every right to know if a pollution producing slaughterhouse is going to conduct business in their municipality. We all deserve to know how much greenhouse gases are being pumped out. We deserve to know if animals are being physically abused leading up to their eventual slaughter. These things are important and if the government is willing to protect such a horrendous industry because it's profitable, what else are they hiding from us? Transparency is crucial in trusting our government.
Look, we have to start to question things when we are being denied access to information. It's as simple as that. If we don't fight back against being misinformed, then we are complicit in these situations and knowing what we know about slaughterhouses, there's a heinous reason behind our being denied access to information. What I hope is that something positive comes out of this lawsuit. The government cannot overstep its boundaries in this case. We deserve to know that standards of quality are met leading up to an animal's slaughter. We deserve to know how much toxic waste is emptied into our waterways. These are our rights and we must fight for them. HAPPY VEG Florida has become the 15th state across the US to ban the shark fin trade. The Kristin Jacobs Ocean Conservation Act was signed into law in Florida effectively ending the shark fin trade in the state. This will prevent the import, export, and sale of shark fins although a small loophole still remains allowing commercial sale of fins from a vessel holding a permit after January 2020.
Shark fins are seen as a delicacy, mostly used for shark fin soup. The fins are forcibly removed from sharks and in most cases, the sharks are tossed back into the ocean unable to swim without their fins. They are left to either drown or be attacked and consumed by other predators. Both of these outcomes are incredibly painful and torturous. Our usage of shark fins is the perfect example of our entitlement as humans. Taking only a piece of a living creature and discarding the rest of it like trash. Elephant and rhino horns, trophy hunting, pangolin scales, big cat blood etc., we have given ourselves the right to take whatever we want from living creatures at their expense. It's obvious that we as humans have no regard for living creatures and our continued usage of animals in this manner is what is pushing hundreds of species further towards extinction.
Shark fins are wholly unnecessary and are rooted in cruelty. We are killing in upwards of 70 million sharks every year for their fins alone. That's 70 million innocent sharks that have their fins forcibly sliced off only to be drowned afterwards. All of this pain and suffering for some novelty product that is already banned in various places around the world. It's despicable how many novelty things we derive from animals that perpetuate a cycle of exploitation and violence. We can somehow justify the usage of fur or things like shark fins or elephant tusks without even batting an eye. At what point do we collectively agree that it's time to stop exploiting animals for our own selfishness? No one needs shark fins. No one needs fur. No one needs the tusks of an elephant. Wake the F up. We are acting so entitled and ignorant while 1000's of creatures every year are plunging further towards extinction. Humans are solely responsible for the perils our planet's animals face and unless we smarten up quickly, it's going to be too late to reverse the damage we have done. Thank you Florida for standing up for sharks. It's a small step in the right direction that will hopefully lead to a full ban on shark fins. Let's do this! HAPPY VEG The Ujung Kulon National Park in Indonesia happily reported the birth of two Javan rhino babies this past week signaling that natural breeding was taking place. These babies officially make 7 new Javan rhinos birthed in the national park since last year. Counting the two newest additions, it is reported that there are now 74 Javan rhinos living in the Ujung National Park.
The Javan Rhino is the most endangered rhino species on our planet and we allowed their populations to dip below 100 individuals left on our planet. We have what, nearly 7 billion people or more on our planet and we are talking about less than 100 of these Javan rhinos left? As you can clearly see, we need to be doing everything in our power to protect animals instead of letting them nearly go extinct. If we act aggressively before things get to this point, we have a fighting chance of preventing the extinction of animals like lions, giraffes, cheetahs, and pangolins, all of which face an uncertain future. We must act while their populations can still support healthy breeding naturally. If we wait too long, we are risking extinction.
