13.7 Billion Years: 4/1/11

Friday, April 29, 2011

Closing Our Eyes to the Evil Within: Criminalizing the Filming of Factory Farms

If Big Ag gets its way, Florida, Minnesota and Iowa will make it illegal to videotape instances of animal cruelty at factory farms. Now is the time for ethical citizens to stand up and speak for those without a voice

[Editor's note: T.S. Eliot's famous 1922 poem "The Waste Land" begins with the phrase, "April is the cruellest month." But for so many non-human animals suffering at the hands of humans around the world, every month in the cruellest. 13.7 Billion Years takes Eliot's famous line as the theme for April, which is "Animal Cruelty Month." For many, it is not an easy topic to digest. But if Homo sapiens is to truly evolve, it must be dealt with now -- and vigorously.]

"If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian," said Sir Paul McCartney in a video he made for PETA.

Slaughterhouses don't have glass walls, but thanks to undercover investigations by animal welfare groups like PETA and Mercy for Animals (MFA), have successfully exposed animal cruelty on factory farms by videotaping the horrific conditions of acts of cruelty by farm workers.

Recently, an undercover MFA investigation at E6 Cattle in Texas, which supplies thousands of cows to the dairy industry, revealed shocking instances of animal cruelty, including the killing of calves by bashing in their skulls with hammers and pickaxes. The case is currently under investigation thanks to this footage.

But soon, these undercover agents -- many of whom are traumatized by being witnesses to such egregious acts of evil -- could be be subject to criminal prosecution. Illogical bills to this effect, called "ag-gag" laws (putting the gag on the agriculture industry) are currently making their way through legislatures in Florida, Iowa and Minnesota. If they are passed, heroes like the undercover investigator at E6 Cattle could be subject to fines or jail time.

"In their infinite wisdom the legislatures of Iowa, Minnesota, Florida and others are considering measures that would punish heroic videographers like the one who spent two weeks as an E6 employee, who was clearly traumatized by the experience," said New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman.

"Videotaping at factory farms wouldn’t be necessary if the industry were properly regulated. But it isn’t. And the public knows this; the one poll about the Iowa ag-gag law shows a mere 21 percent of people supporting it. And poll after poll finds that almost everyone believes that even if it costs more, farm animals should be treated humanely."

"These bills are a desperate attempt by agriculture industry giants to prevent consumers from learning the truth about how animals on factory farms suffer and die," said PETA Senior Vice President Dan Mathews. "Citizens' right to document cruelty to animals -- wherever it occurs -- is crucial in helping local, state, and federal officials enforce anti-cruelty laws."

"Animals raised on factory farm and killed in slaughterhouses endure almost unimaginable suffering," McCartney said. "I hope that once you see the routine cruelty involved in raising, transporting and killing animals for food, you'll join the millions of people who've decided to leave meat off their plates."

Make no mistake, it is difficult to watch footage of animals being tortured and killed. But even you can't bring yourself to watching it, take a moment to think about where your food came from the next time meat is on your plate.

GET INVOLVED

Sign a PETA petition urging the governors of Iowa, Minnesota and Florida to veto any bill they receive that would ban and criminalize the filming of animals on factory farms
Sign a Care2 petition urging the Castro County District Attorney to prosecute the criminals at E6 Cattle to the full extent of the law
Watch the undercover MFA video of E6 Cattle, which was banned on YouTube (WARNING: GRAPHIC FOOTAGE)
Share the E6 cattle investigation on Facebook
Follow Sir Paul McCartney's lead and pledge to be veg for 30 days
Sign a petition urging McDonald's to make their suppliers adopt a less cruel method of slaughtering chickens
Support PETA's campaign to educate consumers about the cruelty behind McDonald's chicken
Make a tax-deductible donation to support MFA's vital work to expose and end cruelty to farmed animals
Learn more about transitioning to a healthy, ethical, animal-friendly and Earth-friendly vegan diet
Read about the HBO documentary "Death on a Factory Farm"
Get a free Vegetarian Starter Kit
Sign up to receive the free Vegetarian Resource Group newsletters, which includes recipes, reviews and free samples
Take the American Diet Quiz
See the 4-year-old McDonald's cheeseburger and fries
Follow 13.7 Billion Years on Twitter

13.7 BILLION YEARS 2011 CALENDAR

Also on 13.7 Billion Years: "Reports from 2050," a series of imagined reports from the year 2050, supported by current news, recent discoveries and scientific predictions.

