Food, Inc.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Food, Inc. is a 2008 American documentary film directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Robert Kenner. The film examines corporate farming in the United States, concluding that agribusiness produces food that is unhealthy, in a way that is environmentally harmful and abusive of both animals and employees. The film is narrated by Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser.

The film's first segment examines the industrial production of meat (chicken, beef, and pork), calling it inhumane and economically and environmentally unsustainable. The second segment looks at the industrial production of grains and vegetables (primarily corn and soy beans), again labeling this economically and environmentally unsustainable. The film's third and final segment is about the economic and legal power, such as food label laws of the major food companies, the profits of which are based on supplying cheap but contaminated food, the heavy use of petroleum-based chemicals (largely pesticides and fertilizers), and the promotion of unhealthy food consumption habits by the American public. It shows companies like Wal Mart transitioning towards organic foods as that industry is booming in the recent health movement.

Read more here

Justice Network Editorial
by Neil Gillespie
April 25, 2012

The Normalization Of Violence Toward Farm Animals Is Unacceptable In A Civilized Society

Many people are uniformed about farm animals, slaughterhouses, factory farms, industrial animal agriculture, and the normalization of violence accepted to put dinner on the table. Videos go a long way in understanding the killing of animals for human use, like those from Paul McCartney, Dr. Temple Grandin, bloggers, animal welfare organizations and filmmakers.

The book Eternal Treblinka, and others, describe the horrible suffering animals endure everyday in industrial factory farms. As Mark Bittman wrote in "The Human Cost of Animal Suffering" in the New York Times, "…once we accept that farm animals are capable of suffering (80 percent of Americans believe this to be true), we might well wonder what they’ve done to deserve such punishment."

A video by Dr. Grandin discusses humane methods of animal dispatch. A video by Dax Jorgenson shows the humane butchering of a live hog from killing the animal to completion. Another video by Terrence Malachy shows the utterly inhumane killing of a hog. This is hard to watch, and the authorities should investigate this outrageous torture of an innocent animal.

There are alternatives to the normalization of violence accepted to put dinner on the table. The first step is this admission: The normalization of violence toward farm animals is unacceptable in a civilized society. Next, humane methods of animal farming and animal killing must be employed. For others, vegetarianism or veganism is the way to stop the normalization of violence toward farm animals.

The Human Cost of Animal Suffering
The New York Times, Opinionator
By MARK BITTMAN
March 13, 2012

Until a couple of years ago I believed that the primary reasons to eat less meat were environment- and health-related, and there’s no question that those are valid reasons. But animal welfare has since become a large part of my thinking as well. And I say this as someone not known to his friends as an animal-lover.

If we want a not-too-damaged planet to live on, and we want to live here in a way that’s also not too damaged, we’re better off eating less meat. But if we also want a not-too-damaged psyche, we have to look at how we treat animals and begin to change it.

We can start by owning up to the fact that our system is industrialized. And as horrible as that word — "industrialized" — seems when applied to what was once called animal husbandry, it is precisely the correct term. Those who haven’t seen this, or believe it to be a myth perpetrated by PETA, might consider reading "Every Twelve Seconds: Industrialized Slaughter and the Politics of Sight," recently published by Timothy Pachirat. (This isn’t a review, but the book is superbly written, especially given the grimness of the subject.)

You might think that "every 12 seconds" refers to the frequency with which we kill animals, but in a moment you’ll realize that that’s impossible: we process more than nine billion animals each year — hundreds per second. No, 12 seconds is the frequency with which the Omaha slaughterhouse where Pachirat worked for five months killed cattle, a total of around 2,500 per day.

Pachirat, whom I interviewed by phone earlier this week, took the job not as an animal rights activist but as a doctoral candidate in political science seeking to understand the normalization of violence. Like others, he concluded that our isolation from killing allows us to tolerate unimaginably cruel practices simply because we don’t see them. But Pachirat emphasizes that it’s not only we — consumers — who are isolated from the killing, but workers: at his plant only seven people out of 800 were directly involved with live cattle, and only four with killing.

Not that the other workers have it easy: "Every Twelve Seconds" shatters any belief you might have about the system treating animals with a shred of decency. "The sheer volume, scale and rate of killing," Pachirat told me, "the way the animals form a continuous stream rather than individual creatures, makes it clear the animals are seen as raw material. The cattle are called ‘beef’ even while they’re alive — and that not only protects people from acknowledging what they’re doing and that they’re doing it to sentient beings, it’s also accurate, a reflection of the process itself."

Our assertion of our right to treat animals as we do iron or lumber or car doors — to treat them as widgets — is not cannibalism, but it’s hardly consistent with our keeping of adored pets.

Meat-eaters may assert that this is somehow justifiable, because we "need" to eat meat — just not cats or dogs or goldfish — to live. And even though we don’t (in fact, there’s increasing evidence that too much of it is harmful; more on that later this week), we have more than two million years of tradition to point to, we have bodies that process meat well and even thrive on it in limited amounts and we have a love of eating animal flesh that for most of us may not go away any time soon.

None of which justifies egregious maltreatment. (Yes, vegan friends, I get that killing animals, period, is maltreatment. This ambivalence, or hypocrisy if you prefer, is for every ambivalent or hypocritical omnivore or flexitarian a puzzle, and scale is an issue.)  That maltreatment must first be acknowledged in order for us to alleviate it.

And that acknowledgment is forthcoming. The allure — and habit! — of meat-eating may be too strong for most of us to give it up, but recognizing its consequences is a move toward a middle ground: a place where we continue to eat animals but exchange that privilege (that’s what it is) for a system in which we eat less and treat them better, one that allows our children to make more humane decisions. Because once we accept that farm animals are capable of suffering (80 percent of Americans believe this to be true), we might well wonder what they’ve done to deserve such punishment.

The most publicized stories about industrial agriculture represent the exceptions that prove the rule: the uncommon torture of animals by perverse individuals in rogue operations. But torture is inherent in the routine treatment of animals as widgets, and the system itself is perverse. What makes "Every Twelve Seconds" different from (for example) a Mercy for Animals exposé is, says Pachirat, "that the day-in and day-out experience produces invisibility. Industrialized agriculture perpetuates concealment at every level of the process, and rather than focusing on the shocking examples we should be focusing on the system itself."

At that point we might finally acknowledge that raising, killing and eating animals must be done differently. When omnivores recognize that our way of producing and eating meat reduces not only slaughterhouse workers but all of us to a warped state, we’ll be able to bring about the kind of changes that will reduce both meat consumption and our collective guilt.

Pachirat says he has changed as a result of his experience, becoming increasingly interested in what he calls "distancing and concealment." He now intends to work on those issues as they relate to imprisonment, war, torture, deployment of drones and other sophisticated weaponry that allow impersonal killing. And it’s because these connections make so much sense that we should look more carefully at how we raise and kill animals.

"I didn’t get into this to focus on animal issues," he told me, "but my own relationship to eating meat has been transformed, and I now forgo it altogether. It’s just not worth the pleasure when you know the system."

When we all know the system, we’ll be even more eager to change it. Read more here. See the reader comment below, a NYT Pick

Comment by Farmer, NYT Pick
March 14, 2012 at 11:03am

"In my lifetime on the farm, we lived with animals and we died with the animals. Our every waking moment was devoted to the care of the cattle. Even as my late father was dying, he asked non-stop how the cattle were being cared for. Life as it goes on on a regular farm is intertwined with new births, growth of the animals and ultimately death. For so many urban people, life is sanitary...never touching upon the heartbeat or the end of the heartbeat."

"It used to be that animals sent to slaughter were selected and likely sent off to a slaughterhouse in your town where you knew the people working there or the owners. Cattle were trucked a short distance and the job was done, quickly and without pain as best as we could know from occasional visits there."

"Now, things are far away, cattle must ride hours and hours from almost every rural town to massive plants owned by one of three huge companies, worked often by immigrant workers, we lose complete touch with the final destination of our cow."

"Consumers, though, should acknowledge some of the role in the creation of this massive industrializing of agriculture. For decades, you have sat in silence and disinterested in what was going on on the farm. As we older farmers warned of the creation of the consolidated massive food systems we see now, you all replied that you wanted food cheaper....and cheaper... You have reaped what you have sown. I am hoping the younger generation will be able to turn the ship around."

Did you know that you could save 100 animals per year just by adopting a meat-free diet? That's right—going vegetarian saves lives! And if that's not appealing enough, it's easy too!

So, what do you say? Fill out the form below to receive a free copy of PETA's vegetarian/vegan starter kit, or view the online version or PDF version now. It will guide you through the transition to a healthier, happier, and longer-lasting life. It has everything from recipes and tips on eating out to health information and videos!

Know someone who is looking to make the switch but just needs a little assistance? Click here to order a kit for a friend.

USDA inspection of pig.

Slaughterhouse
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A slaughterhouse or abattoir is a facility where animals are killed for consumption as food products.