Conservation efforts are so important to the survival of animals on our planet. It is wholly up to us to act and prevent the extinction of animals as we have taken it upon ourselves to make the planet ours for the taking. Our inability to share resources with the other species on our planet has in fact pushed 1000's of species rapidly towards extinction. Our continued search for resources, land to continue development and produce livestock, overfishing etc., we are literally destroying the planet and all of the living creatures on it in order to further our own ambitions. This is the opposite of what we should be doing when we consider the importance of conservation. If we are truly to see animals like elephants and lions in our futures, we need to come together and commit fully to conservation. We need to ban trophy hunting and sport hunting. We need global support on the ban on ivory and other products created with endangered animals. We have the capability of saving our planet's species and we need to act like it's a priority before like the Javan rhino, we are faced with immediate necessity to protect. If we act aggressively now, we can prevent these animals from dropping to dangerously low populations where it will take a miracle to bring their populations back. Let the Javan Rhino be our wakeup call. Conservation is imperative and we must all work together. HAPPY VEG Rodenticides have claimed the life of another bobcat in California after attempts to rescue and rehabilitate it were unsuccessful. The bobcat was tremendously underweight and was suffering from mange, a known side effect of consuming rodenticides. The bobcat was anemic, severely dehydrated, suffering from mange, and had white gums, all indicative of being poisoned by rodenticides. This poor bobcat was the latest in a string of victims who have inadvertently consumed rodenticides and suffered a painful, slow death.
It is abundantly clear that rodenticides are ineffective in rodent management. They are dangerous and can harm both humans and non-target animals leading to accidental poisonings and death. Using these poisons in state parks and protected land is abhorrent and puts innocent people / non-target animals at risk of accidental poisoning which could lead to death. If our only management tool for dealing with rodents is to poison everything in the vicinity, we need a new strategy in managing rodent populations. We are killing innocent animals and forcing them to suffer for days on end as the poison courses through their systems, ultimately leading to their deaths.
There is currently an anti-rodenticide motion on the desk of Governor Gavin Newsom awaiting approval. The ban will prohibit the use of second-generation rodenticides as well as banning the use of rodenticides in state parks. This is a necessary change that will spare predatory animals the agony of a slow death by poisoning. These horrific poisons need to be banned across the board. The evidence is overwhelming in suggesting that these poisons are ineffective and this story is case and point. We are killing predatory animals which undoubtedly leads to an increase in rodent populations and then what? More poisons to manage the increase? It's a vicious cycle that is seeing too many non-target animals suffering agonizing deaths. Ban rodenticides and stop the killing. HAPPY VEG Washington has joined 6 other states across the United States in officially banning wildlife killing contests. This spells the end of a "sport" that is undeniably cruel in nature and rewards humans for mass slaughter. Ending the wildlife killing contests will spare thousands of coyotes, crows, foxes, bobcats and raccoons from being slaughtered after a price tag is attached to their livelihoods.
These contests have long been scrutinized by activists for portraying mass slaughter of animals as a sport. These sports' organizers would like you to believe that these contests help to thin out predatory animal populations allowing for continued population growth of deer which benefits hunters also. Unfortunately, evidence suggests that killing predators really doesn't do anything in managing their populations and can in fact force these animals to rapidly produce babies to repopulate. Not to mention that the loss of these predators allows for the continued population growth of rabbits and rodents which leads to a higher tick-borne disease transmission.
Ultimately, these contests do nothing aside from stroking the egos of horrible people who are willing to turn their backs on compassion and ethics in order to win cash prizes. To think that there are hundreds of people in every state that not only support these contests but willingly participate in them shows that as a human race, we still have a very long way to go on our path towards recognizing animal sentience and treating animals with respect and dignity. It was never up to us to manage their populations or determine which animals should live or die. We have given ourselves far too much power and allowed ourselves to believe that we have the right to manipulate the planet's animals in order to benefit us. We have put ourselves above all else which is the reason we are experiencing a mass extinction. It's time to end these contests once and for all. There is simply no argument in defense of these atrocious contests. There is no argument in defense of barging in to their territory with weapons shooting as many animals as possible. We should be ashamed for out participation in these horrific contests. It's time for the US to ban these contests across the board. HAPPY VEG Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein are among a list of high profile fashion brands that have committed to banning exotic skins in their future lines. After many discussions with PETA regarding animal welfare and the progression / spread of covid, parent company PVH Corp has committed to going exotic skin free marking the end of a decades old tradition of using skins from snakes and alligators.
I think what this demonstrates is that there is truly no animal on this planet that we don't see a value in. Every species on this planet is at our mercy as far as we're concerned because we are motivated by profit and fueled by our own desires. We can take the skins off of animals, take the horns of rhinos or the tusks of elephants, mass produce billions of animals in the worst conditions imaginable only to slaughter them at a fraction of their age, all of this because we are motivated only by profits. When we can overlook the suffering of living, breathing creatures because we desperately want a purse slathered in the skins of a tortured animal, we have lost the ability to lead with our hearts.
