After only 2 months of being announced by the Australian Parliament, Australia has officially banned the live maritime export of sheep which officially commences in 2028. This will save hundreds of thousands of sheep from the horrors of lengthy journeys to their slaughter. As we've touched on before, animals that are shipped around as "cargo" often endure grueling journeys to their final destinations. Live exports are widely known to be unsafe for animals, undeniably cruel, and put these animals at extreme risk of tragedy due to the possibility of capsizing for example.

Australia's move to ban live sheep exports are being celebrated by activists around the globe. This move is also prompting activists in the EU to put pressure on EU leaders to enact a similar ban. The EU is the largest exporter of live animals with in upwards of 1.5 million birds, 50+ million cows, pigs, sheep, and goat transported within the EU annually. Activists are urging leaders to abandon live exports by sea in favour of more compassionate and less dangerous transport options. The eventual hope is that transporting live animals by sea will be globally banned in the future.

These journeys are undeniably cruel to animals and as stated, there are so many complications and possible scenarios that put these animals in incredible danger. Many stories have emerged about boats capsizing, plunging thousands of terrified animals in to the ocean to die. It's a frightening thought but a reality for animals subjected to these journeys.

It's time for us to open our eyes to the horrors we impose on animals. They're already being forced to give their lives for our plates, we shouldn't be knowingly torturing them prior to this. Congratulations to Australia for taking steps to better animal welfare but there's always more work to be done! Learn more through the attached link at the top of this post.

International outrage ensued after Iceland's Food, Agriculture, and Fisheries minister announced a one-year renewal of Hvalur hf's commercial whaling license. Although the renewal could have been for 3 or even 5 more years, this means that 128 whales will be cruelly slaughtered this season leaving activists around the globe infuriated over the decision. Currently, only Japan, Iceland, and Norway permit whaling but as we've learned more and more about the cruelty surrounding commercial whaling and the suffering whales endure, it's time to end this barbaric and unnecessary industry once and for all.

Whales of many varieties are listed as possibly vulnerable to extinction. This in itself should be enough of a deterrent, and yet, despite a market that is undoubtedly turning its back on whale meat, commercial whaling will once again commence. Knowing that whales suffer tremendously, are in peril of one day going extinct, and that general support for commercial whaling is almost non-existent, it's incredibly saddening to learn that Iceland and Japan will resume their cruelty to whales.

Nothing on this planet is safe from humanity. What won't we kill? What won't we skin for fur? What won't we kill as pestilence, or for sport? Every single creature on this planet is at the mercy of humanity and whether we decide that a species deserves compassion. Sadly, we push species to the brink of extinction, list them as protected, funnel millions of dollars and endless resources and time in to rehabilitating them only to delist them and watch them plummet again. We manipulate everything so much and you know what? The animal kingdom would be just fine without our constant interferences. We must end this cruel cycle. 

Learn more through the link at the top of this post from World Animal News. Let's raise our voices in support of ending commercial whaling. We must stop this cruelty before we push whales towards a fast track to extinction.

Wildlife Killing Contests are set up to eradicate predatory animals / animals deemed pestilence by  humanity. Animals like bobcats, foxes, coyotes, raccoons, and even squirrels, are targeted by hunters over a pre-determined period of time. Contestants are urged to slaughter as many of these animals as possible and are awarded prizes / points for their kills. At the end, hundreds if not thousands of animals have been killed and someone is awarded the top prize for the event. Essentially, it's all about killing innocent animals for "sport". 

These contests are sickening. To think that there are so many people who are so eager to shoot and kill animals, disrupting the balance of their habitat and ending the lives of so many animals who didn't deserve their ending. These contests glorify animal slaughter and devalue the existence of animals that are crucial to their habitats. Remember, the more predators you take out, the more herbivores / prey species become abundant. What happens then? Decisions are made to eradicate these animals to "protect biodiversity" which would never have been a problem had we not permitted the needless slaughter of predatory animals for sport. See a pattern?