image: MFA

Thursday, April 28, 2011

The Barbarism Behind McDonald's

Every year, hundreds of millions of chickens experience agonizing pain and torture until the very moment of their death, all for McDonald's. It doesn't have to be that way

[Editor's note: T.S. Eliot's famous 1922 poem "The Waste Land" begins with the phrase, "April is the cruellest month." But for so many non-human animals suffering at the hands of humans around the world, every month in the cruellest. 13.7 Billion Years takes Eliot's famous line as the theme for April, which is "Animal Cruelty Month." For many, it is not an easy topic to digest. But if Homo sapiens is to truly evolve, it must be dealt with now -- and vigorously.]

"Every year, hundreds of millions of chickens are killed via an outdated and cruel slaughter method for McDonald's meals," says PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk, in a recent email.

"Here's how: The terrified birds are dumped from transport crates onto the slaughterhouse floor and slammed upside down into metal shackles, which can result in broken bones. The injured birds flap and struggle so that the blade meant to cut their throats often misses, leaving millions of frightened birds to be scalded to death in defeathering tanks every year."

"Chickens at McDonald's suppliers' slaughterhouses are in agony until the very second that they're killed. We'd love it if everyone were vegan, but they are not, so PETA has been working hard to reduce the enormous suffering of birds by urging McDonald's to require its suppliers to adopt a far less cruel method of slaughter. So far, McDonald's has refused to end even the worst abuses of chickens killed for the chain."

Indeed, the image of Chicken McNuggets being made is simply horrifying.

PETA is taking the fight for the welfare of chickens killed for McDonald's to the chain's own backyard -- Chicago. The group is launching a new ad campaign targeting the appropriately named CEO of McDonald's, Jim Skinner, aimed to educate both McDonald's employees and consumers about the horrific and unbelievable suffering of chickens on their way to the McDonald's menu.

Hundreds of millions of chickens are going to be killed every year for McDonald's. But an ethical, humane society -- short of abandoning the eating of animals altogether -- should at the very least do everything possible to make the journey of these animals on the way to their death as painless as possible.

GET INVOLVED

Sign a petition urging McDonald's to make their suppliers adopt a less cruel method of slaughtering chickens
Support PETA's campaign to educate consumers about the cruelty behind McDonald's chicken
Make a tax-deductible donation to support MFA's vital work to expose and end cruelty to farmed animals
Learn more about transitioning to a healthy, ethical, animal-friendly and Earth-friendly vegan diet
Read about the HBO documentary "Death on a Factory Farm"
Get a free Vegetarian Starter Kit
Sign up to receive the free Vegetarian Resource Group newsletters, which includes recipes, reviews and free samples
Take the American Diet Quiz
See the 4-year-old McDonald's cheeseburger and fries
Follow 13.7 Billion Years on Twitter

VICTORY ALERTS

Nepal's Rhino Population Increases 20% in Past Two Years (Treehugger)

13.7 BILLION YEARS 2011 CALENDAR

Also on 13.7 Billion Years: "Reports from 2050," a series of imagined reports from the year 2050, supported by current news, recent discoveries and scientific predictions.

image: PETA

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Pushing America's Mustangs Off Their Land

American taxpayers have paid for the rapid shrinking of federally-designated habitats for wild horses, resulting in the countless deaths of these American icons

[Editor's note: T.S. Eliot's famous 1922 poem "The Waste Land" begins with the phrase, "April is the cruellest month." But for so many non-human animals suffering at the hands of humans around the world, every month in the cruellest. 13.7 Billion Years takes Eliot's famous line as the theme for April, which is "Animal Cruelty Month." For many, it is not an easy topic to digest. But if Homo sapiens is to truly evolve, it must be dealt with now -- and vigorously.]

Horses first roamed North America 55 million years ago -- long before Homo sapiens first emerged. But in the past four decades, bowing to the pressure of cattle ranchers and energy developers, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has systematically taken away over 20 million acres of land that was federally designated in 1971 as habitat for America's wild horses and burros. That includes 2.4 million acres lost between 2005 and 2009 alone. In total, these wild herds have lost over 31,000 square miles of their habitat -- almost the size of Austria -- while privately owned cattle and sheep are permitted to stay.

Today, "one-half or more of our wild horse population languishing in holding pens, costing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars every year," according to the ASPCA.

