News
The number of news found: 21.
10/31/2013 JOIN PETA'S ACTION TEAM AND HELP ANIMALS
Join PETA's Action Team today to be a part of the growing movement to help animals. When you sign up here, PETA will contact you about upcoming events and demonstrations in your area as well as with breaking news, urgent action alerts, occasional instances when there are animals in your area who are in distress and in need of help, and tips on how you can improve the lives of animals every day. Whether you like to be out on the front lines or you prefer to work behind the scenes, PETA's Action Team has everything you need to continue the great fight for animals. Remember- every action counts. PETA's Action Team is designed for activists over the age of 22. If you are under 22, please check out peta2's Street Team to get active for animals!
10/31/2013 ONCE NEGLECTED HORSE PATRICK TO ROAM FREE IN HIS NEW FOREVER HOME
Patrick is an 11-year-old quarter horse from Texas. He was found near death when San Antonio Animal Control seized him on July 17, 2013. Patrick was not only starving but also dehydrated. San Antonio Animal Control kept Patrick for two and half months to bring him back to health. While recovering at San Antonio Animal Control, he was able to gain weight and receive medical treatment. Patrick was also gelded and given his vaccinations. Patrick has now found his forever home at Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch. This 1,300-acre ranch in Murchison, Texas will offer Patrick a home where he can roam free among other horses. The ranch is operated by The Fund for Animals and is an affiliate of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). According to the HSUS press release, Patrick's new home "is the nation's largest and most diverse animal sanctuary, home to more than 1,000 formerly abused, abandoned and neglected animals who are now living a life of peace and safety."
10/30/2013 ISRAEL PLANS MASS SPAYING CAMPAIGN TO COMBAT STREET CAT PROLIFERATION
With the aim of improving the quality of life here for both humans and felines, the Agriculture Ministry is launching a NIS 4.5 million campaign to spay and neuter approximately 45,000 stray cats in cooperation with local authorities. By enabling municipalities to perform surgical sterilization of their feral street cats, the program will help reduce the suffering of cats while reducing a proliferation which, in many places, has become an environmental or health hazard, the ministry said. Each local authority can receive up to NIS 200,000 in funding to help cover the costs of sterilizations, hospitalization and returning the cats to their areas of habitation.
10/30/2013 WILLA THE PIT BULL RAN AWAY FROM HER LIFE AS A BAIT DOG AND FOUND LOVING HELP
Willa, a sweet blue pit bull, was found wandering along the streets of Los Angeles earlier this year. At first, she may have just looked like another battered stray, but Willa's story runs deeper. Her rescuers found her starved and suffering from infected abscesses, reports Dogster. But after checking her microchip at a local shelter, her story turned more sinister – she came from a household whose owners were known to engage in dog fighting activities. Although Willa was discovered as a stray, the shelter refused to allow her back into the hands of her abusive owners. Her injuries proved to be those found commonly among bait dogs, or those used to train aggression in fighting dogs. She had scarring "all over her body" and fresh bites and scratches, reports Dogster. Somehow, Willa survived through this endless torture and escaped her miserable fate. Now, Willa has a new destiny – the life of a beloved pooch!
10/28/2013 STRANGLED SEAL SWIMS FREE AFTER RESCUED FROM FISHING GEAR
It's estimated that the ocean is home to between 700,000 to one million species. Yet, much of this life is threatened every day because of trash (the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is alarmingly between 270,000 to 5,800,000 square miles) and human-made devices like fishing nets in addition to harmful human activity including unsustainable and downright cruel fishing practices. Recently, a seal in the Pleasant Bay area off of Cape Cod found itself caught up in a fishing buoy line. The seal somehow became tangled in the line and, if help did not come in time, it probably would have died of suffocation as the line was wrapped tightly, strangling the animal’s neck. Thankfully, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) Maine Mammal Rescue and Research team came to the rescue of the seal, and it was set free back into the ocean!
10/28/2013 DOLPHINS BRUTALLY SLAUGHTERED FOR SHARK BAIT IN PERU
Since 1997, dolphin killings have been illegal in Peru, yet a new month-long undercover investigation conducted by Mundo Azul, Blue Voice, and Ecostorm agency reveals that dolphins are still viciously slaughtered on country waters. Peru's largely unknown dolphin slaughter is considered the largest in the world. According to the three organizations involved in the investigation, up to 15,000 dolphins are killed every year for bait by long-line shark fishing fleets. Unfortunately, the dolphins (called "sea-pigs" by Peruvian fishermen) are prime bait material because sharks are immediately attracted to the meat and it's 100 percent free of cost, reports the Daily Mail.