A new bill was introduced in the United States House of Representatives aiming to ban these horrific contests on public land. If the bill is passed, these contests will be banned on approximately 500 million acres of public land. There are currently 10 U.S. states that have banned wildlife killing contests, recognizing their needlessness and complete disregard for animals. If this bill is passed, this will hopefully prevent future contests from even being proposed and will act as a deterrent to those organizing them. It certainly sends the message that these contests are cruel, senseless, and support the glorification of animal brutality. 

It's time to end these horrific contests and stop manipulating the animal kingdom for our own gain. With the plethora of entertainment options available to us today, running around slaughtering frightened animals for fun seems a bit pathetic, doesn't it? Head to the link at the top of this post for the original story from WORLD ANIMAL NEWS.

Decades of advocacy have finally brought a ban on the export of live animals in Great Britain. This monumental victory comes after the bill made its way through the final stages of Parliament after many stumbling blocks along the way. The success of this initiative has many contributing organizations,  but the Compassion In World Farming International (CIWF) organization particularly has been fighting against live exports across our globe for over 50 years.

Many undercover investigations helped influence both the public, and the U.K. Government to take action. The export of live animals is undeniably cruel and there have been many documented instances around our world where it is blaringly obvious that this practice is unsafe, outdated, and needless. Ships carrying thousands of cows or sheep have capsized in the ocean, plunging thousands of frightened, innocent animals in to the freezing cold ocean to their deaths. These animals are subjected to long, cramped journeys with little to no access to food, water, or even enough space to move around or lay down. This causes so much stress, anxiety, and fear in these poor animals. In some cases, animals are dying during transit, dropping and forcing remaining animals to step on or over corpses during their journey.

There are simply too many flaws and dangers involved in transporting live animals on these grueling journeys, and time and time again, we've seen the horrors of what can go wrong. The visual in my mind of thousands of frightened animals being thrust in to the ocean to die is something that leaves me so unsettled. It's horrifying to imagine that their last moments were freezing to death or drowning in utter fear. Worst of all, this is the end of their journey after however long they were kept in captivity and inevitably to be sent for slaughter. We cannot in good conscience breed animals only to send them on perilous journeys to be slaughtered. It's so unethical; and immoral.

Congratulations to Great Britain on finally recognizing that live animal exports are abhorrent and the actual definition of animal cruelty. We need more of this around the globe ASAP! Head to the link at the top of this post for the original story. 

The attack on wolves in the United States is not new. Grey wolves were listed under the Endangered Species Act for 45 years. That's 4 decades of protections that prevented their slaughter & funneled resources in to conservation / repopulation efforts. Grey wolves were callously delisted by the Trump Administration prior to his ousting from the White House. This left wolves unprotected with several U.S. states ramping up for wolf hunting season in lieu of this new ruling. In almost no time, states like Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming permitted wolf hunting and in some cases, awarded bounties for wolf slaughter. This disgusting, and almost immediate assault on wolves, proves that individual states CAN NOT manage their own grey wolf populations respectfully. 

Given that wolves spent 45 years protected, and in less than 5 years, have been eradicated to an extent that they once again require protections, is so disheartening and angering. This is not just an assault on predatory species, it's an assault on wildlife period. Is it not enough that we continue to take their homes from them in order to house our own? We pollute everything, force animals to live amongst trash and risk their lives to navigate our busy streets in search of food. What will it take to shift the perspective of the U.S. states who so desperately despise wolves? The fact is, we will not because they're livestock states and we all know how heavily protected the livestock / factory farmed meat industry is.

Wolves are opportunistic hunters and when it comes to livestock, there really couldn't be an easier target for a meal. With that being said, enclosures are so poorly reinforced that predatory species can easily access enclosures, endangering livestock. A solution to that problem in a perfect world would include properly reinforcing enclosures, knowing predatory animals are lurking. Instead, the solution is to slaughter predatory animals already in peril of endangerment. This complete lack of empathy towards a species that has struggled for 5 or more decades due to our own self serving ways, there's no changing their perspective. This is why federal endangered species protections are the only way to ensure that grey wolves remain on our planet for years to come.

