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Animal culling is something that has long been done for a variety of reasons including managing a population or ridding an area of an extreme amount of "pestilence" animals. Although this method of dealing with a supposed overpopulation might seem like a solution and is almost always the ONLY solution according to our governments, it is not only disturbing but it is almost always ineffective. Let me explain. In my community of Windsor Ontario, culling of deer in one of our prized parks is a regular occurrence. Every year there is a day or two that visitors are restricted so that the population of deer can be "managed." The problem here in my opinion is that we somehow decide the fate of these animals and yet we continue to develop and grow our own communities but allow ourselves the privilege of deciding how many creatures can inhabit a space. When talks of a purported plan to build a super shopping center near Ojibway were released, animal activists and environmentalists were angered over this decision because it encroached on a beautiful space. What this will do will draw more foot traffic to the area which will inevitably have an effect on the animals and nature in this beautiful park. With the increase in foot traffic, will this now mean that there can be even less deer to maintain the park's integrity? The problem here is us. We can build a shopping center that will inevitably effect the park and the amount of people that traverse it, but the deer who roam this area are the problem? This is completely hypocritical and in my opinion, an excuse to kill animals when the solution is right under our noses. We should be restricting the amount of people who can visit the park or designate days / week's where the park can flourish without human interference, not slaughter all of the animal inhabitants. It's absolutely ridiculous to me that we lame animals for destroying our parks or nature reserves when we continue to develop in areas that bring more foot traffic that inevitably leads to nature related damages.
Well, flash forward a few months later and the cull was decided against in favour of mandatory bins for garbage and guess what, the population of skunks swarming the city dwindled. If we give these animals access to food of course they are going to come and get it. Killing them all wasn't going to solve a damned thing because they would eventually reproduce elsewhere and return because we would have continued to give them access to garbage and food. Why was killing them the only answer despite the fact that the REAL solution was as simple as protecting our garbage?
Also, I'm reminded of a time when people were concerned over coyote spottings in my city. People were scared because they could see coyotes and were worried that they would become a danger to children and small animals and of course, the media was painting them as aggressive scavengers looking for every opportunity to kill kids and puppies. The truth is, we developed so heavily and destroyed our green spaces leaving these poor animals with nowhere but the city to go. Coyotes have lived there as long if not longer than we have and guess what, they weren't killing kids then so what changes this now? The problem here once again is our supposed right in deciding when an animal is becoming a problem and should be eradicated. It couldn't possibly be our fault that these animals are in the position they're in could it? Culling is a waste of taxpayer money and a waste of lives. It's repeatedly proven as ineffective because the animals always come back. In the case of the deer from my first story, I mentioned they do this almost every year which implies that by the end of every year, they're all back. There has to be other solutions aside from killing them simply for existing in a space that is just as much theirs as it is ours. My point here is simple, we continue to develop and grow and allow ourselves to take more and more green space away from wildlife for our own gains and then determine how many animals are allowed to live because of our over development. Our over development pushes animals into our city and we deem they frightening and nuisance animals so the solution is to cull them. We leave food out that baits animals to us and then complain and suggest killing them all as a solution. The problem in all of these scenarios is us and always has been us. When will we stop punishing animals for our own problems and start allowing them the same opportunities to live as we so dominantly allow ourselves? What do you guys think? Do you believe culling is a reasonable means of dealing with a supposed overpopulation or do you agree with me that it's only ever a temporary fix that will inevitably be repeated multiple times and cost taxpayers money yet never actually be 100% successful? HAPPY VEG
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Animal activists are outraged after videos surfaced of a horse collapsing in the streets pulling a carriage this week. The horse likely collapsed from exhaustion and in the video you can see people rushing to try and help it up but the horse was clearly exhausted and unwilling to get up. This awful event shines a light on the perils of horses who are employed to pull carriages and the dangers they face from this unnecessary and cruel activity. I've spoken out against horse drawn carriages in the past and I stand by what I've said. This method of travel has no place in today's society. Before vehicles, we used this means of travel because it was the only thing available to us and now today, it is seen as a novelty means of travel. Unfortunately, as our cities continue to grow in size, there are more dangers now than ever for these horses.