10/25/2013 QUEENS SCHOOL THAT WENT VEGETARIAN SHOWS STUDENT GAINS, DRAWS PLAUDIT
Students at the top-rated Public School 244, in Flushing, have longer attention spans and better academic scores since the school went vegetarian, school officials said. The school was recognized by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group that promotes plant-based diets, for becoming the country's first public school to serve vegetarian-only meals in its cafeteria. "We believe that [students] achieve better when they have healthier food choices and are educated about those food choices," said Bob Groff, principal of the pre-k through grade 3 school that went veggie in January. Groff said the school went vegetarian because the plant-based choices were better than the carnivorous ones offered by the city.
10/24/2013 INDYCAR DRIVER ADOPTS KITTEN HE MET IN BALTIMORE SHELTER
IndyCar driver Josef Newgarden fell in love with a tiny grey kitten from the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS) when he posed for the city's "Show Your Soft Side" anti-animal abuse campaign. He reunited with MJ the kitten, adopted him and became his forever human. "Josef Newgarden has shown his passion for anti-animal abuse and animal rescue with his involvement in organizations such as Best Friends Animal Society and Show Your Soft Side. The story from the Grand Prix of Baltimore that touched a lot of hearts came full circle a few weeks ago when Josef sent his application into BARCS Animal Shelter to adopt Simba, his good luck charm that backed his 2nd place finish at Baltimore. Courtesy of Southwest Airlines, the kitten and his foster mother were able to fly from Baltimore to Nashville, Josef's hometown, to meet his new father," Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing reports.
10/23/2013 KENYA TO MICROCHIP EVERY RHINO IN ANTI-POACHING DRIVE
Kenya is embarking on an ambitious plan to microchip every rhino in the country in a drive to combat a surge of poaching, say wildlife officials. The microchips will be implanted in the horns of more than 1,000 rhinos. Officials hope the chips will enable live animals to be tracked and poached horns to be traced, improving the chances of poachers being prosecuted. Soaring prices for ivory and horn have prompted a "gold rush" in poaching across much of Africa.
10/22/2013 OKTOBERFEST WENT VEGAN
Oktoberfest has always been very welcoming to vegans. But now the annual festivities are more inclusive to vegans who actually want to EAT at Oktoberfest. For the first time in two centuries, the German celebration includeD soy cutlets, fake pork, and vegan wine. According to ABC News, the changes are afoot due to increasing sensitivity to international visitors' dietary restrictions. Plus, some 800,000 Germans are vegan, and about 7 million are vegetarians.
10/18/2013 SWEDISH CIRCUS DROPS WILD ANIMAL ACTS AFTER CRUELTY EXPOSED
Cirkus Scott announced on Oct 15 that they will no longer feature wild animal acts after 76 years of doing so. The statement came after a public outcry in Sweden, and campaign by Djurrättsalliansen and Djurens Rätt, after it was revealed by ADI that the two elephants performing with the circus had been subjected to beatings and mistreatment by their trainer whilst at the Great British Circus. In 2009, ADI conducted an investigation into the Great British Circus and its elephant act, and exposed frightened, stressed elephants being brutally hit in the face with metal hooks, brooms and pitchforks. Three elephants - Sonja, Vana Mana and Delhi - were kept chained to the ground by one front and one back leg, barely able to take a step forward or back for up to 11 hours a day, and restricted access to food and water and social contact. The Swedish public were outraged to find that Sonja and Vana Mana - and the same trainer who had subjected them to such cruelty in the UK - were performing with Cirkus Scott. The third elephant that had toured with the Great British Circus, Delhi, sadly died last year. She had suffered terribly during her time in the circus.