My hope is that USFWS is relentlessly sued until they reverse course. So much valuable time, resources, and effort were expensed over those 45 years only to watch it be undone in less than a decade. We have to stop this cycle of violence against wolves.

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The ProTECT Act (Prohibiting Threatened & Endangered Creature Trophies Act) was reintroduced in the United States aiming to protect imperiled species from extinction. The ProTECT Act would ban the import of hunting trophies from species listed as "threatened" and would also ban any hunting of a species on U.S. soil that was listed as "threatened" or "endangered". This crucial act is so important at a time when many species on our planet are quickly plunging towards extinction with perils that include drought, fragmentation, poaching, and habitat degradation. 

Arguments in favour of trophy hunting are always coming from those are in some way, benefited or invested in the industry. Every day citizens are statistically opposed to trophy hunting, especially when it comes to species in danger of extinction. We refuse to believe the lies surrounding trophy hunting and the falsehoods perpetuated as these animals are slaughtered for sport. We know that these species already face unsurmountable perils to their survival with new perils popping up every day, month, and year. Trophy hunting is doing absolutely nothing outside of ending lives and catering to wealthy westerners. The argument that these hunts aid in conservation are tired and worn out and as stated, the general population is over the excuses and lies.

We must pass the ProTECT Act in the United States. It is a crucial bill that will help protect Africa's most in danger species and without it, more and more of our planet's most recognized and beautiful species will be eradicated.

Super tuskers are described as elephants with at least one tusk weighing in over 100 pounds. They are easily recognizable due to the sheer size of their tusks, and are sought after by illegal poachers looking to profit off of illegal ivory, and disgusting trophy hunters. Often times, males over 40 are targeted due to what trophy hunters believe is their lack of reproductive opportunity. Basically, they justify slaughtering these animals with reasoning that has been disproved by science multiple times. Bulls are healthy and wholly capable of reproducing well in to their 40's / early 50's if left alive. By slaughtering these males, trophy hunters are directly impacting future elephant populations by taking out healthy, strong male elephants under the guise of conservation / elephant sterility.

I've said this multiple times before but we need to step it up in terms of trophy hunting. Why are we still permitting the slaughter of species' that will inevitably face extinction? Do we not care enough about the survival and future of a species that we can honestly turn a blind eye to their perils in order to justify our sick urges to shoot and kill them for fun? With all of the endless opportunities for entertainment we are provided, especially if you've got tens of thousands of dollars to spend on a trip to shoot and kill elephants, there is simply no justification for ending the life of an animal that has so much importance in the grand scheme of things.

Africa continues to face droughts that are leaving Africa's wildlife desperate for water and other perils including human conflict and illegal poaching. knowing their struggles? Why are we issuing more licenses to kill them for fun? Why are we helping along the extinction of one of our planet's most recognized and beloved species? Why do we care about the extinction of a species when we've pushed them so very close because of our own actions? Our poorly timed concern leaves these species in grave danger of extinction which then puts financial pressures on organizations tasked with saving them. We could easily avoid this if we stopped directly contributing to their demise, don't ya think?

This is shameful news. Tanzania / Kenya MUST do better in protecting their wildlife before we inevitably see the extinction of elephants, giraffes, and other vulnerable species. Stop the killing. Stop profiting off of the death of animals who only yearn for life.

Here's a reason to celebrate you guys! Belgium announced a ban on the import of hunting trophies from endangered or imperiled species. This ban will prevent hunting trophies from Africa's most imperiled species from entering the country. Not only will the ban prevent trophies from coming in, it acts as a natural deterrent from participating in trophy hunting excursions. This ban works towards protecting Africa's endangered species from continued hunting that is putting them further at risk of inevitable extinction. 