Last summer, taxpayers again paid for the BLM's roundup the nation's wild horses, which resulted in dozens of unnecessary deaths, at least 15 of which were related to dehydration. The ASPCA has denounced the roundups, calling them "cruel and brutal," and noting that the roundups are done "in the blistering heat of summer, during which horses were run over miles of scorching desert, resulting in serious injuries and several deaths."

Last week, wild horse advocates got a boost when a U.S. District Court judge rejected a motion by the Department of Interior to dismiss IDA's lawsuit challenging the roundup and removal of nearly 1,579 wild horses and 159 burros from the Twin Peaks Herd Management Area (HMA) in northeastern California last year.

Now is the moment for concerned citizens to stand up and join the fight to end this inhumane and unnecessary practice.

Through May 6, BLM is accepting public comments on the Environmental Assessment (EA) for a plan to capture 90 percent of the wild horses living in Wyoming's White Mountain and Little Colorado Herd Management Areas (HMAs). The agency is looking to permanently remove almost 700 of the mustangs in a roundup scheduled for mid-July, a time when the agency has admitted that "foals are smaller," "water requirements are greater," and horses "may become more easily dehydrated," according to IDA.

The IDA and other animal welfare groups have long asserted that these roundups of wild horses on public land are not necessary and harmful to the herds. It is clear that the motivation behind the BLM roundups is not based on scientific evidence, but on the capitalist desires of the private sector.

"Our herds are a national treasure," said wild horse advocate Carla Bowers of the Cloud Foundation, in the Lahontan Valley News. They "don't deserve to be pushed off their native lands to accommodate the welfare cattle grazing, big game hunting and energy industries."

GET INVOLVED

Sign an IDA letter telling the BLM that you oppose the waste of tax dollars to round up and remove 696 wild horses in the White Mountain and Little Colorado Herd Management Areas (HMAs) in Wyoming (U.S. citizens only, comments due May 6)
Call the White House Comment Line at (202) 456-1111 and urge the Obama administration to cancel the BLM's scheduled wild horse roundups (get more info at the ASPCA Advocacy Center)
Read more about BLM's mismanagement of America's wild horses and burros (ASPCA)
Support the Cloud Foundation's work to save America's wild horses
Follow 13.7 Billion Years on Twitter

VICTORY ALERTS

Ohio Fresh Eggs, the state’s largest egg producer, has been ordered to pay $635,000 to settle 71 allegations of environmental violations. The operation has a sordid history of pollution, sexual harassment, and animal cruelty. (Mercy for Animals)

13.7 BILLION YEARS 2011 CALENDAR

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Death By Longline

Hundreds of endangered sea turtles are "accidentally" killed annually by longline fishing

[Editor's note: T.S. Eliot's famous 1922 poem "The Waste Land" begins with the phrase, "April is the cruellest month." But for so many non-human animals suffering at the hands of humans around the world, every month in the cruellest. 13.7 Billion Years takes Eliot's famous line as the theme for April, which is "Animal Cruelty Month." For many, it is not an easy topic to digest. But if Homo sapiens is to truly evolve, it must be dealt with now -- and vigorously.]

Every year, 1,500 bluefin tuna and hundreds of endangered sea turtles are the victims of "bycatch" in the Gulf of Mexico, hooked by the massive commercial fishing process known as "longline fishing."

"Despite being high in mercury and on the brink of extinction, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is proposing a new rule that would allow bluefin tuna to continue to be caught indiscriminately by industrial longline fishing fleets," according to the Sea Turtle Restoration Project.

"The current proposal simultaneously takes away fishing opportunities from recreational harpoon fishermen and gives longliners a free pass by increasing their bluefin tuna quota allocation. This is not an acceptable solution for the imperiled bluefin nor the sea turtles caught by indiscriminate longline hooks."

Public comments on this proposal are due to the NMFS by Thursday, April 28.

GET INVOLVED

Sign a Sea Turtle Restoration Project petition urging the National Marine Fisheries Service to end all Gulf longline fishing (public comments due April 28, U.S. citizens only)
Take the Sea Turtle Restoration Project Seafood Pledge (anyone can sign)
Follow 13.7 Billion Years on Twitter

VICTORY ALERTS

Thanks to the 45,980 individuals who signed the Defenders for Wildlife petition to stop the Yellowstone bison slaughter, Montana officials have finalized a deal that will open 75,000 acres in southern Montana for bison to roam outside of Yellowstone National Park. (Rainforest Site)