Approximately 45-50% of the animal can be turned into edible products (meat). About 15% is waste, and the remaining 40-45% of the animal is turned into byproducts such as leather, soaps, candles (tallow), and adhesives. In the United States, around nine billion animals are slaughtered every year (this includes about 150.4 million cattle, bison, sheep, hogs, and goats and 8.9 billion chickens, turkeys, and ducks) in 5,700 slaughterhouses and processing plants employing 527,000 workers; in 2009, 13,450,000 long tons (13,670,000 t) of beef were consumed in the U.S. alone. In Canada, 650 million animals are killed annually. In the European Union, the annual figure is 300 million cattle, sheep, and pigs, and four billion chickens.

Slaughterhouses which process meat unfit for human consumption are sometimes referred to as Knacker's yards or Knackeries.

Slaughtering animals on a large scale poses significant logistical problems and public health concerns, with public aversion to meat packing in many cultures influencing the location of slaughterhouses. In addition, some religions stipulate certain conditions for the slaughter of animals so that practices within slaughterhouses vary.

There has been criticism of the methods of preparation, herding, and killing within some slaughterhouses, and in particular of the speed with which the slaughter is sometimes conducted. Investigations by animal welfare and animal rights groups have indicated that a proportion of these animals are being skinned or gutted while apparently still alive and conscious. There has also been criticism of the methods of transport of the animals, who are driven for hundreds of miles to slaughterhouses in conditions that often result in crush injuries and death en route. Slaughtering animals is opposed by animal rights groups on ethical grounds. Read more here

Cow restrained for stunning just prior to slaughter.

Humane Slaughter Act
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Humane Slaughter Act, or the Humane Methods of Livestock Slaughter Act, (P.L. 85-765; 7 U.S.C. 1901 et seq.) is a United States federal law designed to decrease suffering of livestock during slaughter. It was passed in 1958. Food Safety and Inspection Service inspectors at slaughtering plants are responsible for overseeing compliance, and have the authority to stop slaughter lines and order plant employees to take corrective actions.

Although more than 168 million chickens (excluding broilers) and around 9 billion broiler chickens are killed for food in the United States yearly, the Humane Slaughter Act specifically mentions only cattle, calves, horses, mules, sheep and swine.

Following news reports in early 2002 alleging significant non-compliance, FSIS assigned additional veterinarians to its district offices specifically to monitor humane slaughter and handling procedures and to report to headquarters on compliance. The 2002 farm bill requests an annual compliance report to Congress, and in the FY2003 agricultural appropriations act, Congress designated $5 million of FSIS funding for hiring 50 additional compliance inspectors. Language in the FY2004 consolidated appropriations act directs FSIS to continue fulfilling that mandate, and the FY2005 budget request calls for another $5 million to be allocated for enforcement activities. A January 2004 GAO report states that compliance problems persist (GAO-04-247). Earlier concerns about humane treatment of non-ambulatory (downer) cattle at slaughter houses became irrelevant when FSIS issued regulations in January 2004 (69 FR 1892) prohibiting them from being slaughtered and inspected for use as human food. Read more here

7 USC Chapter 48 - Humane Methods of Livestock Slaughter 

7 USC § 1901 - Findings and declaration of policy

The Congress finds that the use of humane methods in the slaughter of livestock prevents needless suffering; results in safer and better working conditions for persons engaged in the slaughtering industry; brings about improvement of products and economies in slaughtering operations; and produces other benefits for producers, processors, and consumers which tend to expedite an orderly flow of livestock and livestock products in interstate and foreign commerce. It is therefore declared to be the policy of the United States that the slaughtering of livestock and the handling of livestock in connection with slaughter shall be carried out only by humane methods.

7 U.S.C. § 1902 - Humane methods

No method of slaughtering or handling in connection with slaughtering shall be deemed to comply with the public policy of the United States unless it is humane. Either of the following two methods of slaughtering and handling are hereby found to be humane:

(a) in the case of cattle, calves, horses, mules, sheep, swine, and other livestock, all animals are rendered insensible to pain by a single blow or gunshot or an electrical, chemical or other means that is rapid and effective, before being shackled, hoisted, thrown, cast, or cut; or

(b) by slaughtering in accordance with the ritual requirements of the Jewish faith or any other religious faith that prescribes a method of slaughter whereby the animal suffers loss of consciousness by anemia of the brain caused by the simultaneous and instantaneous severance of the carotid arteries with a sharp
instrument and handling in connection with such slaughtering.

7 USC § 1903 - Repealed

7 USC § 1904 - Methods research; designation of methods

7 USC § 1905 - Repealed

7 USC § 1906 - Exemption of ritual slaughter

7 USC § 1907 - Practices involving nonambulatory livestock

This is the first of three videos by dax21x (Dax Jorgenson) that shows the butchering of a live hog, from killing the animal to completion. This is not industrial factory farming, but a small independent operation, Jorgenson Meat Processing. This video shows how food animals were killed and butchered before industrial factory farming. Other videos show dax21x butchering a cow and a deer.

Captive bolt pistol
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A captive bolt pistol (also variously known as a cattle gun, stunbolt gun, bolt gun, or stunner) is a device used for stunning animals prior to slaughter.

Proper stunning is essential to prevent the pain and suffering of the animal during the bleeding (exsanguination) process (which is itself necessary to prevent meat spoilage) during butchering. The principle behind captive bolt stunning is a forceful strike on the forehead using a bolt to induce unconsciousness. The bolt may or may not destroy part of the brain.

The bolt itself is a heavy rod made of non-rusting alloys, such as stainless steel. It is held in position inside the barrel of the stunner by means of rubber washers. The bolt is usually not visible in a stunner in good condition. The bolt is actuated by a trigger pull and is propelled forward by compressed air or by the discharge of a blank round ignited by a firing pin. After striking a shallow but forceful blow on the forehead of the animal, spring tension causes the bolt to recoil back into the barrel. The use of penetrating captive bolts has been discontinued in the commercial arena.

The captive bolt pistol was invented in 1903 by Dr. Hugo Heiss, former director of a slaughterhouse in Straubing, Germany.

Read more here

Alexia Allen of Hawthorn Farm is a wilderness skills instructor who also has a small farm in Woodinville, Washington. I thought she did a really good job of demonstrating a respectful harvest of a chicken. Read more here

Respectful Chicken Harvest Part 2 of 2

Earthlings (film)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

EARTHLINGS is a 2005 movie about humanity's use of animals as pets, food, clothing, entertainment, and for scientific research. The film is narrated by Joaquin Phoenix, features music by Moby, was directed by Shaun Monson, and was co-produced by Maggie Q, all of whom are practicing vegans. Read more here

Earthlings Official Website



Earthlings Official Website

Transcript for Earthlings

'Earthlings' Review, About.com Guide

Compassion, Moderation, and Becky (the elephant in Earthlings)

Gary Smith, 'training' of circus animals

Earthlings on Amazon.com

Hey Iowa, Undercover Videos At Factory Farms Should Not Be Illegal
By Deborah Dunham
March 6, 2012

Iowa recently approved a bill that has outraged a lot of animal rights activists. And rightly so. House File 589 just passed in the state’s legislature and has reached the governor’s desk. If signed, the measure would prevent people from photographing or filming a factory farm without the owner’s consent. Essentially, it would ban the undercover work that has previously exposed animal abuse on factory farms. And now, that exposure could be a crime.

Activists groups like PETA, Mercy for Animals and the Humane Society are urging people to ask Governor Terry Branstad to veto the measure because approving it would only contribute to more animal abuse. Read more here

Mercy For Animals is a national non-profit organization dedicated to preventing cruelty to farmed animals and promoting compassionate food choices and policies.

Farm to Fridge, narrated by Oscar-nominee James Cromwell, takes viewers on an eye-opening exploration behind the closed doors of the nation's largest industrial farms, hatcheries, and slaughter plants -- revealing the often-unseen journey that animals make from Farm to Fridge. Read more here

ChooseVeg.com

70% of all Ground Beef Contains "Pink Slime" ... and USDA Bought 7 Million Pounds of the Stuff for School Lunches
Zero Hedge
by George Washington
March 11, 2012

"Pink slime," a cheap meat filler, is in 70 percent of the ground beef sold at supermarkets and up to 25 percent of each American hamburger patty, by some estimates. Read more here

Eternal Treblinka: Our Treatment of Animals and the Holocaust
Charles Patterson, Author

ETERNAL TREBLINKA: Our Treatment of Animals and the Holocaust, by Charles Patterson, Ph.D., describes disturbing parallels between how the Nazis treated their victims and how modern society treats animals. The title is taken from the Yiddish writer and Nobel Laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer, himself a vegetarian: "In relation to them, all people are Nazis; for the animals it is an eternal Treblinka."

