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Oct 17, 2008

Animal Activism

BLURB: One in FOUR (25%!!) of the world's mammals are in danger of going extinct.


Think about that BLURB. Thats 25% of mammals. Not reptiles, or amphibians or anything, just mammals. That's INSANE. You know how many species of mammals there are? The fact that 25% are in danger of going extinct! THAT'S INTENSE. That's 25% of the mammals in the world gone. Imagine that. It's scary. And look how cute this endangered tree kangaroo is! I bet half of you didn't know that tree kangaroos existed! So, adopt from WWF this October and help save them and all the other endangered mammals!

A lot has been going on. So, here is a summary.
WWF of October:
Success in Sumatra
The island of Sumatra has a wide biodiversity. This island is the only place in the world where tigers, rhinos, orangutans and elephants co-exist! Their home, the rainforest, is being forested for pulp and paper. Deforestation doesn't only destroy our rainforests, but it also leaves these animals homeless and destroys this wonderful landmark! Sumatra has the highest deforestation rate on the entire globe! If these trees continued to be cut down, then the largest store of peat carbon - Sumatra’s peat forests - in Southest Asia, will be distrubed and be a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. However, now, there is an island-wide agreement to protect Sumatra's ecosystem and biodiversity. YAY. :D To quote WWF, "This landmark decision will restore critical ecosystems, protect high conservation value forests – including those that store high levels of carbon – and create ecosystem-based plans to guide environmentally friendly development on the island." WWF has worked with the paper industries, APP and APRIL. APP continues to be destructive to the Sumatra habitat, so I encourage you to boycott this paper company. :) Which leads me to say, USE RECYCLED PAPER. Ecojot is awesome, and colourful. And APRIL has made a global commitment to protect all high conservation value forests under its control. There is now renewed hope in Sumatra, as this eleventh-hour reprieve comes on the heels of another recent win – the expansion of Tesso Nilo National Park to more than double its previous size. Both achievements are the result of WWF's successful partnerships, local-to-global strategy and foundation in solid science. So, check out WWF and send a thank you letter to the Indonesian officials. :)

Greenprint for US:
WWF also has the new Greenprint outlines for the new administration. The WWF Greenprint was provided to Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and their campaign staffs. It outlines specific policy initiatives that would reduce threats to global peace and security by cutting greenhouse gas emissions and establishing preparedness measures for dealing with the impacts of climate change, ensuring plentiful food and clean water for people around the world, and retooling the U.S. government’s Cold War-era foreign assistance program to ensure more sustainable use of the world’s natural resources.

You can now track a tiger online! You can read the diaries of a WWF scientist as she studies tigers. It's really cool. It's one of my favourite part of the monthly newsletters. The description on the page is ..."On this trip to the field Dr. Shannon Barber-Meyer of WWF’s species program dodged a charging elephant and crossed through Cambodia, Thailand, Nepal, India and Indonesia in search of the largest of all cats. Along the way she experienced the many habitats of these versatile animals – hiking over hills, wading through peat swamps, and bushwhacking through dense tropical forests." There's up to TEN parts! Now, I won't spoil it, but it should be good!

Also, check out https://secure2.convio.net/wwf/site/Advocacy?cmd=send&page=ActionAlertTakenPage&id=283&_ts=1224282759111&advDblClk=2&pagename=homepage for a LOT of ways to help, especially if you're a US activist. :)

Fall Action Line:

There's a lot, since it's like a whole magazine. Just check out the link, and read what you like. :) My favourite sections are Special Feature (A Sea Change - about the rising sea temperature and how it will affect animals, fishing, etc), They Could Have Lived Free, Her Deadly Wolf Program, Feeding the World, and the Merchandise Catalog. :) Enjoy friends.


Ontario SPCA:
Features 3 rescues. A new home for Hudson the cat and a pygmy goat. So cute. :) Also, the rescue of a fox that was hit by a car. Then, there's an article on one of the staff members, Inspector Tim Brown with the Ottawa Humane Society (OHS). There are articles on the victories in the courtroom:

In April 08, 166 dogs were rescued from a puppy mill. At the time when rescued they were suffering from dehydration, anemia (a deficiency of red blood cells) and parasites. On August 5th, a Bancroft man pleaded guilty for failing to comply with standards of care for the dogs bred for sale on his Bancroft-area property. [Just another proof of the horror of puppy mills!]


David Pryor of Manitoulin Island was originally found guilty of four Criminal Code of Canada charges on April 27, 2007 of wilfully failing to provide suitable and adequate care for horses. His appeal of the conviction to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice was dismissed on August 8, 2008. The case began in March 2006 when Ontario SPCA investigators attended Pryor's properties following public complaints regarding the condition of over 30 horses. At one of the locations, investigators found the horses undernourished, infested with lice, lacking in common general maintenance and living in unsanitary and unsuitable conditions.


Other than these, there's lots of other articles for animal lovers and some tips & tricks for animal owners. Also, a personal reminder: Hallowe'en is coming up, NO CHOCOLATE FOR THE PETS! Only for the children. Although, my dentist would probably disagree!



In Defense of Animals E-News:
Tax Dollars Pay for Nicotene Tests on Monkeys:
Decades of clinical studies in humans have unequivocally documented the harmful effects of nicotine on adults and children. So much, in fact, is known about the ill effects of smoking from studying these human victims, that Big Tobacco's best attorneys couldn't talk their way out of the landmark $209 billion Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) of 1998 between 46 states and the U.S. tobacco industry. Which leaves Americans wondering why the U.S. federal government, through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), continues to grant millions of dollars each year to scientists to force animals to consume nicotine. Animal experiments failed to demonstrate that exposure to cigarettes and tobacco smoke caused lung and other forms of cancer, which is now undisputed in humans.Since 2002 alone, the NIH has spent at least $16.5 million to conduct nicotine experiments on pregnant and newborn animals. This appalling figure does not reflect the total cost of all nicotine research on animals, which numbers far higher, but only that which focuses on nicotine’s effect on fetal and newborn development.