13.7 BILLION YEARS 2011 CALENDAR

Also on 13.7 Billion Years: "Reports from 2050," a series of imagined reports from the year 2050, supported by current news, recent discoveries and scientific predictions.

image: BBC

Monday, April 25, 2011

The Sad Fate of Captive Dolphins

Dolphins are highly intelligent and emotional. They are also prisoners, forced to perform for human entertainment

[Editor's note: T.S. Eliot's famous 1922 poem "The Waste Land" begins with the phrase, "April is the cruellest month." But for so many non-human animals suffering at the hands of humans around the world, every month in the cruellest. 13.7 Billion Years takes Eliot's famous line as the theme for April, which is "Animal Cruelty Month." For many, it is not an easy topic to digest. But if Homo sapiens is to truly evolve, it must be dealt with now -- and vigorously.]

 Cetaceans have been held captive since the 1860s. Today, dolphinariums (aquariums for dolphins) are widespread throughout North America, Europe and Japan, and usually keep bottlenose dolphins, an easily trainable species that is considered to be one of the most intelligent mammals. They can engage in mimicry, use artificial language, categorize objects and even recognize themselves -- all traits indicative of higher intelligence.

But many humans continue to treated these amazing animals with disregards, capturing them from the wild and forcing them to be money-making performers while they are kept in miserable conditions.

"Six dolphins live in a tiny, 15x22m dirty pool in Bulgaria," said Virginia McKenna, OBE, the founder of the UK-based Born Free Foundation, in a recent email. "They float listlessly, or perform silly tricks. Bored senseless, they then eat balls, parts of broken pool walls, paint, nets and other rubbish. They vomit and then eat it again."

"Four sickly dolphins are held in a tennis court-sized pool in Turkey," says McKenna. "The water is murky, and the dolphins have lots of scratches and scars where they have bashed into wire mesh surrounding the pool."

"Dolphins are vibrant, extraordinary creatures, intelligent and perceptive. Yet we keep them cooped up in shallow, concrete tanks; in water treated with a host of harsh chemicals, which irritate their eyes and sensitive skin. Conditions are frequently appalling, even life-threatening. We force them to perform stupid, unnatural tricks and interact with people. And this is meant to be 'entertainment?' 'Education'?"

"Surviving for a certain amount of time is not the same as thriving, and the mortality statistics show this conclusively," said Dr. Lori Marino of Emory University, in an Animal Planet interview. "Dolphins and whales live only a fraction of their natural life spans in captivity."

Make no mistake -- and don't be fooled by the permanent "smile" that dolphins seems to have: For an animal meant to swim the open sea, captivity is nothing less than torture.

GET INVOLVED

Sign a Change.org petition to save Misty, a captive dolphin in Taiji, Japan
Sign a SaveJapanDolphins pledge to boycott dolphin shows
Sign a PetitionBuzz petition against the hunting and capturing of cetaceans
Sign a Care2 petition to keep dolphin tanks out of Armenia
Help the Born Free Foundation fight captive dolphin exploitation
Follow 13.7 Billion Years on Twitter

13.7 BILLION YEARS 2011 CALENDAR

Also on 13.7 Billion Years: "Reports from 2050," a series of imagined reports from the year 2050, supported by current news, recent discoveries and scientific predictions.

image: From Change.org petition: "Misty is ill and needs better care and attention. They will not sell Misty. Misty should be removed from this atrocious captive situation. Rehabilitated and allowed to return to the Ocean. Misty may not have been in captivity for a long time. Rehabilitation is a must."

Friday, April 22, 2011

Today is Earth Day: Can You Handle the Truth?

If you do only one thing for Earth Day, look in the mirror for five minutes

Have you ever wondered if you're part of the solution or part of the problem? Or how much you are in either direction? If you haven't, Earth Day is a perfect time to find out. After all, as Socrates wisely observed, "An unexamined life is not worth living."

There are 1,440 minutes in every day. For Earth Day, take just 5 of those minutes and take the Rainforest Action Network Eco Personality Test. And as a thank you for completing the quiz, RAN will send you an Eco-Personality Sticker.