The first part of the book describes the emergence of humans as the master species and their domination of the rest of the inhabitants of the earth. The second part examines the industrialization of slaughter (of both animals and humans) that took place in modern times, while the last part of the book profiles Jewish and German animal advocates on both sides of the Holocaust.

The Foreword is by Lucy Kaplan, a former attorney for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), who is the daughter of Holocaust survivors. Read more here

Temple Grandin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Temple Grandin (born August 29, 1947) is an American doctor of animal science and professor at Colorado State University, bestselling author, and consultant to the livestock industry on animal behavior. As a person with high-functioning autism, Grandin is also noted for her work in autism advocacy and is the inventor of the squeeze machine designed to calm hypersensitive people.

Grandin is listed in the 2010 Time 100 list of the 100 most influential people in the world in the category "Heroes".

Read more here

Temple Grandin (film)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Temple Grandin is a 2010 biopic directed by Mick Jackson and starring Claire Danes as Temple Grandin, a woman with autism who revolutionized practices for the humane handling of livestock on cattle ranches and slaughterhouses. Read more here

An Ode to Temple Grandin
Saveur
By Jessica and Joshua Applestone The Butcher
October 21, 2009

To say that we are big fans of Temple Grandin would be an understatement. Grandin, a scientist and animal welfare advocate (as well as an advocate for the autistic community, within which she is included) has written two books that are close to our hearts: Animals Make Us Humans (Houghton Mifflin, 2009) and Animals in Translation (Harvest Books, 2006). Perhaps this seems strange coming from butchers, but Grandin is the kind of advocate that makes sense to us. She does not try to stop the slaughter of animals for meat but has, instead, worked within the industry to change standards and create laws to protect the animals that eventually end up as our dinner. Grandin has been fighting for animals since the 1970s, but her most famous work began in 1991, when the American Meat Institute (AMI) set its own guidelines for animal handling and then turned to Grandin to help reform an obviously broken system. Read more here

Kill Them With Kindness
American Radio Works

Executives at a global corporation have turned to a woman with autism and they've asked her to transform their industry. The company is McDonald's—they've launched the first campaign of its kind to pressure slaughterhouses that provide their meat to dispatch the animals more humanely. As we reported in Cracking Down on Egg Suppliers, the company is also pressuring animal farmers to change their ways. The record suggests that the company is partly reacting to political pressures, but whatever the motives, McDonald's is prompting the entire U.S. food industry to make "animal welfare" a major issue. And executives say they couldn't have done it without Temple Grandin. Read more here

EVOLVE!

Veganism is a way of life which recognises the right of all sentient animals to be treated with respect and justice. It's about doing the best we can to align our actions with these values. This means not consuming, wearing or using animals, nor taking part in activities of their exploitation. Being vegan is the most responsible and morally conscious thing each one of us can do. To learn about how veganism helps not only animals, but also our own health and spirituality; as well as how it can ease world hunger and why it really is the only hope for the future of our beautiful planet. Read more here

Benjamin Zephaniah

Benjamin Zephaniah
Evolve Campaigns

"Benjamin developed a love of animals at an early age, becoming vegetarian at the age of 11 and vegan at 13. "I didn’t even know what the word meant," he says. "I just knew that I didn’t want to eat animals - it was a real gut feeling. At the time I was in a school where I was getting so much racism, I found comfort in animals. A playground can be the loneliest place in the world when all the kids are playing and nobody will talk to you, so when a cat comes along, you play with the cat, you know? And then the cat comes again the next day and brings a couple of his friends, and you form a community. So that’s where my love of animals started, and that was when I went vegetarian. And later on I decided that I just didn’t want anything to do with any animal product."" Read more here

The Animals

The Evolve Video Collection

Famine

The Environment

Recipes

Shopping Guide

BANNERS

Krewe De Food host John Cassidy takes us through the basic points of building an urban flock. Stop by Hollygrove Market and Farm on Saturdays from 10-2 to visit the chickens. Read more here

Krewe De Food host John Cassidy showing 2 of the most humane ways of killing chickens and processing them. As John says, "It's not fun... but it's how life goes on without Walmarts."

David Aman of Krewe De Food made this point on the KDF Chicken Killing Demonstration blog post: 

"Everyone who eats meat should participate periodically in its killing. If you're not a vegetarian then do yourself a favor and eat something that you kill. There would be a lot less meat consumption if us omnivores were a little more attached to the killing portion of our meat consumption. The industrialization of our food is doing something to our subconscious; can't say exactly how it has and will effect us but it can't be good.." Read more here

Mushroom and Grain Cheeseburgers

A Vegetarian Burger Bash
The New York Times
By TARA PARKER-POPE
March 30, 2012

For burger lovers who want to cut back on meat, vegetarian burgers can be a tasty and healthful way to recreate the burger experience. In this week’s Recipes for Health, Martha Rose Shulman offers five ways to create vegetarian burgers at home. Read more here

A vegetarian diet is derived from plants, with or without eggs or dairy

Vegetarianism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Vegetarianism encompasses the practice of following plant-based diets (fruits, vegetables, etc.), with or without the inclusion of dairy products or eggs, and with the exclusion of meat (red meat, poultry, and seafood). Abstention from by-products of animal slaughter, such as animal-derived rennet and gelatin, may also be practiced.

Vegetarianism can be adopted for different reasons. Many object to eating meat out of respect for sentient life. Such ethical motivations have been codified under various religious beliefs, along with the concept of animal rights. Other motivations for vegetarianism include health, political, environmental, cultural, aesthetic or economic. There are varieties of the diet as well: an ovo-vegetarian diet includes eggs but not dairy products, a lacto-vegetarian diet includes dairy products but not eggs, and an ovo-lacto vegetarian diet includes both eggs and dairy products. A vegan diet excludes all animal products, including eggs, dairy, and honey. Read more here

Pumpkin seed-crusted lentil patties, garlic mashed potatoes, and salad

Veganism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products. Ethical vegans reject the commodity status of animals and the use of animal products for any purpose, while dietary vegans or strict vegetarians eliminate them from their diet only. Another form, environmental veganism, rejects the use of animal products on the premise that the industrial practice is environmentally damaging and unsustainable. Read more here

Even bodybuilders like Kenneth Williams are embracing veganism.

Is Veganism Good For Everyone?
The New York Times
Room for Debate
April 17, 2012

Going vegan is a commitment. As Tara Parker-Pope wrote recently, it’s "fraught with physical, social and economic challenges."

But let’s say you do have the discipline and the means to give up cheese and steak. Is that all it takes? Or does a person also need a certain body type and medical history? Read more here

The Challenge of Going Vegan
The New York Times
By TARA PARKER-POPE
April 16, 2012

From Bill Clinton to Ellen DeGeneres, celebrities are singing the benefits of a vegan diet. Books that advocate plant-based eating are best sellers. But is eliminating meat and dairy as simple as it sounds?

As countless aspiring vegans are discovering, the switch from omnivore to herbivore is fraught with physical, social and economic challenges — at least, for those who don’t have a personal chef. The struggle to give up favorite foods like cheese and butter can be made all the harder by harsh words and eye-rolling from unsympathetic friends and family members. Substitutes like almond milk and rice milk can shock the taste buds, and vegan specialty and convenience foods can cost two to three times what their meat and dairy equivalents do. And new vegans quickly discover that many foods in grocery stores and on restaurant menus have hidden animal ingredients. Read more here

PETA - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is the largest animal rights organization in the world, with more than 3 million members and supporters.

PETA focuses its attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: on factory farms, in the clothing trade, in laboratories, and in the entertainment industry. We also work on a variety of other issues, including the cruel killing of beavers, birds, and other "pests" as well as cruelty to domesticated animals.

Read more here

Help End Military Trauma Training On Animals

Thousands of healthy animals are mutilated and killed by the military for trauma training exercises every year—even though superior non-animal alternatives are available. In the current training exercises, live pigs are shot, stabbed, and burned, and live goats have their legs broken with bolt cutters and cut off with shears. These barbaric exercises are conducted on many military bases in the U.S. as well as on other bases around the world.

Read more here

Leaked Video: Live Goats' Legs Cut Off With Tree Trimmers

In disturbing, never-before-seen undercover video footage leaked to PETA showing a Coast Guard training course in Virginia Beach, Virginia, instructors with a company called Tier 1 Group, which was hired by the military, are seen breaking and cutting off the limbs of live goats with tree trimmers, stabbing the animals, and pulling out their internal organs. Goats moan and kick during the mutilations—signs that they had not received adequate anesthesia. Read more here

Tell Congress to End Military Trauma Training on Animals!