Tell zappos.com to stop selling fur!

Fur Free Friday reminder, November 28th! START PLANNING.
Me, personally? I'm thinking a fundraiser? Money donated to stopping fur farms. :)

Other/ Miscelaneous:

Vegetarian Answers:
So, people hear your a vegetarian and ask questions, or worse - they reprimend you. Many vegetarians are angry that people don't share their passion or don't care that they're eating animals (guilty) and get outraged easily. It's just your way of showing your passion. So, here are some answers to common reprimendations that you can use without getting snippy! Instead, you can use the chance to educate your friends and maybe convert a meateater. :)
Statement: "People are natural omnivores. We’ve been eating meat for thousands of years."
Response: Yes, that's very true. But people have also had slaves, had legal child labour, and unequal rights. People used to smoke when pregnant, and the death penalty was frequent. Just because something has a long tradition doesn’t mean that it’s right. Natural omnivores are animals like raccoons or bears. They don't have the choice to be vegetarian and don't get their meat from cruel meat factories. However, we put our animals through torture before we eat them and we have a choice to save them.
S: I respect your right to be vegetarian. Why can’t you respect my choice to eat meat?
R: Good point. We all have the right to choose for ourselves but as a society, we must make laws and set limits for ourselves when others are suffering. For example, people have the right to care for their children and animal companions as they see fit, but that freedom doesn’t include the right to beat a child or a dog with a baseball bat. The right to humane treatment for all outweighs the right to personal freedom. Animals raised for food are routinely treated in ways that would result in felony cruelty-to-animals charges if dogs or cats were the victims. What's the difference?
S: But I love the taste of meat. I could never give it up.
R: There are lots of meat alternatives that taste just as great, if not better! Have you ever had just plain meat, it's usually the sauce or flavouring that we add in addition to the meat that gives us the perception of deliscious flavour. Try adding the spices to a vegetarian meal, and your tastebuds will be just - if not more - satisfied.
S: What about humane/grass-fed/cage-free animal products?
R: (Just a personal note: who actually buys meat like that? Who actually knows if their meat is actually humane? And, since when is death humane?)
Even if the labels may sound good, animal cruelty is almost always guaranteed. For example, chickens are still have the sensitive part of their beaks burned off, and are conscious when they are scalded to death in feather-removal tanks. Cows may not contain artificial ingredients, but the cows are still dehorned, castrated then reach the knives on the assembly line while they are still alive.
S: Is it OK if I order meat? (asked at a restaurant) (when eating in front of you)
R: Please, go ahead. If you're that thoughtful towards me, then you must be this thoughtful towards animals!

Other points that I've used:
If you wouldn't wear human skin, then what's the difference for leather?
What's the difference between cannobolism and eating meat?

In response to above, if they say something like "humans have feelings, humans
are important" or something along these lines, then you can always point out
that animals have feelings and relationships too, and question their morality
and point out what horrible things humans have done to the earth.

Would you eat your pet? No. What's the difference between a dog and a cow?
If someone says "God gave us dominion over all of creation, we have a right to eat meat," then I respond with, my personal favourite,
"Yes, I guess so. But, God also gave dominion over children to parents. Does that mean that parents can eat their children? Or mistreat them? No, cause that would be cruelty. It's the same thing. Because God gave us dominion, we have to take care of the animals and make sure that they are protected. Not eat them."
Yeah... I've thought about this a lot. Check for future blogs on my thoughts. :)

Hunting from a deer's point of view. Very interesting. :)

Eco/ Animal Friendly Shopping Experiences:




Check out http://www.41pounds.org/savetreesblog/ for some awesome green tips. And for those people who are tired of junk mail, you can sign up and save 41 pounds a year. They put your name on the no-junk mail list, so you save trees. :D

Check out http://www.naturewatch.ca/ for a fully volunteer program that observes nature and the environmental changes that we're going through as a society.


A quick update from the IFAW Response Team for Hurricane Ike:
IFAW’s Search and Rescue Team has now finished operations in Calcasieu Parrish, parts of which were under 6-7 feet of water. Over the course of the week they were tasked to rescue dogs, cats, and wild animals, and to assess the condition of farm animals in the area.
Sheltering Team 1 has completed operations at the Anahuac, Texas temporary animal shelter. The team cared for scores of animals during their week in the field. The few remaining animals from Anahuac have been transferred to local shelters, where they await reunion with their owners.
Sheltering Team 2 has finished their deployment at the Orange, Texas animal shelter, and has demobilized. They also cared for scores of animals over the course of the week they were on the scene.

Media:

For The Love of Animals by: Kathryn Shevelow. Thoroughly researched and impressively detailed, For the Love of Animals tells the story and origins of animal protection, from when people first started to keep pets to when the first laws for animal protection were passed. Readers are introduced to the brave (and often famously eccentric) individuals who worked to stop animal abuse in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century England. This is an impressive read for those interested in both the history of legislation to protect animals and animal ethics issues.

http://www.meat.org/

Check my youtube account, msmango17 (ignore the videos) for my subscriptions. You'll find a lot of good videos, especially from the Nature Conservacy.

Some cool photos...? Hopefully (fingers crossed) some custom made posters coming soon. Thanks to friends (and readers?) who are making them for me.

The Vegetarian in a Nutshell podcast.

The world is in danger, we need to be its superheroes.
Love,
TreeHugger

Posted by Prudence at 3:08 PM