There are petitions in New York right now looking to keep the carriages out of heavily populated and trafficked areas and to increase their stall size and permit them appropriate retirement when their term ends. Although I wholly support these petitions, it's time to abandon the horse drawn carriage altogether. Fuck nostalgia, take a bus!
What do you guys think? Is it time to abandon horse drawn carriages or should they remain on the roads for the sake of tradition? HAPPY VEG An expectant mother was handed a lifetime ban on owning animals and small fines after disturbing and saddening photos of an emaciated husky were submitted to the courthouse. The judge was appalled at the photos suggesting she should be ashamed of herself and stating animal lovers would cry over the state of the husky in question.
The accused purchased the dog for her family but soon fell ill and moved back in with her parents leaving the dog behind on the balcony of her old apartment to starve. Her defense states she had a wake up call after this event and will never wish to own an animal again anyhow. She was spared jail as she was expecting and had a clean record prior to this conviction but the judge made sure she was aware how horrible this case was and how horribly the dog must have suffered there starving. The dog has since been turned over to the DSPCA where it was cared for and has already been adopted by a new family after her ravenous appetite helped her to gain several pounds in a short period of time. When I hear stories like this, I'm immediately angered but also I begin to question where these animals are being purchased from. My biggest problem is with puppy mills, pet breeders, and pet stores that sell animals. I don't believe there is a rigorous enough screening process to accessing an animal which allows for those who probably shouldn't own them to access them. Without a much stricter screening process, animals are left in the hands of people who can not or have no intentions of properly caring for them. This, on top of the fact that breeders and pet shops take away from animals that are in shelters waiting to be adopted that are at risk of euthanasia. Every animal purchased from a breeder is a nail in the coffin of an animal that is in a shelter desperate for a home. Shelters take adoption very seriously and the screening process is much more intense than that of a breeder in my opinion. A shelter has the animals best interests at heart and the only profit they make off of animal sales is for the medical costs incurred through fixing, shots, and food. A breeder on the other hand stands to make a hefty profit which makes the sale of an animal different in my opinion. When you're in it for the money, are you truly that concerned about the owners of the animal? I'm sure they too have a screening process but for them, there is much more monetary gain involved which could be an unfortunate motivating factor. Thank goodness this dog is getting better and thank goodness she has been adopted by a loving family who will properly care for her. I think the moral of this story is simple, if you're not willing to put in the time and effort it takes to care for an animal who will look to you for love and nurturing, then you probably shouldn't own one. An animal is a commitment that one must accept for years to come, not until it becomes inconvenient. These animals have feelings and emotions and they become attached to you, giving them away because you no longer want them or lack the ability to properly care for them leaves them damaged and emotionally scarred from their experiences. Please people, adopt and don't shop! HAPPY VEG As of now, there are currently 18 states that require veterinarians to report when they believe animals are being abused by their owners and 20 that suggest they report it but it is not required. This is especially alarming because a veterinarians job is to care for animals so I'm very surprised to learn that they are not ALL required to report abuse if they suspect it. This means that they willingly give back animals to owners who they know are abusing their pets, this doesn't make any sense to me whatsoever.