Please send a polite e-mail to your congressional representatives and urge them to cosponsor the Battlefield Excellence through Superior Training (BEST) Practices Act (H.R. 1417), which will responsibly phase out the U.S. military's use of live animals in trauma training courses and require the use of ethically and scientifically superior non-animal training methods. Read more here

Veteran Bob Barker: Stop Military Animal Abuse

The Humane Society, Q&A on Medical Training Using Animals

PETA: German State Blocks Deadly U.S. Army Trauma Training on Animals

U.S. Soldiers’ Cruel Beating of Sheep Is Part of Military’s History of Animal Abuse, PhillyMagBlog

PETA: Army to Investigate Sheep-beating Video

Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff (R)

Artificially Dyeing Animals Approved By Florida House And Senate
Huffpost Miami
March 8, 2012

Is there anything more Miami than a neon pink poodle?

Thanks to an amendment sponsored by Florida Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, a 45-year-old ban on artificially dyeing animals may soon be lifted -- just in time for Easter.

Bogdanoff snuck Amendment 303390, "repealing s. 828.161, F.S., relating to the prohibition of artificial dying or coloring of certain animals or fowl" onto HB Bill 1197, which revises certain agriculture codes in the state.

On Tuesday, Floridians' right to make Fido glow chartreuse was approved 33 to 3 in the state Senate and 109 to 5 on the House floor.

The strange vote comes days after the Senate voted to abandon more restrictive abortion laws so that they could focus on issues that matter like jobs and cost of living.

The original ban was to ensure "that we don't have a lot of adorable ducks, rabbits and chickens that are given away at Easter time and look so cute, and then 2 or 3 or 4 months later nobody wants them," said Florida Senate Democratic Minority Leader Nan Rich, who tried to block the amendment.

As it turns out Bogdanoff was looking after the rights of dog groomers competing for Best in Show, saying "What (groomers are) looking for is the opportunity to compete when it comes to parades or for shows."

Governor Rick Scott must approve the bill before the animal dye ban is lifted.

Hat tip to the Matt Weidner blog

Horses could soon be slaughtered for meat in U.S.
USA Today
By Deirdre Shesgreen, Gannett Washington Bureau
December 1, 2011

WASHINGTON -- Congress has lifted a de facto ban on the slaughter of horses, a move hailed by Missouri farmers and state political leaders who say the prohibition had inadvertently caused more harm to the animals than good.

But some animal-rights activists decried the little-noticed provision, which sailed to passage earlier this month and was signed into law by President Barack Obama on Nov. 18. And they vowed to keep the issue alive, pressing for an outright prohibition of horse slaughtering in the U.S.

At issue is a ban, first enacted in 2006, that prevented the U.S. Department of Agriculture from using federal funds to inspect any meat processing plants that slaughter horses. Plants that are not inspected by the USDA cannot ship meat across state lines, so the provision effectively ended domestic horse slaughter.

There is no U.S. market for the human consumption of horse meat. But it is seen as a delicacy overseas, especially in some European and Asian countries. In addition, horse meat has been used in the U.S. to feed zoo animals, because it's a good source of protein.

Farmers and some policymakers say the ban resulted in old horses being abandoned and neglected. In response, Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., successfully pushed for a provision requiring the non-partisan Government Accountability Office to study the impact of the ban. The GAO study, released in June, highlighted the concerns of Baucus and others.

The GAO report concluded that the slaughter of American horses didn't stop because of the ban, but simply shifted to Mexico and Canada. "From 2006 through 2010, U.S. horse exports for slaughter increased by 148 and 660 percent to Canada and Mexico, respectively," the GAO report states. "As a result, nearly the same number of U.S. horses was transported to Canada and Mexico for slaughter in 2010 -- nearly 138,000 -- as was slaughtered before domestic slaughter ceased."

In addition, horse prices declined for those animals most likely to be bought for slaughter, the report concluded. The GAO said that comprehensive data was not available on abandonment and neglect, but that state and local governments, along with some animal welfare groups, reported an increase in investigations of such incidents since 2007. "State, local, tribal, and horse industry officials generally attributed these increases in neglect and abandonments to cessation of domestic slaughter and the economic downturn," the GAO stated.

The agency suggested that Congress should either reconsider restrictions on the use of federal funds to inspect horse slaughtering facilities or consider a permanent ban of horse slaughtering. Animal-rights groups have long pressed for the latter option -- and they hope they now have their opening.

Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, said he thinks that if horse slaughter plants reopen in the U.S. that will provide "juice" to the society's effort to pass a ban on the practice.

He said he agreed with GAO's conclusion that the federal USDA ban has not stopped horse slaughtering. But he questioned the contention that it has led to more abandonment or neglect of horses.

"It's largely fabrication," Pacelle said. He said that if about the same number of horses are being exported to Canada and Mexico for slaughter as were killed in the U.S. before the ban, it doesn't add up that there is also a spike in abandonment.

The lawmakers who have embraced the GAO study are "slaughter proponents," he charged. "And that they are crying crocodile tears over abandonment is essentially a cynical and hypocritical line of argument. And it's a little too convenient."

But for critics of the USDA ban, the GAO study provided the evidence they needed to move forward with repeal.

As the 2012 agriculture appropriations bill moved through Congress this year, Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Georgia, moved to strip out the USDA funding ban. A spokesman for Kingston, who is chairman of the House agriculture spending subcommittee, said the provision was ineffective in stopping slaughter, but it did kill jobs.

"It's a $65 million industry in America -- it was before it was banned," said Chris Crawford, Kingston's spokesman.

The Humane Society and other groups say they think the repeal will prompt renewed interest in the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011, which would ban the interstate transport and live export of horses for slaughter for human consumption. The bill was introduced earlier this year by Sens. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. There is companion legislation in the House.

The measure has been introduced in previous sessions, but could pass this time, Pacelle said, if there's fresh evidence of horse slaughter in the U.S.

"I think what will happen now is we will see cosponsoring of both bills accelerate as there's more talk of opening slaughter houses in the United States," he said. Read more here

Horse slaughter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Horse slaughter is the practice of slaughtering horses for meat. These animals come mainly from auctions, where they're sold by private sellers and breeders.

According to a study commissioned by USDA/APHIS when horses were still being slaughtered in the U.S., 92% of American horses being slaughtered at US plants studied were in good health. Rarely are these horses are sick and injured, as those horses have trouble withstanding the long, crowded transportation conditions to slaughter plants. Most horses bound for slaughter are brought to the slaughterhouses by contract buyers, also known as kill buyers, who drive around the country buying horses at auction.

About 90% of the horsemeat is exported for human consumption overseas, where it sells for approximately the same price as veal. The rest goes to zoos. Horsemeat was outlawed in pet food in the 1970s. Read more here

The Humane Society

End Horse Slaughter

Each year, tens of thousands of American horses—riding horses, carriage horses, race horses, wild horses, and children’s ponies—are inhumanely transported and slaughtered, their meat shipped to places like France, Italy, and Japan for human consumption. Help us end horse slaughter. Read more here

Humane Society of the United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), based in Washington, D.C., is the largest animal advocacy organization in the world. In 2009, HSUS reported assets of over US$160 million.

The journalist Fred Myers and three others founded HSUS in 1954 to address what they saw as cruelties of national scope, and resolving animal welfare problems by applying strategies beyond the ability of local organizations. HSUS operates animal sanctuaries in five states. It does not run local shelters or oversee local animal care and control agencies, but promotes best practice and provides assistance to shelters and sheltering programs. The group's current major campaigns target five issues: factory farming, animal fighting, the fur trade, puppy mills, and wildlife abuse.

HSUS publishes Animal Sheltering, a bi-monthly magazine for animal sheltering professionals. HSUS distributed the magazine to more than 450,000 people in 2009. It also operates the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association, which provides free veterinary services for animals in impoverished communities.

Despite widespread support for a ban on domestic horse slaughter by horse professionals, Veterinarians for Equine Welfare (VEW) and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) have criticized HSUS and other organizations who lobbied for an end to horse slaughter in the United States, stating that instead of making things better "horses are being abandoned in the United States or transported to Mexico where, without U.S. federal oversight and veterinary supervision, they are slaughtered inhumanely. Read more here

American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011, Senate bill S.1176

American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011, House bill H.R. 2966

What Do You Think? What’s your position on The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act? POPVOX

Animal Welfare Institute

Horse Slaughter, on Facebook
by Amanda Gray

 
Comment by riverlighttrider, on YouTube

"As a young girl I remember a neighbor who took in horses for slaughter. I remember hearing them all night before they were killed. They knew it was coming. I was told they were mostly horses people could not afford to keep. Many were young and healthy horses. Few were old and sick They became dog food. Once there was a prize stallion that the man who owned the land had kept on trying to sell him... I was very young but never forgot this. They used a sledgehammer between the eyes to kill them."

SAVING AMERICA'S HORSES is an intelligent and hard hitting expose` that explores the human-animal bond of horse and man through an illuminating humanitarian lens.