Happy Earth Day -- and remember, all living things are our fellow "Earthlings."

image: Earthrise - Apollo 8. This view of the rising Earth greeted the Apollo 8 astronauts as they came from behind the Moon after the lunar orbit insertion burn. Earth is about five degrees above the horizon in the photo. The unnamed surface features in the foreground are near the eastern limb of the Moon as viewed from Earth. The lunar horizon is approximately 780 kilometers from the spacecraft. Width of the photographed area at the horizon is about 175 kilometers. On the Earth 240,000 miles away, the sunset terminator bisects Africa. (credit: NASA)

By Gutting Prop B, Missouri Lawmakers Slap Voters in the Face

The famous song asks, "How much is that doggy in the window?" But the question should be, "How much misery have that doggy's parents experienced?" For Missouri's legislators who have ignored the will of the voters, that question is of no concern

[Editor's note: T.S. Eliot's famous 1922 poem "The Waste Land" begins with the phrase, "April is the cruellest month." But for so many non-human animals suffering at the hands of humans around the world, every month in the cruellest. 13.7 Billion Years takes Eliot's famous line as the theme for April, which is "Animal Cruelty Month." For many, it is not an easy topic to digest. But if Homo sapiens is to truly evolve, it must be dealt with now -- and vigorously.]

They are commonly known as "puppy mills." Focused on profit and not the welfare of the animals in their care, these commercial dog breeders supply pet stores with all those cute little puppies.

But the behind-the-scenes reality is a world of agony and sadness. For the breeding dogs, there's no basic grooming, no toys, no attention, no exercise, no happiness. They are often either left outdoors in all kinds of weather or kept in cramped and filthy cages for their entire miserable lives. They develop a whole host of ailments, including respiratory problems, hip dysplasia, pneumonia and emotional problems. The females are always pregnant. It is a life of abuse and pain.

Last year, Missouri voters stood up to this deplorable statewide situation and courageously passed Proposition B, also known as the "Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act," which established minimum standards of humane care and limited breeders to 50 dogs.

According to the official statutory amendment, the intention of Prop B is "to prohibit the cruel and inhumane treatment of dogs in puppy mills by requiring large-scale dog breeding operations to provide each dog under their care with basic food and water, adequate shelter from the elements, necessary veterinary care, adequate space to turn around and stretch his or her limbs, and regular exercise."

It was a huge victory for animal welfare. "Was" is the operative word, because last week, lawmakers rolled back Prop B with SB 113, a bill that removes the 50-dog limit and restrictions on breeding frequency. SB 113 also removes Prop B's requirements for larger animal enclosures, constant access to water and continuous outdoor access. It also rolls back requirements for veterinary care.

"SB 113 removes all of these provisions from Prop B and reverts back to existing law -- the same law that allowed for the cruel and inhumane treatment of dogs, the same law that precipitated the campaign to qualify and pass Prop B in the first place," said Wayne Pacelle, the president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), on his blog.

"To put it mildly, we're outraged," said Cori Menkin, senior director of legislative initiatives for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), in the Kansas City Star. "This isn’t just a few changes to Prop B. It's effectively a repeal of all the meaningful measures in Prop B."

"When lawmakers are sworn in, they take an oath to protect the laws of their state -- regardless of whether those laws were passed by them or by the people," said Pacelle. "In the case of Prop B they are violating the spirit of that oath by ignoring the will of the almost 1 million Missourians who voted for Prop B."

"This is no way to conduct the nation’s business...we are looking more like a banana republic than the world’s greatest democracy. You should be outraged about these abuses of our government process. And we should all feel saddened that the leaders in these legislative bodies have such disdain for the honorable workings of democracy and for the creatures of the planet who depend on our mercy and decency."

At this point, there is only one person who can stop this miscarriage of justice -- Missouri governor Jay Nixon. SB 113 was sent to the governor on April 13. He has 15 days -- until April 28 -- to either veto the bill or allow it to become law. Governor Nixon should recognize the will of the people he serves and strike down SB 113.

GET INVOLVED

Call Governor Jay Nixon today at (573) 751-3222 and ask him to stand up for the will of the people by vetoing SB 113 (US residents)
Send an email to Governor Nixon asking him to veto SB 113
Sign a LoveYourCritter.com petition urging Governor Nixon to veto SB113
Sign a Care2 petition to keep Prop B in place
Follow 13.7 Billion Years on Twitter

MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

Thanks to the generous support of more than 2,200 members, we were able to raise the funds to file a legal counterattack to protect 120 million acres for polar bears (Center for Biological Diversity)
Greenpeace has boarded Cairn's Arctic-bound oil rig (Greenpeace)

13.7 BILLION YEARS 2011 CALENDAR

Also on 13.7 Billion Years: "Reports from 2050," a series of imagined reports from the year 2050, supported by current news, recent discoveries and scientific predictions.