Let me start with what's obviously wrong, the animal abuse itself. Abusing defenseless animals is pathetic and abuses the privilege of owning an animal. These pets look to us to care for them and provide them with companionship so when someone abuses a pet, it's a complete disregard for the relationship one is supposed to have with their pets. These poor animals live their lives unknowing of what they've done wrong to deserve the abuse and unaware of what true love feels like from a compassionate owner. It sickens me to think that there are so many people out there who would raise a fist to an animal without even batting an eye. It's disgusting. Secondly, as the report suggests and as I've reported in the past, animal abuse is a tell tale sign of worse things to come. Often times, animal abuse is simply a starting point for someone who's already broken. Once they tire of abusing animals, they will move on to other targets which include children, women, and the elderly. In cases of mass shootings, there has been links to animal abuse that had it been reported, perhaps these people could have been stopped and potentially helped before they reached a breaking point that pushed them to do unthinkable acts. Not every case of animal abuse leads to these sorts of mass killings but if there's a link, that's reason enough to make it mandatory that vets report the abuse. In my opinion, it should be mandatory that animal abusers are reported and dealt with accordingly by the police. They should never have an animal returned to them by a veterinarian who is aware that they are abusing their pets. To me, this is a clear violation of a veterinarians responsibility which is to care for pets. How can someone who is paid to care for animals knowingly hand an animal who suffered abuse back to the abuser? That's why it is so important to follow the link to the original story at the top of the post and sign the petition making it mandatory for all U.S. states that veterinarians must report animal abuse. Without this ruling, animals who are being abused will most assuredly be abused again and the people committing those abuses will continue to abuse m,roe animals and potentially progress into human abuse as well. The only way to stop it is by signing the petition and lending your voice!@ HAPPY VEG In some of the most unsurprising news of the week, a leaked memo is suggesting that the Trump administration is withholding information from the public that would allow them to better protect endangered species. The memo suggests that the Fish and Wildlife Services take a less transparent approach to the information they provide which would allow the administration to skirt around the issue of protecting animals.
The memo suggests which information should be withheld in an effort to delay protections for endangered species which is utterly sickening. Since President Trump has taken office, it's become more and more clear that he is the biggest nightmare for so many groups that need protection including the LGBTQ community, women, minorities, and animals. He shows absolutely no regard for the extinction of a species, the plights of the LGBTQ community, the struggles of minorities, or the intelligence and equal rights of women and what's most appalling is that he is in one of the highest positions of power. He is the epitome of a misogynistic, bigoted racist who just so happens to have absolutely no effs to give about animals. President Trump has demonstrated on countless times throughout the two years of his presidency that he could care less about animals laughing in the face of animal endangerment and attempting to remove protections for various endangered species. He's claimed the elephant poaching and ivory trade were despicable yet he's attempted to lift a ban allowing Americans to bring back hunting trophies from lions and elephants cementing his hypocritical status. This exposed memo is not surprising but also a clear indication that animals are in danger under his leadership. It exposes a pretty well known fact about his administration that they are for the hunter and absolutely against animal survival. At this rate, he will have done more damage to animal rights and protections than any other president before him. I'm sure he doesn't mind though as I believe he enjoys being the center of negative attention. I mean c'mon, he's said some pretty awful things and look at him go. My only hope is that activists and groups protecting animals are able to fight against his decisions and save some of these precious animals from going extinct under his watch. HAPPY VEG It is being reported that within the next 20 years, we could see wild tiger populations triple in key areas so long as conservation efforts by the cooperating countries continues to be successful. This is amazing news when you consider that from the beginning of the 20th century, wild tiger populations have dropped by an alarming 95%. This is due almost entirely to human interference which includes habitat loss and poaching. Wild tiger populations that are healthy represent a thriving biodiversity and indicate a positive step in the right direction. In 2010, wild tiger population dropped to an all time low of approximately 3,200 which prompted 13 tiger area countries to adapt the most ambitious conservation efforts to date, known as TX2. TX2's goal was to see the population of wild tigers double in these key areas by 2022 which experts are saying is extremely ambitious, but not unheard of if efforts made by these countries continue to be effective. When you consider how many human beings there are on this enormous planet and think that there were only 3, 200 wild tigers, I can't think of anything more alarming. Big cats are crucial to an areas biodiversity keeping the balance between prey and natural habitat at bay. Without them, their prey would soon overrun the areas in which they inhabit because there would be nothing to stop them from doing so. Not to mention, this would lead to further habitat loss and eventually cause more animal species to go extinct. The circle of life is not some fictitious theory, it's a necessary part of all areas. Here's to hoping that these participating areas continue their hard work and we see wild tigers thrive once again in the wild.
The important thing to remember is that despite the increase in numbers, there is still so much work to do to see these creatures move off of the IUCN list entirely which will take many years of continued conservation to do. It is important to celebrate every victory especially when it comes to a species potentially going extinct. What we can hope is that with these continued efforts, we will see their numbers continue to grow steadily over the coming years.