"The film paints a clear picture of how government agencies and corporate interests run over the laws that are supposed to protect the horses. The film challenges us as viewers to require accountability from our leaders by weaving in an underlying and lingering message that our horses and our very souls may depend on it."- Laura Allen Animal Law Coalition"

SAVING AMERICA'S HORSES sends a life-changing and lingering message to the public about the need to protect America's horses, and it brings a voice to America's leading equine welfare professionals who are putting the safety and welfare of our horses first. Read more here

Urge Pork Companies to Treat Pigs Better
The Humane Society

Newly-released undercover video footage taken by The Humane Society of the United States at factory farms owned by Seaboard Foods and Prestage Farms—two of the nation’s largest pork producers—show appalling animal cruelty. Breeding pigs are locked inside tiny gestation crates, unable to even turn around for virtually their entire lives. Dead pigs were found inside these crates. Pigs were living amidst feces and urine with abscesses and injuries. Read more here

TAKE ACTION - You can help today by using the form below to send a brief, polite message to Seaboard and Prestage and urging them to end their use of gestation crates to confine breeding pigs. We encourage you to add your own thoughts or comments about this issue in the editable portion, so these companies know how important this is to you personally. Read more here

McDonald’s Set to Phase Out Suppliers’ Use of Sow Crates

The New York Times

by Stephanie Strom

February 13, 2012

The McDonald’s Corporation said on Monday that it would begin working with its pork suppliers to phase out the use of so-called gestational crates, the tiny stalls in which sows are housed while pregnant.

Animal rights advocates have singled out the crates, known as sow stalls, as inhumane, and several states have moved to ban or restrict their use not only in pork production, but also in the production of eggs and veal.

"McDonald’s believes gestation stalls are not a sustainable production system for the future," Dan Gorsky, senior vice president for supply chain management for McDonald’s North America, said in a statement. "There are alternatives we think are better for the welfare of sows."

At a little more than 2 feet by 7 feet, sow stalls are too small for a pregnant pig to turn around. Being confined in a stationary position for the four months of an average pregnancy leads to a variety of health problems, including urinary tract infections, weakened bone structures, overgrown hooves and mental stress, according to animal rights advocates.

About 60 to 70 percent of the more than five million breeding sows in the United States are kept in the crates. Read more here

Related story: OMG: McDonald’s Does the Right Thing, New York Times, by Mark Bittman

In California, Going All Out to Bid Adieu to Foie Gras
The New York Times
by Adam Nagourney
October 15, 2011

LOS ANGELES — A line up of people streamed into an unmarked, dimly lighted storefront on Fairfax Avenue as night fell Friday, on a mash-up Los Angeles block catering to religious Jews and hungry hipsters. Before long, a smattering of protesters arrived. Behind the glass doors, an act of culinary defiance was taking place. In eight months, the sale of foie gras will be banned in California. Read more here

GourmetCruelty.com: The Truth about Foie Gras

GourmetCruelty.com is a coalition dedicated to exposing the cruelty of the foie gras industry. Just two companies are responsible for the barbaric practice of foie gras production in the United States—Hudson Valley Foie Gras in New York and Sonoma Foie Gras in California.

Over the course of many months, the coalition conducted a nationwide investigation into the domestic foie gras industry. GourmetCruelty.com uncovered filthy, crowded conditions and documented an industry standard of disregard for the pain and suffering inherent to foie gras production. Read more here

NoFoieGras.org 

What is Foie Gras?

Foie gras (translated literally from French as "fatty liver" and pronounced 'fwah grah') is produced by cruel and inhumane farming practices. At just a few months old, ducks are confined inside dark sheds and force-fed enormous amounts of food several times a day. A farm worker grabs each duck and, one by one, thrusts a metal pipe down their throats so that a mixture of corn can be forced directly into their gullets. In just a matter of weeks, the ducks become grossly overweight and their livers expand up to 10 times their normal size. Read more here

Britannica Advocacy For Animals
Foie Gras: Too High A Price?

Foie gras (French for "fat liver"), the enlarged liver of a duck or goose, is a food currently inciting much controversy. It is produced through the force-feeding of large quantities of grain to the bird, a process usually referred to by the French term gavage. Historically, foie gras was produced from geese; most today comes from ducks. Although foie gras is prized by many gourmets, it has been singled out, like fur and veal, by animal rights activists and some consumers as a product of unnecessary and offensive cruelty. Read more here

It is estimated that perhaps 5,000 tigers live in captivity in the United States, compared to as few as 3,200 tigers in the wild. Americans keep these tigers in backyards, urban apartments, sideshows, truck stops and private breeding facilities. In some states, buying a tiger is easier than adopting a dog from a local animal shelter.

The United States must monitor tiger ownership more closely. When tiger ownership and breeding aren’t monitored, captive tigers become easy targets for black market sales, and those sales end up threatening wild populations. This lack of regulation also means that tigers can be held in areas that may not be adequately secured, which is a major danger to both tigers and humans.

It’s time to take action and better regulate the captivity of tigers in our own backyard. Read the full story with interactive tiger map

Facility rescues horses locked up for 2 years
Ocala Star-Banner
February 15, 2012

Left: Theresa Batchelor of Beauty's Haven Farm and Equine Rescue tries to get Paso Fino mares accustomed to being around her at a farm where she has taken on the rescue of 37 horses in Anthony on Wednesday.

Theresa Batchelor has seen many abused horses during the six years she has run Beauty's Haven Farm & Equine Rescue in Morriston. Then two weeks ago the rescue facility took on what Batchelor described as a "heart-breaking" case: 37 neglected Paso Fino horses, more than a third of which had been locked in their stalls for the past two years.

"They were living in the dark for two years," Batchelor said.

The abuse of being confined in a 12–foot by 12-foot stall was something Batchelor said she had never seen before. She considers it psychological abuse as well as physical neglect.

Silver Trinket, a 12-year-old mare, lies in the sand at Morgan Silver's farm. Morgan Silver, who heads the Florida Horse Protection Association, said she is seeing a new trend as prices for thoroughbreds are plummeting. Silver recently rescued 23 thoroughbred mares and their babies whose owners couldn't support them. 

Horses once highly valued now starving amid economic downturn
By Fred Hiers, Ocala Star Banner
December 2, 2010

For many horses, the Great Recession has become the great equalizer, leaving once valuable horses starving regardless of pedigree or the money they once earned for their owners. Many are unwanted or in the possession of owners who can't afford to care for them. Eventually, like deteriorating hand-me-downs, they end up at the Florida Horse Protection Association in Micanopy waiting for someone to adopt them. In many cases, they were bought for just pennies on the dollar by novice horsemen hoping to strike it rich breeding aged mares for a chance at owning a winning offspring. Read more here

After Seeing Dashcam Video of Deputy Shooting Family Dog, Jury Awards $620K in Civil Rights Case
ABA Journal Law News Now
By Martha Neil
April 4, 2012

Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins says his deputy "has felt bad ... since day one" about shooting a family pet of Roger and Sandi Jenkins (no relation) on Jan. 9, 2010 at their Taneytown, Md., home.

But that doesn't mean Timothy Brooks did anything wrong by defending himself against their chocolate Labrador retriever, Brandi, as he and a partner attempted to locate the couple's son at their home, the sheriff tells the Washington Post (reg. req.).

A jury did not agree, awarding the couple $620,000 on Monday in a civil rights case that turned on whether or not they had permission to search the property, says their lawyer, Cary J. Hansel, of Joseph Greenwald and Laake. Rebekah Lusk of the Thienel Law Firm also represents the family.

The News-Post says the jury found that both the shooting of the dog and a subsequent entry of the Jenkins home by the deputies violated Maryland's state constitution.

Hansel says the dashcam video of the friendly family pet being shot as she bounded out to greet the sheriff's deputy was crucial evidence in the case, the Washington Post reports. The dog represented "absolutely zero threat," the lawyer contends.

While the couple was taking Brandi to the vet for life-saving treatment, the sheriff's deputies entered their home and found their son hiding inside, the newspaper reports on its Crime Scene page.

There's no word on whether the county intends to appeal. However, the sheriff told the News-Post he expected insurance to cover the payout to the couple.

"I thought the monetary damages were excessive, but to me the real tragedy here was the finding of gross negligence on the deputies' part," he said. "There was nothing that reached that threshold. These guys were just doing their jobs."

The Baltimore Sun also has a story.

Both the Sun and the WaPo provide a link to the dashcam video clip. Read more here

Wilbur the Pig Is a Household Pet, Judge Rules; Community Association Can’t Evict Him
ABA Journal Law News Now
By Martha Neil
May 8, 2012

Wilbur the pig is a household pet, a Texas judge ruled Monday, in a finding that prevents the porker's family from having to find a new home for him.

Potbellied Vietnamese pigs like Wilbur are routinely kept as pets, Harris County District Judge Mike Engelhart found, in a decision greeted with relief by his tearful owners. Attorney Mitchell Katine, who represents the pig's family, had argued that the animals are not livestock because they are not routinely raised for food, fiber or farm labor, according to the Houston Chronicle and a joint report by KHOU and CNN.