image: Humane Society

Thursday, April 21, 2011

America's Sadistic Dairy Industry: Baby Calves Bludgeoned to Death with Hammers

When you drink or use milk from a factory farm, you are supporting an industry that includes this baby calf, one of many whose skulls were bashed in by hammers and pickaxes

[Editor's note: T.S. Eliot's famous 1922 poem "The Waste Land" begins with the phrase, "April is the cruellest month." But for so many non-human animals suffering at the hands of humans around the world, every month in the cruellest. 13.7 Billion Years takes Eliot's famous line as the theme for April, which is "Animal Cruelty Month." For many, it is not an easy topic to digest. But if Homo sapiens is to truly evolve, it must be dealt with now -- and vigorously. The following text is from Mercy for Animals (MFA).]

A new Mercy For Animals undercover investigation provides a horrifying look into E6 Cattle Co., which supplies thousands of calves for the dairy industry.

For over two weeks in March of 2011, an MFA investigator documented the operation's deplorable conditions and brutal mistreatment of animals.

MFA's hidden camera reveals:

Workers bludgeoning calves in their skulls with pickaxes and hammers -- a killing method condemned by the American Veterinary Medical Association
Beaten calves, still alive and conscious, thrown onto dead piles
Workers kicking downed calves in the head, and standing on their necks and ribs
Calves confined to squalid hutches, thick with manure and urine buildup, and barely large enough for the calves to turn around or fully extend their legs
Gruesome injuries and afflictions, including open sores, swollen joints and severed hooves Ill, injured and dying calves denied medical care
The budding horns of calves burned out their skulls without painkillers

Upon reviewing the undercover footage, Temple Grandin, PhD, animal welfare advisor to USDA, declared: "It is obvious that both the management and the employees have no regard for animal welfare."

Dr. Armaiti May, a practicing veterinarian experienced in the care of farmed animals, echoed Dr. Rollin's sentiment, recommending that "charges of animal cruelty be brought against the workers involved and that the farm be shut down for cruel treatment of animals and lack of proper oversight of its workers."

The owner of E6 Cattle required his employees to bash in the calves' heads with a claw hammer, forcing them to condemn calves to a prolonged and horrific death. As Debra Teachout, DVM, asserts, "They feel every blow until they become unconscious." The American Veterinary Medical Association condemns the use of blows to the head as a means of killing young calves.

Following the undercover investigation, MFA alerted law enforcement authorities to violations of Texas anti-cruelty law at E6 Cattle, and presented a detailed legal complaint and meticulously compiled evidence of such violations to the Castro County District Attorney and sheriff. The evidence demonstrated an ongoing pattern of torture, unjustifiable infliction of pain and suffering on animals, and a failure to provide necessary medical care. The case is currently under investigation.

As MFA continues to expose the unconscionable cruelties of animal agriculture, and to diligently pursue justice by aiding prosecutions of animal abusers, consumers still hold the greatest power of all to end the needless suffering and death of calves -- and all farmed animals -- by adopting a compassionate vegan diet.

GET INVOLVED

Sign a Care2 petition urging the Castro County District Attorney to prosecute the criminals at E6 Cattle to the full extent of the law
Watch the undercover video (WARNING: GRAPHIC FOOTAGE)
Share this investigation on Facebook
Make a tax-deductible donation to support MFA's vital work to expose and end cruelty to farmed animals
Learn more about transitioning to a healthy, ethical, animal-friendly and Earth-friendly vegan diet
Read about the HBO documentary "Death on a Factory Farm"
Follow 13.7 Billion Years on Twitter

VICTORY ALERTS

Giant dog ring busted in Philadelphia (Greenanswers.com)
Patrick -- the now famous Pit bull who has been recovering after being nearly starved to death and thrown down an apartment garbage chute -- hit a happy milestone: The foreign object lodged in his stomach was successfully removed. (Care2)
Because of generous public support to WSPA's vaccination project in Bali, WSPA and partner Bali Animal Welfare Association (BAWA) have helped the island vaccinate approximately 210,000 dogs -- 70% of the estimated total dog population. As a result, the island has achieved a nearly 50% decrease in both human and animal rabies cases. (WSPA)
376 UK beaches were cleaned and 4,927 people went to their local beach to make a big difference during Beachwatch Big Weekend (Marine Conservation Society)
UK government pledges £25 million to conservation (Wildlife Extra)
Amur tigers to be released in Kazakhstan (Wildlife Extra)