To make things clear, we need a ban on furs / skins across the board. There is no excuse or argument in defense of skinning animals for fashion when we have access to a plethora of synthetics available to us. Profiting off of the suffering of animals is grotesque and immoral and it's time that we just did away with that entire industry altogether. No more furs, no more skins, no more slaughter. Let's get this together and collectively ban furs / skins across the globe. End an industry that has tortured animals for decades. It's quite simple. HAPPY VEG New Zealand has announced it is proposing tightening up trade restrictions to better protect over 35, 000 endangered animals affected by the wildlife trade. The new restrictions would improve the current Trade in Endangered Species Act 1989 by prohibiting the domestic sale of ivory (with restrictions) and improving the regulatory system at the border.
While this is definitely a positive news story, we cannot let this stop us from continuing to fight for endangered animals. There are still many countries around the globe that have yet to enact any kind of ban on ivory which is necessary at this point in the game. There is no argument in defense of ivory that holds any validity given that elephants continue to face perils in the wild that put them at risk of further endangerment. Along with animals like rhinos, tigers, lions, cheetahs, and giraffes, elephants continue to face problems in the wild including habitat loss, poaching, and continued human conflict resulting in death meaning that there needs to be continued efforts to protect these animals before they are wiped off the face of the earth forever.
This is actually a very simple problem that as a planet, we should be eagerly willing to fix. Officially ban anything that comes from an endangered animal. No more trophy hunting, no more poaching, no more value on things that come from an endangered animal etc. Our one and only focus should be on preventing their extinction at any cost so we need to start acting like this is a real problem with irreversible outcomes. HAPPY VEG A couple of weeks back, I reported on a story that depicted the WDFW as negligent in their responsibility to protect wolves and prevent livestock conflicts. Their negligence and lack of a reasonable management strategy has resulted in 34 endangered wolves being killed, 29 of which were killed for conflicts with the same livestock producer. It was clear that the WDFW had no clear plan to manage these conflicts, instead resorting to their only known method of managing these conflicts, shooting and killing endangered wolves.
For too long, the WDFW has neglected their duty to serve the people of Washington and protect endangered wolves, instead, pandering to the livestock industry. They have repeatedly demonstrated a complete lack of transparency and have failed their duty to protect wolves. When you consider that 29 of the 34 endangered wolves killed by the WDFW were involved in livestock conflicts with the same livestock operator, that's when it becomes abundantly clear that they have no real plan to manage these conflicts, resorting to slaughtering the wolves.
If they were truly committed to protecting and conserving wolves, there wouldn't have been 29 conflicts with the same livestock operator. You're telling me that after 29 conflicts you really haven't come up with any kind of preventative measures to protect both livestock and wolves? How about larger perimeter fences for the areas where livestock graze? Why are wolves able to access livestock so readily? It's unfortunately evident that the WDFW has made absolutely no efforts to prevent future conflicts because killing the wolves is easy and that's always the best solution for an organization that is happliy negligent. With this new ruling, we can now hope that the WDFW will have to address their poor track record with wolves and come up with reasonable, non-lethal solutions in managing these conflicts. This will spare endangered wolves needless slaughter for simply acting on their instincts. Livestock has been served to them on a silver platter and they have paid the price. It's time for real change in managing Washington's wolf population and thanks to Governor Jay Inslee, that change is at our doorstep! HAPPY VEG Thousands have called on the University of Memphis to stop using live tigers as mascots. The University has been using live tigers as mascots now for over 4 decades despite outcries from activist groups and citizens who recognize the cruelty involved in utilizing tigers in this manner.
At a time on our planet when so many recognized and appreciated animals are facing the possibility of extinction, we should be collectively doing everything that we can to help these animals. Exploiting endangered animals for pictures and notoriety is abusive, ignorant, and completely negligent of our responsibility to help animals. We have literally as humans put ourselves on a pedestal allowing us to disassociate the suffering of animals as long as it contributes to our happiness. How can anyone possibly think that putting an endangered tiger in this situation is in any way, shape, or form a necessity? It's not, simple as that.
The University of Memphis needs to retire the remaining tiger to a sanctuary where it can live out the rest of its life with at least some of the lifestyle it would be attributed to in the wild. They can easily slap a tiger suit on some human who will willingly parade around the field and incite cheers and excitement. We don't need to subject living, breathing animals to unimaginable distress all for some stupid photographs. Enough is enough, retire the tiger and stop exploiting animals. HAPPY VEG |
Stay educated and remain involved in animal welfare. Together, we can all make a difference!
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