"Sometimes associations go too far and this time we feel that they did and we're very pleased with the court's ruling today. I'm very happy I helped keep this family together," said Katine. He said he is not aware of another such court ruling recognizing a pig as a household pet.

Attorney Mark Rabe represents the Thicket at Cypresswood Community Improvement Association, which sent Alessandro and Lee Ann Sardo a letter (PDF) in April 2011 contending that they had violated a deed restriction prohibiting livestock. He declined to comment when contacted by the newspaper.

A Facebook page for Wilbur provides additional information about the yearlong legal saga and KHOU provides a photo gallery of Wilbur at home in Spring. He appears to spend much of his time sleeping, hanging out with the family's dog and focusing on food.

The Sardos reportedly plan to give him a special treat of strawberries in celebration of the courtroom victory.

Read more here

Animal law
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Animal law is a combination of statutory and case law in which the nature—legal, social or biological—of nonhuman animals is an important factor. Animal law encompasses companion animals, wildlife, animals used in entertainment and animals raised for food and research. The emerging field of animal law is often analogized to the environmental law movement 30 years ago. Read more here

Animal Law Review
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Animal Law Review is a law review covering animal law published by students at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon. Publishing its first volume in 1994, it was the first law review to focus on animal law issues and is the best known journal in its field. It has featured articles by noted legal scholars such as Laurence H. Tribe and Cass R. Sunstein as well as experts such as Jane Goodall. Read more here

Animal Law Review
Lewis & Clark Law School
10015 S.W. Terwilliger Boulevard
Portland Oregon 97219 USA
503-768-6600

Duke

Jurors acquit ex-Miami-Dade cop accused of killing K-9 partner

BY DAVID OVALLE

The Miami Herald

July 31, 2010

A former Miami-Dade police sergeant is not guilty of kicking his police dog to death in June 2006, jurors decided Friday.

They acquitted Allen Cockfield, 55, of misdemeanor animal cruelty.

Cockfield was originally charged with both animal cruelty and a felony count of a killing a police dog, which could have cost him his law enforcement certificate. But the judge in the case threw out the felony count Thursday.

Prosecutors contended that Cockfield, a longtime K-9 officer, viciously and fatally kicked his Belgian Malinois named Duke during a session at the department's training bureau.

But defense lawyer Douglas Hartman argued the case was a "freak training accident,'' and that Cockfield was simply defending himself from an overaggressive animal bent on attacking him.

Hartman prevailed even before the final verdict: Prosecutors, after presenting their case, acknowledged Thursday that they had not proved Cockfield intended to kill Duke. Circuit Judge Antonio Arzola, at Hartman's request, tossed out the felony charge. But he declined to toss out the animal cruelty charge.

Duke

Miami-Dade judge throws out felony charge vs. police officer in K-9 death

BY DAVID OVALLE
The Miami Herald, July 29, 2010

A judge on Thursday tossed out a felony charge against a former Miami-Dade police sergeant on trial for allegedly killing his police dog, but allowed a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge to go forward. Allen Cockfield is accused of viciously kicking his K-9 partner, Duke, during a training session in June 2006, killing the Belgian Malinois. He was charged with a felony count of killing a police dog, and a misdemeanor charge of animal cruelty.


Duke

Sergeant Allen Cockfield arrested and charged with felony animal cruelty and killing a police dog

Felony Animal Abuse
Why? This is beyond comprehension
by Wolf Walker

Allen Cockfield

According to the original e-mail, the reason that Duke, a 4 year old German shepherd, Sergeant Cockfield's K-9 partner, was kicked to death was that during an obedience training exercise Duke barked when he shouldn't have. When Duke barked, Sgt. Cockfield, in a "fit of rage," jerked Duke up by the collar around his neck and then kicked him several times. At the time of Sgt. Cockfield's "fit of rage", there were other Officers and K-9s present in the training compound.

I next went to The Police News, a BLOG for policemen; they had a post (#143) up in regard to Sgt. Cockfield's arrest for kicking Duke to death. The report on Police News was quite short, simply stating that Sgt. Cockfield is a 27 year veteran of the Miami-Dade Police Department, had been a K-9 Officer and handler for 25 years and had been placed on administrative duty with pay during the investigation of the incident. The Police News report further stated that when Sgt. Cockfield realized that Duke was unconscious, he had rushed him to Knowles Animal Clinic. The Police News stated that their information had come from WPLG Local 10 News.

I sent WPLG Local 10 an e-mail asking for any follow up information they might have on Duke's death, including the necropsy report that Local 10 had stated was forthcoming. That was on 11/01/07. My reason for waiting was so that I could calm down and write a factual report. I am presently "owned" by 4 German shepherds and shepherd mixes, 2 of each, all animals I have rescued from intolerable conditions. It is inconceivable to me that kicking is the sort of "discipline" that is ever needed by either a canine or a child.

Tonight, 11/12/07, I telephoned WPLG asking for the information I had requested by e-mail. Even though I called at what was probably a most inconvenient time (right in the middle of the 6:00 PM news cast), Ms. Antonio was very polite, helpful, compassionate and professional. She e-mailed me the information I had requested.

The information Ms. Antonio sent comes from the Miami Herald, dated May 31st, 2007, section B-1 and is written by Mr. David Ovalle. It states that: Duke was killed by a lethally timed heart-disrupting kick delivered by his handler, Miami-Dade Police Sergeant Allen Cockfield. This means that the kick disrupted the electric flow of the heart, a painful but almost instantaneous death. There would have been no chance of resuscitation, even if canine CPR was started immediately. Duke would have yelped in pain, convulsed and died.

Duke

Trial over Miami-Dade police dog's death pits expert vs. expert
BY DAVID OVALLE
The Miami Herald

July 28, 2010

A former Miami-Dade police sergeant is standing trial for allegedly killing his police dog during a training session.

Duke was a young, rambunctious Miami-Dade police K-9 felled by a series of vicious kicks from his frustrated human partner during an ill-fated training session, according to prosecutors.

"Duke was unjustly killed,'' Miami-Dade prosecutor Isis Perez told jurors Tuesday. "And that kick is what caused his death.''

But the defense painted Duke, a Belgian Malinois, as a troubled and aggressive 70-pound canine who attacked police Sgt. Allen Cockfield, an experienced handler who felt threatened.

"He was simply trying to save himself,'' defense attorney Douglas Hartman said.

The lawyers offered their versions of events in the opening of Cockfield's trial for the June 2006 death of Duke, a 2 ½-year-old rookie police dog.

Charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty and a felony count of killing a police dog, Cockfield could face jail or prison time, plus the loss of his state police certification, if he is convicted.

The unusual case pits police vs. police, and medical expert vs. medical expert.

Authorities arrested Cockfield, 55, in May 2007 after a nearly yearlong investigation by Miami-Dade's internal affairs unit and prosecutors.

Miami-Dade police uses their dogs to hunt live suspects, find corpses and sniff for drugs and bombs. Cockfield had spent more than two decades as a canine handler with the department, which has since fired him.

At the time of his death, Duke was Cockfield's fourth dog.

"Vibrant, beautiful dog,'' Perez said.

"Duke was a big, strong, tough, aggressive dog,'' Hartman countered. "He's what they call an alpha male. He wants to be the leader.''

That fateful day, Cockfield had arrived at the department's West Miami-Dade training bureau for a weekly session.

Animal rights
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings. Advocates approach the issue from different philosophical positions, ranging from the protectionist side of the movement, presented by philosopher Peter Singer—with a utilitarian focus on suffering and consequences, rather than on the concept of rights—to the abolitionist side, represented by law professor Gary Francione, who argues that animals need only one right: the right not to be property. Despite the different approaches, advocates broadly agree that animals should be viewed as non-human persons and members of the moral community, and should not be used as food, clothing, research subjects, or entertainment. Read more here

Animal welfare
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Animal welfare is the physical and psychological well-being of animals. It is measured by indicators including behavior, physiology, longevity, and reproduction.

The term animal welfare can also mean human concern for animal welfare or a position in a debate on animal ethics and animal rights. This position is measured by attitudes to different types of animal uses.

Systematic concern for animal welfare can be based on awareness that non-human animals are sentient and that consideration should be given to their well-being, especially when they are used by humans. These concerns can include how animals are killed for food, how they are used for scientific research, how they are kept as pets, and how human activities affect the survival of endangered species.

An ancient object of concern in some civilizations, animal welfare began to take a larger place in Western public policy in 19th-century Britain. Today it is a significant focus of interest or activity in veterinary science, in ethics, and in animal welfare organizations.