13.7 BILLION YEARS 2011 CALENDAR

Also on 13.7 Billion Years: "Reports from 2050," a series of imagined reports from the year 2050, supported by current news, recent discoveries and scientific predictions.

image: Mercy for Animals

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Greyhounds and Gambling

Gambling is killing the fastest dog in the world

[Editor's note: T.S. Eliot's famous 1922 poem "The Waste Land" begins with the phrase, "April is the cruellest month." But for so many non-human animals suffering at the hands of humans around the world, every month in the cruellest. 13.7 Billion Years takes Eliot's famous line as the theme for April, which is "Animal Cruelty Month." For many, it is not an easy topic to digest. But if Homo sapiens is to truly evolve, it must be dealt with now -- and vigorously.]

Greyhound racing is a cruel so-called "sport" that has long been been criticized for animal abuse -- racing greyhounds are frequently injured and when they can no longer race they are killed. Most of their lives are spent locked up in warehouse-style kennels that are so small that they can barely stand up or turn around. While racing in Florida, greyhounds have been electrocuted. It is a brutal existence.

But that may change, at least in Florida, if groundbreaking legislation passes that will reduce and possibly end greyhound racing in the state.

HB 1145/ SB 1594 will decouple the cruelty of greyhound racing from other forms of gambling, removing the legal requirement that dog tracks host live racing in order to be licensed.

In the Philippines, two bills are making their way through Congress that would start greyhound racing on the islands of Cebu and Luzon. In South Africa, where a current ban is in place, the Department of Trade and Industry is investigating the sport's legalization.

"In the long run, the greyhound kills the hare," goes the old proverb. But that is certainly not true. In the long run, the human kills the greyhound.

GET INVOLVED

Sign the GREY2K USA petition supporting HB 1145/SB 1594
Sign a Care2 petition urging the Philippine Congress to vote against Bill 5291 and Bill 5648, which seek to establish greyhound racing in Cebu and Luzon
Follow 13.7 Billion Years on Twitter

VICTORY ALERTS

Chinese animal lovers save hundreds of dogs being trucked to slaughterhouse (Care2)

13.7 BILLION YEARS 2011 CALENDAR

Also on 13.7 Billion Years: "Reports from 2050," a series of imagined reports from the year 2050, supported by current news, recent discoveries and scientific predictions.

image: AngMoKio

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Barbaric and Unnecessary: Bear Bile

Collecting bear bile is an immoral, gruesome and sadistic practice fueled by traditional Chinese medicine

[Editor's note: T.S. Eliot's famous 1922 poem "The Waste Land" begins with the phrase, "April is the cruellest month." But for so many non-human animals suffering at the hands of humans around the world, every month in the cruellest. 13.7 Billion Years takes Eliot's famous line as the theme for April, which is "Animal Cruelty Month." For many, it is not an easy topic to digest. But if Homo sapiens is to truly evolve, it must be dealt with now -- and vigorously.]

In February, The Telegraph reported on the online backlash against Gui Zhen Tang when it announced it was trying to be listed on a local stock market. Gui Zhen Tang is one of China's largest producers of bear bile.

In the wild, a bear lives for about 25 years. But captive bears farmed for their bile -- a common ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine -- live for only about five years due to the inhumane treatment they must suffer at the hands of their human captors.

These "bile bears" live on factory farms in cramped extraction cages called "crush cages," which are so small they can barely move. Note the cage in this image that is so small that it is bulging. Often, the bears actually "grow into" the cage bars. It is less a cage than a coffin made of metal bars. They lose their teeth from gnawing at the bars trying to escape. Their bile is extracted through tubes surgically implanted into their gall bladders or collected as it freely drips from a puncture wound made in the bear's abdomen.

After a few years of a life of torture and constant pain and suffering, often developing liver cancer and infections, a bear can no longer produce any more bile. It is then killed for its meat, fur, paws and gall bladder.

A 1999-2000 World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) estimates that there are 247 bile-bear farms in China holding over 12,000 bears in the most inhumane conditions imaginable. It requires no stretch of the imagination to call it hell on Earth.

This horrific practice has been outlawed in Vietnam, but lack of enforcement means that it continues there as well. WSPA has funded a hotline run by Education for Nature (ENV), Vietnam’s first non-governmental organization dedicated to the conservation of nature and the environment through education. With the help of the public calling in tip-offs, bears have already been rescued from illegal bear farms. The hotline has been promoted through radio, television and print ads.