10/17/2013 SUBARU LOOKING TO IMPROVE ANIMAL SAFETY IN CARS
Subaru has long touted the safety of its cars, and its entire lineup has earned top marks in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash tests the past four years, but that's for humans. The automaker has now teamed up with the Center for Pet Safety, a non-profit advocacy group focused on creating better equipment to protect the lives of animals during accidents, Automotive News reports. Many products are available to restrain dogs and cats in cars, but there are currently no government crash standards that they need to meet, and the Center for Pet Safety says most just aren't good enough to do much good in a serious collision. Tests conducted by the organization using a specially designed 55-pound crash test dummy dog found that the top selling restraints all failed during the type of 30 mph impacts child safety seats are subjected to, resulting in the dummy being propelled at high speed toward the front seat. This would likely result in major injury to the animal while presenting a danger to other passengers. Subaru will be funding further research by the organization to help develop standards and better testing procedures, possibly getting the government or another group involved in certifying these sorts of products in the future.
10/16/2013 EMILY DESCHANEL DRAWS ATTENTION TO CRUEL WOOL INDUSTRY PRACTICES
With winter weather around the corner, it's safe to say that most of us will be buying a new sweater or two. Before you head out on that shopping trip, however, Emily Deschanel has a few facts she wants you to know. This morning, the actress-turned-producer tweeted "Before you buy that new sweater, please take a look at this" and linked to an article by PETA which elaborates on the horrors which face sheep during wool production. According to PETA, twenty-five percent of the world's wool comes from Australia, a country which does not have strict laws in place to protect the wellbeing of the millions of sheep who are raised on the continent. As a result, practices are often cruel and casualties are catastrophic.
10/15/2013 RECENT BANKSY STREET ART DRAWS ATTENTION TO ANIMAL SUFFERING
British graffiti artist Banksy has won international fame for his poignant social and political commentary, all conveyed through a satirical, and often dark, street art style. His latest confirmed statement is a disturbing stuffed animal truck which was spotted in Brooklyn. This piece – named "Sirens of the Lambs" – consists of a run down farm delivery truck. Out of every crevice, the faces of stuffed animals pop out and appear to be crying out for help. "Sirens of the Lambs began" its tour in the meatpacking district of the city and then branched out to other neighborhoods. According to a bystander, "[The truck] was so loud. Not sure but I think someone was in the truck banging as if the animals were trying to escape." As the truck moves through New York City, it provides a sobering reminder that every piece of meat was once an animal which probably did try to escape and, in the end, lost the fight for its life.
10/14/2013 SCIENTIST SAYS NEW RESEARCH PROVES "DOGS ARE PEOPLE TOO"
Do you ever think that your dog knows exactly how you feel? It probably does. According to the Daily Mail U.K., Gregory Berns, a professor of neuroeconomics at Emory University, has discovered that dogs have emotions just like humans. Through the use of MRI scans, Berns discovered that dogs and humans use the same part of their brains to feel. The professor started his research hoping to find out how a dog's brain works and what the animals think of humans. Showing positive feelings like love and attachment could mean that dogs are as sentient as a human child. Berns hope to further these new findings and use them to expanding the rights of animals.
10/11/2013 ETHICAL CONCERNS ABOUT CONTROLLING COCKROACHES
When RoboRoach appeared as a Kickstarter project in June, the project to control a living cockroach's movements using a smartphone, generated buzz and was successfully funded. Now the project is poised for a large-scale launch in November, but some dissidents have raised ethics concerns about the way it frames animal experimentation. Greg Gage and Tim Marzullo, who are both trained neuroscientists and engineers, cofounded Backyard Brains, the company behind RoboRoach. Gage and Marzullo have billed the project as a way to spark an interest in neuroscience in students as young as 10 years old. But some experts are concerned about the ethical implications of RoboRoach. "[The devices] encourage amateurs to operate invasively on living organisms" and "encourage thinking of complex living organisms as mere machines or tools," Michael Allen Fox, a professor of philosophy at Queen's University in Canada, told ScienceNOW. Animal behavior scientist Jonathan Balcombe of the Humane Society University in Washington, DC, added that the idea that animals are not harmed by the removal of body parts is "disingenuous."
10/10/2013 CHIMP RESCUED AFTER 18 YEARS IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT AT ROADSIDE ZOO
After eighteen years of living in captivity at a small roadside zoo in Las Vegas, Terry the chimpanzee is finally free and receiving some much needed affection. Throughout the years that he spent at the Las Vegas zoo, Terry's life was filled with loneliness and depression. Chimpanzees are naturally very social creatures who live in large family groups in the wild. Although Terry was originally given to the zoo with his longtime friend Simon, the second chimp died shortly after their arrival. Terry's ability to survive for so long without companionship touched his rescuers, who made sure that he would never be lonely again. They relocated the 33-year-old Terry to Save the Chimps in Florida, currently the largest chimpanzee sanctuary in the world. Terry was rescued after the Las Vegas Zoo shut down due to the entire staff quitting their jobs. According to PETA, 150 animals were sharing the tiny three-acre property and accommodations were nowhere close to adequate. Four Barbary apes were rescued with Terry and now live at the Primate Rescue Center in Kentucky. All of the other animals are in the process of finding new homes.
10/09/2013 SCIENCE FAIR TO BAN EXPERIMENTS ON ANIMALS FROM 2014
IRIS Science Fair, one of India's largest student science competition, will not allow any kind of experimentation on animals from 2014 as its organizers have decided to put a ban on their use. The decision to amend the rules of the competition by Initiative for Research and Innovation in Science (IRIS) and Intel Technology India Pvt Ltd came following discussions with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), India. IRIS is a cooperative effort between Intel, the Confederation of Indian Industry and the government's Department of Science and Technology. Although IRIS reports that animal use is rare, current rules allow for a variety of experiments on animals with 49 per cent chances of them being killed during an experiment. In appreciation of the move, PETA will be awarding Intel and IRIS each with its Compassionate Action Award.
10/04/2013 VEGETARIANS GIVEN CHEAPER LIFE INSURANCE BECAUSE THEY ARE "HEALTHIER THAN MEAT EATERS"
A Melbourne insurance broker rewards vegetarians and vegans with savings through cashbacks or reduced commissions. Make A Difference Insurance managing director Brian Jones said meat eaters were a bigger health burden and more likely to make income protection, disability and trauma claims because of heart attacks and cancer. His company charges vegetarians an average $300-$675 less compared with carnivores with otherwise similar lifestyles. Mr Jones, who gave up meat three years ago, hopes insurers introduce and underwrite separate cut-price vegetarian policies. But he conceded it would be hard to prove whether all people were truthful when declaring themselves vegetarian. Oxford University research published this year found a vegetarian diet reduced the risk of heart disease hospitalisation or death by one-third. Lower saturated fat intake was the likely main reason. However, overall mortality rates were similar for vegetarians and meat eaters because of deaths from other causes. About 2 per cent of Australians were legitimate vegetarians, Mr Jones said.
10/03/2013 THE ANGELS VOWING TO SAVE ROMANIA'S STRAY DOGS
Dumped in a rusting skip and left to rot in the sun, two dogs are a pitiful symbol of Romania's animal welfare nightmare. What horrors they suffered before they were killed can only be imagined as the country wages warfare on unwanted strays. Their tragedy is repeated across Bucharest, Romania's capital, where an estimated 64,000 homeless dogs roam, a legacy of former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu's vanity. Pitched against the animal slaughter is an outspoken animal welfare lobby, claiming that dogs are being wiped out as "mob culture" takes grip. The British-based animal welfare charity is led by singer Pola along with wildlife TV presenter and conservationist Anneka Svenska and former model and Big Brother contestant Victoria Eisermann. The charity has launched an online petition calling on the EU to intervene, detailing horrific ways in which dogs are being destroyed.
10/02/2013 ANIMAL HERO AWARDS 2013: FORMER ROYAL MARINE NOMINATED AFTER RESCUING 500 DOGS IN AFGHANISTAN
A former Royal Marine who set up Afghanistan's first official animal rescue centre has been nominated for a Lifetime Achievement Award in the Daily Mirror and RSPCA Animal Hero Awards. Responsible for bringing more than 500 strays out of the war zone, Sergeant Pen Farthing first became aware of the animal crisis while stationed in the country six years ago. After breaking up a dogfight, a common "sport" in the local villages, he was befriended by an injured dog, who followed him back to his compound. Naming him after the nearby village, Nowzad became a firm companion to 43-year-old Pen and his fellow marines in 42 Commando. And as he was joined by other strays seeking food and shelter, Pen realised they would need somewhere to go after the troops had left. Pen founded the charity Nowzad, and funds were raised to start redeploying the soldiers' dogs and cats. Now the charity has built the first official home for strays in the country, near Kabul, with housing for more than 100 dogs and a cattery. They have set up a clinic as well as training local vets, educating local people and neutering animals.
The number of news found: 21.