There are two forms of criticism of the concept of animal welfare, coming from diametrically opposite positions. One view, dating back centuries, asserts that animals are not consciously aware and hence are unable to experience poor welfare. The other view is based on the animal rights position that animals should not be regarded as property and any use of animals by humans is unacceptable. Some authorities thus treat animal welfare and animal rights as two opposing positions. Accordingly, some animal right proponents argue that the perception of better animal welfare facilitates continued and increased exploitation of animals. Others see the increasing concern for animal welfare as incremental steps towards animal rights. Read more here

Vivisection
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Vivisection (from Latin: vivus — "alive," and sectio — "cutting") is defined as surgery conducted for experimental purposes on a living organism, typically animals with a central nervous system, to view living internal structure. The term is sometimes more broadly defined as any experimentation on live animals (see animal testing.) The term is often used by organizations opposed to animal experimentation but is rarely used by practicing scientists. Human vivisection has been perpetrated as a form of torture. Read more here

Animal Welfare Act of 1966
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Animal Welfare Act (Laboratory Animal Welfare Act of 1966, P.L. 89-544) was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 24, 1966. It is the only Federal law in the United States that regulates the treatment of animals in research and exhibition. Other laws, policies, and guidelines may include additional species coverage or specifications for animal care and use, but all refer to the Animal Welfare Act (otherwise known as the "AWA") as the minimally acceptable standard for animal treatment and care.

As enacted in 1966, AWA required all animal dealers to be registered and licensed as well as liable to monitoring by Federal regulators and suspension of their license if they violate any provisions of the Animal Welfare Act and imprisonment of up to a year accompanied by a fine of $1,000. All facilities covered by the Animal Welfare Act were required to establish a specialized committee that included at least one person trained as a veterinarian and one not affiliated with the facility. They were to regularly assess animal care, treatment, and practices during research and required to inspect all animal study areas at least twice a year. Such committees also were required to assure that alternatives to animal use in experimentation is implemented whenever possible.

Although hygienic living conditions were necessary for animals not during experimentation to prevent unintentional infection, there were no such provisions against intentionally infecting animal subjects with disease for the purpose of the experiment.

Read more here

Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (MMPA) was the first act of Congress to call specifically for an ecosystem approach to natural resource management and conservation. MMPA prohibits the taking of marine mammals, and enacts a moratorium on the import, export, and sale of any marine mammal, along with any marine mammal part or product within the United States. The Act defines "take" as "the act of hunting, killing, capture, and/or harassment of any marine mammal; or, the attempt at such." The MMPA defines harassment as "any act of pursuit, torment or annoyance which has the potential to either: a. injure a marine mammal in the wild, or b. disturb a marine mammal by causing disruption of behavioral patterns, which includes, but is not limited to, migration, breathing, nursing, breeding, feeding, or sheltering." The MMPA provides for enforcement of its prohibitions, and for the issuance of regulations to implement its legislative goals. Read more here

Endangered Species Act
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA; 7 U.S.C. § 136, 16 U.S.C. § 1531 et seq.) is one of the dozens of United States environmental laws passed in the 1970s. Signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 28, 1973, it was designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of economic growth and development untempered by adequate concern and conservation."

The Act is administered by two federal agencies, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Read more here

7 USC Chapter 6, Subchapter II ENVIRONMENTAL PESTICIDE CONTROL

16 USC Chapter 35 ENDANGERED SPECIES

Florida Panther, endangered subspecies

Society for Animal Protective Legislation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Society for Animal Protective Legislation (SAPL), the legislative arm of the Animal Welfare Institute. SAPL has worked for the successful adoption of over 15 federal laws, including the Animal Welfare Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Humane Slaughter Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The Society continues to defend existing laws, oppose bills that threaten animals and work for new protective measures, following through after they are enacted to ensure sound regulation and sufficient funds for enforcement. Current efforts include pushing for the passage of bills to ban horse slaughter, end the sale of random source dogs and cats by dealers and prohibit the use of the steel-jaw leghold trap.

Additionally, to highlight Members of Congress’ stances on animal welfare legislation, SAPL created the Compassion Index (CI). Available online at www.compassionindex.org, the frequently updated electronic tally system rates legislators based on their involvement or lack thereof on certain animal welfare measures. Read more here

Animal Welfare Institute (AWI)

Since its founding in 1951, AWI has sought to alleviate the suffering inflicted on animals by people. In the organization's early years, our particular emphasis was on the desperate needs of animals used for experimentation. In the decades that followed, we expanded the scope of our work to address many other areas of animal suffering.

Today, one of our greatest areas of emphasis is cruel animal factories, which raise and slaughter pigs, cows, chickens and other animals. The biggest are in our country, and they are expanding worldwide.

Another major AWI effort is our quest to end the torture inflicted on furbearing animals by steel jaw leghold traps and wire snares. AWI continues its work to protect animals in laboratories including promotion of development of non-animal testing methods and prevention of painful experiments on animals by high school students. Representatives of AWI regularly attend meetings of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora to fight for protection of threatened and endangered species. Similarly, we attend meetings of the International Whaling Commission to preserve the ban on commercial whaling, and we work to protect all marine life against the proliferation of human-generated ocean noise including active sonar and seismic air guns.

AWI works to minimize the impacts of all human actions detrimental to endangered species, including the destruction of natural forests containing ancient trees, and pollution of the oceans destroying every kind of marine life. Read more here

Ms. Valerie E. Maddix sued the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine in small claims court over the treatment of her German Shepherd  Casey.

http://www.fluffythebunny.com/lawsuit.html

Unrelated to the lawsuit, UF-CVM refunded $1,700 to Ms. Maddix.

Maddix vs. UF College of Veterinary Medicine, Alachua County Small Claims, case no. 2001-SC-001341

Paws 4 You Rescue, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit, volunteer, donor-subsidized animal rescue organization based in Miami, Florida.  Our top priority is to save animals from euthanasia at Miami-Dade Animal Services. On average 100 animals are destroyed every day at this county shelter!

Rescued animals vary from being sick, injured, homeless and surrendered to simply lost. We give these animals a safe environment, professional medical care, training, support, hope and lots of love. Our animals are sterilized, vaccinated and ID micro-chipped to prevent future loss. Some require major surgery from a specialist to repair broken limbs while others may need additional rehabilitation time and specific medical care - ranging from respiratory illnesses and skin infections to cherry eyes and heartworm treatments. Read more here

Why shouldn’t animals be considered "property" under the law?
By Doris Lin, About.com

Question: Why shouldn’t animals be considered "property" under the law?

Answer: In most cases, you have a legal right to destroy your own property. If someone decides to chop up their kitchen table and use it for firewood, that is their legal right. But if someone abuses or neglects an animal, they should be criminally prosecuted.

Animals should not be considered property under the law because unlike inanimate objects, they are sentient beings with their own lives and interests. Although criminal statutes already prohibit animal cruelty, there are other reasons to recognize that animals should not be considered property under the law.

For example, in divorce situations, the individuals may want to arrange visitation with the animals. If a dispute ever arose over the visitation arrangement, a judge could easily invalidate the provision if the animal is just a piece of property. People do not arrange visitation with their old kitchen tables. But as the law begins to recognize that animals are not property, more animal visitation agreements may be upheld and enforced in the future.

In a situation where someone intentionally or negligently kills your companion animal, a court may award "fair market value" for the destruction of your property, which may be $50, $25 or less. It does not matter that your animal is a unique and treasured family member. Even if your animal is a purebred, if your animal is a mere piece of property, the court may decide that the fair market value of your animal is only a couple hundred dollars. These amounts do not deter crimes or negligence.

Most Americans consider their animals to be part of the family, so changing the property status of animals would update the law to reflect societal values.

The information on this website is not legal advice and is not a substitute for legal advice. For legal advice, please consult an attorney. Read more here

Teen in U.S. charged in death of family hamster

Reuters
by Aman Ali
March 10, 2011

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - A U.S. teenager has been charged with a felony, and could face a two-year prison sentence if convicted, for killing her family's pet hamster, authorities said.

Monique Smith, 19, of Brooklyn was arguing with a family member in June when she reached for the hamster, choked it and threw it outside the house, police said on Wednesday.

She was arrested following an investigation after Smith's father contacted the America Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, according to the society's assistant director Joe Pentangelo.

Smith is charged with one felony count of aggravated cruelty to animals.

"Sadly, very often, pets find themselves in the middle of these situations," said Pentangelo. "A family will have a disagreement and unfortunately the animal is the recipient of misdirected or redirected rage."

The hamster died from blunt force trauma, liver damage and a brain hemorrhage, he said. Read more here

Ginger

The Rabbit, Poster Child for Animal Rights

Britannica, Advocacy for Animals 

"I should be the poster child for animal rights. I am slaughtered for my fur. I am slaughtered for my meat. I am factory farmed in rabbit mills. I am tortured by vivisectors in their ‘labs.’ I am the third most commonly ‘euthanized’ companion animal. I am hunted and snared. I am the object of blood sports. I am often cruelly abused. I am given as a live animal prize. I languish in pet stores. Why aren’t I?"

—Poster from RabbitWise, Inc., a rabbit advocacy organization.