Trophy hunting has always been an abomination and an abuse of our power. We call ourselves the ultimate species on this planet, and instead of using our tools for good, we create weapons, fly to other countries, and stalk, shoot, and kill innocent animals for fun. Our sense of entitlement to whatever it is on this planet we desire is frightening and the exact reason our planet is suffering tremendously right now. We are in the midst of a large extinction crisis and despite this, trophy hunting and sport hunting persevere.  We are sick, and this sickness that justifies whatever disgusting antics we engage in is the reason plants, birds, aquatic creatures, and animals on our planet are under an intense struggle for survival. As far as humanity is concerned, animals are owed nothing on this planet as it belongs solely and entirely to us.

I always say this but let's not forget that at one point, elephants were abundant. Giraffes were flourishing, rhinos were plentiful, etc. Now, here we are witnessing their extinction one by one and we continue to turn a blind eye to the real problems which are all traced back to us. When do we stop? When there's literally no animals left outside of factory farmed livestock and animals behind bars in zoos? We've wiped out so many species over the years through our complete lack of compassion & empathy and at this rate, we will wipe out so many more species. Trophy hunting is one of the only things we can control entirely and that's why I support an International ban on this industry. We should not be profiting off of the extinction of a species.

Learn more through the link from World Animal News at the top of this post!

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The ban will come in to force within 6 months, allowing a 3 year phase out and making it officially illegal by 2027 to breed dogs for consumption, house dogs for consumption, slaughter dogs, or consume them. This phase out will be supported by the South Korean government, offering farmers subsidies and grants to transition their farms to other farming opportunities, which include chilis, parsley, and other livelihoods. During this transitional period, Humane Society International is urging the South Korean Government to work with animal rescue organizations to save as many dogs as possible. As stated, a whopping million dogs every year are killed for their meat, and this transitional period will see that continue without the rescue efforts of animal organizations.

The dog meat industry has long been one that has faced International pressures. The Chinese Yulin Dog Festival is one that draws international disgust every year, and I believe, brought the horrors of the dog meat industry to the forefront. The images of dogs being burned, beaten, and everything in between, are horrifying and hard to believe, as it's almost unfathomable that one would consume dogs or cats. But, traditions exist all over our planet that some of us might be horrified by, the consumption of dog / cat meat is no different. With that being said, some traditions need to be buried in our history and the horrendous dog meat industry is one of them.

Huge congratulations to the people of South Korea, animal advocacy groups, and the South Korean government, for taking a stand for innocent animals and ending the horrors of the dog meat industry within the country. Learn more by clicking the link at the top of this post to the original story from World Animal News.

This bill is incredibly important to me as Canada is also currently embroiled in whether or not we're going to stop sending horses abroad to be slaughtered. Canada's animal welfare track record is rather abysmal when you consider the abhorrent seal hunt, our continued production and sale of fur, and our continued allowance of cetaceans in captivity, grandfathered in after a ban took place. Canadians as a whole however, I believe whole-heartedly support a ban on horse slaughter and one can hope that New York's ban on horse slaughter will inspire Canada to do the right thing.

Horses sent abroad for slaughter are flown from Winnipeg or Calgary, all the way to Japan, a grueling, lengthy journey that leaves horses frightened, exhausted, and in emotional turmoil. Interestingly, these horses only fetch about $9, 000 and we only ship about 2, 600 to japan yearly. Given that we barely make any money off of this, I'm appalled that our Government has yet to hold true to their promise of banning the export of horses for slaughter.

Horses are such beautiful, majestic animals and our relationship with horses goes way back in our history. Our mutually beneficial relationship worked for hundreds of years, and now here we are, forcing them to parade us through busy city centers on gawdy carriages, or shipping them abroad thousands of miles only to be cruelly slaughtered. Unlike cows, horses don't take being stunned the same way and often times, it can take multiple tries to slaughter them before being dismembered. Is this really the end that horses deserve after they've spent their entire lives enriching us?

​Congratulations New York for doing the right thing for horses. Here's to hoping that Canada wakes up and commits to ending the abuse on horses.