The active therapeutic substance in bear bile -- and actually in all mammalian bile -- is ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA). Because pharmaceutical-grade UDCA is collected from slaughterhouses (purified and packaged as Ursosan, Ursofalk, Actigall and UrsoForte), collecting the bile from bears is unnecessary.

But many practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine are adamant about using bear bile. These illogical and inhumane individuals are ultimately responsible for this continuing tragedy, which must be stopped. And perhaps with more public awareness and public action, it will.

"The angry reaction to the reports of Gui Zhen Tang's listing shows how attitudes are changing in the minds of the Chinese public," Jill Robinson, the founder of Animals Asia and a leading anti-bear farming campaigner, told The Telegraph.

"It has been a spontaneous reaction, not organised by interest groups like us. That is a clear sign that China's public is waking up to this cruelty."

GET INVOLVED

Sign a Care2 petition urging the Shenzhen Stock Exchange not to condone and support animal cruelty by allowing inclusion of the Gui Zhen Tang Pharmaceutical Corporation, which runs bear bile farms
Join the Facebook petition to end all bear bile farming
Sign the Project R&R petition urging lawmakers to co-sponsor A.6291/S.3858 to help stop black bear poaching in New York (New York residents)
Support Animals Asia's campaign to end bear farming
Watch the WSPA/ENV television ads promoting the bear bile hotline have aired in Vietnam [Ad 1] [Ad 2]
Learn more about bear bile (Sciencebasedmedicine.org)
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Monday, April 18, 2011

H.R. 1417, BEST Practices Act

The U.S. military unnecessarily kills thousands of animals every year in outdated and money-sapping training exercises. Congress may make them stop

[Editor's note: T.S. Eliot's famous 1922 poem "The Waste Land" begins with the phrase, "April is the cruellest month." But for so many non-human animals suffering at the hands of humans around the world, every month in the cruellest. 13.7 Billion Years takes Eliot's famous line as the theme for April, which is "Animal Cruelty Month." For many, it is not an easy topic to digest. But if Homo sapiens is to truly evolve, it must be dealt with now -- and vigorously.]

American taxpayers fund Department of Defense combat trauma training courses that unnecessarily kill over 6,000 pigs and goats each year.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) asserts that these methods are "outdated and inferior due to, among other issues, anatomical and physiological differences between species such as pigs and goats and humans" and represent "an inefficient expenditure of taxpayer dollars."

In a statement, the group said that "the U.S. military can and should markedly expand its efforts to improve this training," adding that "ensuring that trauma education and training are most effective for treating human injuries requires phasing in a combination of high-fidelity medical simulation technology that replicates human anatomy and physiology, partial task trainers, immersive environment training, and moulage."

PCRM notes the "overwhelming evidence that a transition to human-based alternatives would provide a better educational experience for our service members. These medical procedures are taught in the civilian world almost exclusively without the use of live animals."

Congress has introduced legislation that may put an end to the use of live animals for training. A bill, H.R. 1417, BEST Practices Act, is making its way through the House of Representatives. If passed, it would amend title 10 of the United States Code to "require the Secretary of Defense to use only human-based methods for training members of the Armed Forces in the treatment of severe combat injuries" by 2016.

As of April 7, the following U.S. representatives have signed on as co-sponsors to H.R. 1417:

Rep. Robert E. Andrews, D-N.J., 1st (Member, House Armed Services Committee)
Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., 6th (Member, House Armed Services Committee)
Rep. Mark Critz, D-Pa., 1st (Member, House Armed Services Committee)
Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., 51st (introduced) (Ranking Member, House Veterans’
Affairs Committee)
Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., 4th
Rep. Henry C. “Hank” Johnson Jr., D-Ga., 4th (Member, House Armed Services
Committee)
Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., 4th (Member, House Armed Services Committee)
Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, 10th
Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., 7th
Rep. Steven Rothman, D-N.J., 9th (Member, House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense)

But more support in Congress is needed to advance the military into a more useful and practical system of combat trauma training.

GET INVOLVED

Ask your U.S. representative to co-sponsor H.R. 1417
Follow 13.7 Billion Years on Twitter

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Also on 13.7 Billion Years: "Reports from 2050," a series of imagined reports from the year 2050, supported by current news, recent discoveries and scientific predictions.

image: blog_punk

Friday, April 29, 2011

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Monday, April 25, 2011

Friday, April 22, 2011

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Monday, April 18, 2011

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