Check out the original stories through the links provided throughout this post <3 HAPPY VEG China has put the skids on lifting a ban that would allow them to use tiger bones and rhino horns to further their medicinal research after only announcing last month that the intended to lift the ban.
Several varieties of tigers and rhinos have fallen into the critically endangered or extinct range within the last 20 years which made the news of China lifting the ban so disappointing and angering. These creatures face the perils of habitat loss and extreme poaching leaving them extremely vulnerable to becoming extinct. Neither species will survive without considerable conservation efforts put in place and especially not if one of the most populous countries in the world starts slaughtering them for medicinal research.
Check out the original story at the top of the page and stay tuned for any updates that I will post as soon as I hear <3 HAPPY VEG Big news in the fight for an end to cosmetics testing on animals as Covergirl has earned the cruelty free international stamp of approval. Covergirl endured a rigorous audit that saw their beauty brand earn the stamp after it was determined that none of their products or the ingredients sourced from any supplier were tested on animals. These products will now proudly wear the cruelty free international stamp of approval, the Leaping Bunny, indicating a completely cruelty free product.
Not only is this big news as far as cosmetics animal testing but it's a very clear message to all beauty brands that it is entirely possible to be a big company with 100's of products available worldwide and be completely cruelty free. If a company like Covergirl can achieve this, there is absolutely no excuse for other companies to continue testing on animals or receive any ingredient or product that is tested on animals. The Leaping Bunny Certification is the most comprehensive certification available as they regularly audit suppliers and manufacturers to ensure compliance with their expectations of a cruelty free product line. It is also the only globally recognised certification that requires these repeated audits making it one of the most elite certifications available. Covergirl is wholly committed to not only remaining cruelty free, but working with Cruelty Free International to end cosmetics animal testing across the board. As I said, this is a very clear message to all cosmetics companies that it is wholly achievable to be cruelty free and there is no longer an excuse for testing on animals. Animals used for cosmetics testing are forced to endure repeated applications of ingredients looking for irritation, lesions, and other skin ailments. They suffer tremendously both physically and emotionally during these tests and are often killed when they've fulfilled their need within the testing facility. There is absolutely nothing redeemable about animal testing for cosmetics and companies that still utilise this outdated and barbaric means for testing their products are completely ignorant to the suffering these animals endure and also ignorant to the plethora of available options for testing that don't include animals. Big congrats to Covergirl for their commitment to cruelty free products and helping to raise awareness for the need to end cosmetics testing across the globe! HAPPY VEG After China made progress in the world of animal rights and conservation by banning ivory, they've taken a massive step backwards by reversing a ban on utilizing tiger bones and rhino horns for medicinal research. China is reversing a 25 year ban on using tiger bones and rhino horns for medicinal research which is sparking outcries from conservation experts and animal activists across the globe who are calling China's ban on ivory a sham to cover up their intentions with tiger and rhino bones. China also reopened trade involving antiques made using bones and horns from these beautiful, endangered animals.
Look, as the world continues to evolve and science continues to grow, we should be focusing our efforts on plants and foods studying their effects on disease. Antioxidants from these plants / fruits & veg are already being studied for anti-viral and anti-cancer properties across the globe, this is where our efforts should be focused. By going back in time and allowing endangered animals to be utilized for medicine that frankly, doesn't work is both selfish and completely ignorant to the plights of the animals they're utilizing. It's amazing to me that we live in a world where we still don't grasp the damage we are doing to the animal population despite constant news about endangered or extinct animals. Are they naive or just plain ignorant?
My question is, what will China do when there are no more animals for them to kill for bones? I always ask this question but it's true, where do we go when there are no animals left? All of these trophy hunters out there hunting elephants, giraffes, lions, leopards etc., China using endangered tigers and rhinos, where do we go when they're all gone? These asshole are out here destroying the animal kingdom but have they thought long term? Probably not. My only hope is that efforts to conserve trump the backwards efforts of countries like China or sick trophy hunters. HAPPY VEG |
Stay educated and remain involved in animal welfare. Together, we can all make a difference!
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