This rabbit makes a very good point. One would be hard-pressed to find another animal upon whom so many exploitative and abusive practices converge. The rabbit, in both its domesticated (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and wild (various genera worldwide, notably Sylvilagus, the cottontail rabbit of North and South America) species, is perhaps the prime exemplar of prey animals. It is a gentle, herbivorous, unassuming, and relatively silent creature. This mildness, which is so charming to observe and contemplate, unfortunately seems to practically invite the rabbit’s exploitation in myriad ways by the stronger and more powerful—namely, humans.

The European-centered rabbit-fur trade (producing countries include France, Spain, Italy, Denmark, and Portugal) likewise breeds and raises rabbits in factory-like conditions that reduce the animals to mere commodities for profit. The most recent figures available (1997) were that France alone produced more than 70 million rabbit pelts in that year; the increasing popularity of fur indicates that the figure has since grown.

Contrary to the claims of the industry, fur is not a “by-product” of the rabbit-meat industry. The rabbits raised for their fur constitute a whole other population. The requirements of the meat and fur industries are at odds, and different production methods—and sometimes different breeds—are used in each. The velvety-soft fur of the Rex rabbit yields particularly high profits; New Zealand White and California White breeds are also commonly farmed for fur as well as meat.

The rabbits are bred frequently, live in crowded cages until separated at the age of about 7 weeks, and are killed at the age of 10-12 weeks (White rabbits) or 8-9 months (Rex rabbits). The bare wire mesh cages in which they are kept hurt their paws, which have no pads. Veterinary care is poor. The buildings in which the cages are kept may be cleaned only a few times a year, after several generations have lived and died there. The rabbits are unable to engage in any kind of normal social behavior or exercise. Stress and other psychological and physical damage are common.

Rabbits raised for their fur are stunned by electrocution or by a blow to the head (smashing against a wall); this method may be used to kill the rabbit or to merely stun it before the throat is slit and it is hung up to bleed out. Some incisions are made in the skin and the fur is then ripped off. This is done in full view of the still-living rabbits who are awaiting their own slaughter.

The use of rabbits in biomedical and product testing is a longstanding and well-known practice. Their small size and docility, as well as the relatively inexpensive cost to obtain and breed them, make them desirable as test subjects. The American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS) reports that in 2004, the number of laboratory rabbits in use was over 260,000, and some 43 percent of those individuals were subjected to tests that caused pain, distress, or both, sometimes without any drug relief.

A previous Advocacy for Animals post (“Scientific Alternatives to Animal Testing”) described a very common test on rabbits, the Draize test: “A chemical, such as a cosmetic or pharmaceutical agent, is applied to the skin or eye of a rabbit. The results are supposed to indicate how toxic a chemical is to human skin. The inaccuracy of the Draize test has been recognized for many years.”

Rabbits are also used in vaccine, cardiovascular, reproductive, and other kinds of research, subjected to stress tests and infected with sexually transmitted diseases, for example. Living conditions in the laboratory are poor, as the rabbits are test subjects and as such are fed a controlled diet of pellets (rather than the hay and greens on which they normally live) and are kept in isolation. This results in boredom, illness, and stereotypical behavior such as chewing on cage bars and excessive licking. Rabbits are often killed after the test is over so that their organs can be examined.

Run Rabbit Run
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


On the farm, every Friday
On the farm, it's rabbit pie day.
So, every Friday that ever comes along,
I get up early and sing this little song

Run rabbit - run rabbit - Run! Run! Run!
Run rabbit - run rabbit - Run! Run! Run!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Goes the farmer's gun.
Run, rabbit, run, rabbit, run.

Run rabbit - run rabbit - Run! Run! Run!
Don't give the farmer his fun! Fun! Fun!
He'll get by
Without his rabbit pie
So run rabbit - run rabbit - Run! Run! Run!

Rabbit
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rabbits (or, colloquially, bunnies) are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world. There are eight different genera in the family classified as rabbits, including the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), cottontail rabbits (genus Sylvilagus; 13 species), and the Amami rabbit (Pentalagus furnessi, an endangered species on Amami O-shima, Japan). There are many other species of rabbit, and these, along with pikas and hares, make up the order Lagomorpha. The male is called a buck and the female is a doe; a young rabbit is a kitten or kit. Read more here

Gainesville Rabbit Rescue (Florida)

Gainesville Rabbit Rescue is a non-profit organization founded by 2 University of Florida students. GRR’s mission is to rescue, rehabilitate, and adopt out rabbits to loving homes, as well as educate current and potential rabbit owners. GRR does not turn away any rabbit regardless of disability, illness, age, or temperament. Rescued rabbits are nursed back to optimum health and spayed/neutered before being placed up for adoption. The organization’s main goal is to see that the right rabbit is placed with the right family, so GRR screens all adoptive families to ensure the rabbit is placed in a secure and loving home.

All rabbits live in foster homes with dedicated volunteers, seeing that they are litter box trained, well fed, and well cared for, with expenses more often than not coming from their own pockets. GRR has chapters operating in Gainesville, Orlando, and Daytona.

Currently Gainesville Rabbit Rescue has 100+ rabbits in its care, and has an ever growing waiting list. Read more here

Illumination in the Flatwoods: A Season with the Wild Turkey

Joe Hutto, Author

Wildlife artist Hutto embarked on an unusual study of wild turkeys: he obtained two dozen eggs, incubated them and imprinted himself on the hatchlings, with unexpected results. It was, he says, exhausting, enlightening and one of the most rewarding experiences of his life. His account of raising the brood is an engaging story of an unlikely relationship between species. For six months Hutto spent nearly every waking moment with the young turkeys (four males and 10 females reached maturity), accompanying them on walks in the flatlands of northern Florida, roosting with them at night (until they went to sleep) and observing their behavior. By late summer, he felt so much a part of the flock that smooth green grasshoppers began to look appetizing. In October, Hutto's flock met native wild turkeys, and they dispersed. In an epilogue, he tells how they fared. This tale should have wide appeal to hunters and nature- and animal-lovers. Who would have dreamed turkeys could be so interesting? From Publisher’s Weekly Read more here

My Life as a Turkey
PBS Nature

After a local farmer left a bowl of eggs on Joe Hutto’s front porch, his life was forever changed. Hutto, possessing a broad background in the natural sciences and an interest in imprinting young animals, incubated the eggs and waited for them to hatch. As the chicks emerged from their shells, they locked eyes with an unusual but dedicated mother.

Deep in the wilds of Florida’s Flatlands, Hutto spent each day living as a turkey mother, taking on the full-time job of raising sixteen turkey chicks. Hutto dutifully cared for his family around the clock, roosting with them, taking them foraging, and immersing himself in their world. In the process, they revealed their charming curiosity and surprising intellect. There was little he could teach them that they did not already know, but he showed them the lay of the land and protected them from the dangers of the forest as best he could. In return, they taught him how to see the world through their eyes.

Based on his true story, My Life as a Turkey chronicles Hutto’s remarkable and moving experience of raising a group of wild turkey hatchlings to adulthood. Read more here

Wild Turkey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) is native to North America and is the heaviest member of the Galliformes. It is the same species as the domestic turkey, which derives from the South Mexican subspecies of wild turkey (not to be confused with the Meleagris ocellata native to the forests of the Yucatán Peninsula).

Adult wild turkeys have long reddish-yellow to grayish-green legs and a black body. Males, called toms or gobblers, have a large, featherless, reddish head, red throat, and red wattles on the throat and neck. The head has fleshy growths called caruncles. When males are excited, a fleshy flap on the bill expands, and this, the wattles and the bare skin of the head and neck all become engorged with blood, almost concealing the eyes and bill. The long fleshy object over a male's beak is called a snood. When a male turkey is excited, its head turns blue; when ready to fight, it turns red. Each foot has three toes, and males have a spur behind each of their lower legs. Read more here

Untied Poultry Concerns

Promoting the Compassionate and Respectful Treatment of Domestic Fowl

Turkeys have a zest for living and enjoying the day. Treated with respect, they become very friendly. At a distance, turkeys look like otherworldly visitors moving gracefully through the grass. Up close one sees their large, dark almond-shaped eyes and sensitive fine-boned faces. In nature, turkeys spend up to 5 months close to their mothers. Turkeys raised for food never know the comfort of the mother bird’s wings or the joy of exploring the woods and fields with her. Read more here

Noah sending dove

Animal-Human Equality - Noah and the Flood

The equality of animals and humans is immortalized in the biblical story of Noah and the Flood. Noah was commanded to save every species of animal on Earth; in contrast only a relatively few human beings were saved from the flood.

This story is presented here not as a historical fact or religious believe, but as an ancient myth showing the animal/human bond and the indispensable relationship of animals and humans.

From the CompuWorks Desktop Bible, King James Version, the Book of Genesis, beginning chapter 6, verse 13. (Note, the story of Noah is found in many faiths)

An Islamic depiction of Noah

"And God said unto Noah…make thee an ark of gopher wood…the length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits…And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.  But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.  And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.  Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive."