Annemarie Lucas, ASCPA Cop and TV Star of 'Animal Precinct,' Forced Off Job, Eyed in Suit - by Lisa L. Colangelo and John Marzulli

An ASPCA cop whose model looks made her the public face of the organization has been forced off the job, the Daily News has learned.
Annemarie Lucas helped bring in big bucks with fund-raising drives and had a starring role on the TV show "Animal Precinct."
The ASPCA would not say why she left, but she's a defendant in a suit that claims her humane law enforcement unit performed illegal searches and seizures.
"She projects a warm and fuzzy personality on television ... but she uses the badge and gun as a sword, not a shield to protect animals," said lawyer George Dazzo, who represents pet owners whose animals were seized.
Sources said Lucas had clashed repeatedly with the chief legal counsel of the enforcement unit, Stacy Wolf.
Lucas, who earned more than $200,000 in salary and benefits in 2008, was paid more than a year's salary as part of a buyout agreement, sources told The News.
Meanwhile, Patrick O'Keefe, a top official at the ASPCA's Henry Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital in Manhattan, also abruptly resigned.
The ASPCA declined to say why, but a spokeswoman denied it was related to a Daily News report that probers were looking into the death of a Rottweiler allegedly kicked and choked by a vet at the hospital.
Dazzo also represents the Rottweiler owner, who is suing the ASPCA.
Lucas and O'Keefe could not be reached for comment.

I think it is a HUGE mistake for the ASPCA to force Annemarie off the force.  She is an amazing hero for animals and she obviously LOVED her job.  Whether she overstepped her authority or not, she was working for victims that can't defend themselves.  She is a hero to me.

Farm Sanctuary Rescues Six Dying Newborn Calves

Farm Sanctuary rescued six dying newborn calves from an abandoned garage where several of them had been tied to a tractor. These helpless babies were torn from their mothers and left to perish, alone, without food and water.
The calves – Teddy, Amigo, Poncho, Felipe, Sasha, and the littlest baby, Jasper – are now settled at Farm Sanctuary, and well on the way to healthy, happy lives. Despite being on antibiotics and requiring special care given their rough start, they are already blossoming into active, playful youngsters.

Please watch the video below which shows how the calves are doing now, and please consider donating to the Farm Sanctuary Emergency Rescue Fund, Thanks!

Cruelty on the Internet - by Peta.org

The Internet is rife with Web sites and Web pages depicting cruelty to animals. Some sources are educational, depicting the cruel behind-the-scenes reality of industries that thrive on animal exploitation and abuse. Other sources are merely depicting cruelty for shock value. Often, these sites will also carry videos and images that are gory and/or pornographic in nature. These Web sites are counting on you to be upset by what you see, inadvertently bringing them more traffic—and consequently more advertising dollars—with your complaints to friends, family, and coworkers. The site owners thrive on your angry messages, often posting them for their sympathetic audiences to enjoy.

Social-networking sites like Myspace and media-sharing sites like Youtube allow users to create their own Web pages (in the case of Myspace) and to post blogs, photos, videos, and music. Some people abuse this service by posting videos depicting crimes against animals. Many abusers have been brought to justice after flaunting these crimes online. With your help, we will continue to put these abusers behind bars.

Cleaning Up the Internet

Regarding sites like Myspace and Youtube, please immediately bring any offensive videos to PETA’s attention by e-mailing us at Info@peta.org. We require a direct link to the video and to the poster’s Web page. Do not post angry comments, and do not complain to the social-networking or video-sharing site about the video, as it might remove the video before PETA has the opportunity to investigate. As a precaution, please download the video and save the Web page/user profile so that PETA can be sure to view both. After our investigation, we will petition the site to remove the video and delete the user’s account.

In cases involving commercial gore- and pornography-based Web sites carrying videos of animal abuse for shock purposes, your response will be different. Find the contact address for the Web site, and identify the Web site’s Internet Service Provider (ISP). DNSstuff.com can help you do both:

Using DNSstuff.com to find contact information for a Web site is easy. Use the “WHOIS Lookup” option (on the left side of DNSstuff.com’s home page) to perform a search using the domain name. The domain name for PETA’s Web site, for example, is “PETA.org.” Again, don’t complain directly to the offending site, as this will only encourage the site owner. Instead, report it to the appropriate FBI branch office.

DNSstuff.com also makes it easy to find information about the offending Web site’s Internet service provider (ISP). First, use the “Ping” tool on DNSstuff’s home page to find the IP (Internet Protocol) address for the Web site; all you have to do is enter the domain name! Then, enter the IP address into DNSstuff’s “IPWHOIS Lookup” search field, and you’ll get the ISP information! In addition to contacting the ISP representatives directly and explaining to them why the site and/or the offensive files should be removed, ISP information should also be included in your FBI complaint.

Popular Annual Event Gives Animal Advocates a Chance to “Social Network” the Old-Fashioned Way

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – April 21, 2010 – Social networking may be the fastest, most effective way to spread ideas and connect with like-minded folks, but sometimes even Twitter Co-founder Biz Stone needs to unplug and head outside for some good old-fashioned, face-to-face socializing in the fresh country air. This May 1 and 2, the social media mogul — who went vegan after spending time with rescued farm animals at the New York Shelter of Farm Sanctuary, the nation’s leading farm animal protection organization — will do just that when he travels to the organization’s sanctuary in Orland, California to join an impressive roster of speakers at their annual California Country Hoe Down.


This festive, two-day conference for people of all ages and backgrounds offers attendees the chance to learn about current farm animal protection issues and campaigns and acquire the tools they need to get active for animals in their community and help build a more compassionate world. Inspiring presentations from some of the animal protection movement’s most celebrated names, including Farm Sanctuary President and Co-Founder Gene Baur and Jonathan Balcombe, Ph.D., author of Pleasurable Kingdom and Second Nature: The Inner Lives of Animals, are interspersed with mouth-watering vegan food, hayrides, star gazing, a rousing barn dance, complete with live music and a contra dance caller and, of course, ample time to stroll the barnyard and get to know the hundreds of cows, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens and turkeys who call the sanctuary home.

“Growing consumer awareness and outrage over the environmental devastation, health problems and rampant animal cruelty associated with industrial animal agriculture has sparked a nationwide food movement that is changing the way people think about animals and food,” said Baur. “This year’s California Country Hoe Down comes at a pivotal time. Real change is afoot and it’s happening faster than ever before.”

To learn more about Farm Sanctuary’s California Country Hoe Down and reserve your space, visit http://www.farmsanctuary.org/farm/calendar/ca_hoedown/index.html.

To speak with Farm Sanctuary President and Co-founder Gene Baur or Twitter Co-founder Biz Stone, please contact Meredith Turner at 646-369-6212 or mturner@farmsanctuary.org.

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/FarmSanctuary


About Farm Sanctuary

Farm Sanctuary is the nation's leading farm animal protection organization. Since incorporating in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the "food animal" industry through research and investigations, legal and institutional reforms, public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and Orland, Calif., provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals, who have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about the realities of factory farming. Additional information can be found at farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225.

Disneynature Sets Out to Save the Oceans - by Stephanie Feldstein

Last Earth Day, Disneynature released the movie Earth. As you might imagine, I've seen a lot of nature shows over the years, but the footage in this film blew me away. It was visually incredible and, in true Disney fashion, told a story that you had no choice but to get emotionally invested in. But the movie was also honest. As they followed three families — polar bears, elephants and humpback whales — they let the animals speak for themselves without resorting to anthropomorphizing. Every animal didn't get a happy ending, because that's how it is in real life. It was an amazing movie, and I'm excited about the next installment, Oceans, released today.


The footage in Oceans shows a world that most people never see, but one that we all impact in our daily lives. The effects of climate change and toxic pollution are devastating on marine life. And all of that plastic in your life? Much of it ends up in the oceans. Off the coast of California, there is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a floating garbage dump twice the size of Texas, where plastic junk outnumbers sea life 6 to 1. It's impossible to fully clean up. As the Save My Oceans website says, "plastics, like diamonds, are forever." That's not good news for the fish, birds, and marine mammals who ingest or get tangled in the fatal debris.


I saw EARTH last year on Earth Day, and today I will be going to see Oceans with my niece and nephew.  To learn about the different creatures that share this planet with us.  If you want to make a difference for the ocean, please visit WWW.OCEANCONSERVANCY.ORG

Court Voids Law Aimed at Animal Cruelty Videos - by Mark Sherman AP

WASHINGTON (April 20) -- The Supreme Court struck down a federal law Tuesday aimed at banning videos that show graphic violence against animals, saying it violates the right to free speech.

The justices, voting 8-1, threw out the criminal conviction of Robert Stevens of Pittsville, Va., who was sentenced to three years in prison for videos he made about pit bull fights.

The law was enacted in 1999 to limit Internet sales of so-called crush videos, which appeal to a certain sexual fetish by showing women crushing to death small animals with their bare feet or high-heeled shoes.

Keith Srakocic, AP

Robert Stevens, here in 2005, was sentenced to 37 months in prison for selling dogfighting videos. He was the first person sentenced under a 1999 federal animal cruelty law.

The videos virtually disappeared once the measure became law, the government argued.

But Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, said the law goes too far, suggesting that a measure limited to crush videos might be valid. Animal cruelty and dog fighting already are illegal throughout the country.

In dissent, Justice Samuel Alito said the harm animals suffer in dogfights is enough to sustain the law.

Alito said the ruling probably will spur new crush videos because it has "the practical effect of legalizing the sale of such videos."

Animal rights groups, including the Humane Society of the United States and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and 26 states joined the Obama administration in support of the law. The government sought a ruling that treated videos showing animal cruelty like child pornography, not entitled to constitutional protection.

But Roberts said the law could be read to allow the prosecution of the producers of films about hunting. And he scoffed at the administration's assurances that it would only apply the law to depictions of extreme cruelty. "But the First Amendment protects against the government," Roberts said. "We would not uphold an unconstitutional statute merely because the government promised to use it responsibly."

Stevens ran a business and Web site that sold videos of pit bull fights. He is among a handful of people prosecuted under the animal cruelty law. He noted in court papers that his sentence was 14 months longer than professional football player Michael Vick's prison term for running a dogfighting ring.

A federal judge rejected Stevens' First Amendment claims, but the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia ruled in his favor.

The administration persuaded the high court to intervene, but for the second time this year, the justices struck down a federal law on free speech grounds. In January, the court invalidated parts of a 63-year-old law aimed at limiting corporate and union involvement in political campaigns.

Free speech advocates cheered Tuesday's ruling.

"Speech is protected whether it's popular or unpopular, harmful or unharmful," said David Horowitz, executive director of the Media Coalition. The group submitted a brief siding with Stevens on behalf of booksellers, documentary film makers, theater owners, writers' groups and others.

The case is U.S. v. Stevens, 08-769.


OK, I just don't get it.  So they can sell videos of animals being tortured in all sorts of ways, but if I wanted to video tape "any" kind of activity at a factory farm, I would be considered a terrorist and go to jail.  UNBELIEVABLE.

Please Help Me Support The Dutchess County SPCA in Hyde Park, New York

Please follow the link below to learn about the DCSPCA and consider donating.  The animals will be grateful!  Thanks!

CLICK HERE TO HELP THE SHELTER ANIMALS!

Farm Sanctuary Urges Passage of the Healthy School Meals Act to Benefit Children and Animals

Citizens Across Country to Participate in National Call-In Day on April 21 in Support of This Federal Legislation


WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – April 19, 2010 – On Wednesday, April 21, concerned citizens nationwide will join Farm Sanctuary, the nation’s leading farm animal protection organization, in a National Call-In Day to urge legislators to support H.R. 4870, the Healthy School Meals Act.

Introduced in March, this new legislation would offer financial incentives to school districts that offer their students plant-based food options and non-dairy beverages. “If passed, the Healthy School Meals Act would have a tremendous impact on children’s health, farm animals, and the environment,” said executive director of Farm Sanctuary, Dr. Allan Kornberg. Dr. Kornberg has practiced both primary care pediatrics and pediatric emergency medicine, and recently served as Senior Vice President for the National Initiative for Children’s Health Quality. “As a pediatrician with more than 25 years of clinical and executive leadership experience in medicine, I am keenly aware of the impact diet has on child development. American children are increasingly affected by obesity and other adverse health conditions related to a poor diet.”

Schools participating in the National School Lunch Program receive cash subsidies and donated commodities and surplus foods from the USDA. School lunches must meet federal nutrition requirements, but specific food options are determined by local school food authorities. The Healthy School Meals Act would make plant-based proteins and non-dairy milk an affordable option for schools, increasing the accessibility of these healthy foods to students nationwide.

Dr. Kornberg, who once acted as CEO of Network Health, a Medicaid health plan serving the poor in Massachusetts, remarked, “Good health should not be an economic issue. The federally-assisted National School Lunch Program provides low-cost or free lunches to more than 30 million children each school day. These families rely on the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs to deliver proper nutrition to their children. The act would help schools that cannot currently afford to do so provide healthy, cruelty-free options to their students.”

The act would also address the nutritional needs of countless children who choose to abstain from consuming animal products for ethical, health, environmental, religious, or other reasons. Currently, students are granted access to dairy alternatives only after acquiring a doctor’s note. The new legislation would do away with this requirement and thus further increase access to these compassionate options. Whereas in the past, schools may only have provided water or juice to students abstaining from milk, the new bill specifies that nutritionally-equivalent alternatives must be offered, guaranteeing that these students would receive a healthy, balanced diet.

On Tuesday, April 20, Dr. Kornberg will join Elizabeth Kucinich, Director of Public Affairs for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), and student activist, Nina Gonzalez, for a conference call to inform citizens further on the Healthy School Meals Act and offer advice on becoming an effective citizen lobbyist.

“By adopting a plant-based diet, Americans may reap dramatic health benefits while they simultaneously act with kindness and decency toward farm animals,” added Dr. Kornberg.” The Healthy School Meals Act would both safeguard the health of America’s youth and encourage students to make compassionate choices for animals at every meal.”

If you would like to speak with Farm Sanctuary Executive Director Allan Kornberg, please contact Meredith Turner at 646-369-6212 or mturner@farmsanctuary.org.

About Farm Sanctuary

Farm Sanctuary is the nation's leading farm animal protection organization. Since incorporating in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the "food animal" industry through research and investigations, legal and institutional reforms, public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and Orland, Calif., provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals, who have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about the realities of factory farming. Additional information can be found at farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225.

Cat Travels 1,300 Miles From New Mexico To Chicago

All dogs go to heaven and apparently, some cats go to Chicago. A tabby cat from Albuquerque, New Mexico has journeyed over 1,300 miles and ended up in Chicago without his owner. The cat, named Charles, went missing in New Mexico eight months ago while his owner, New Mexico resident Robin Alex, was away volunteering in Louisiana. After Charles was found and identified by an embedded microchip, Chicago Animal Care and Control contacted Alex about the good news. However, Alex said that she didn't have enough funds to fly Charles back home to New Mexico, and was heartbroken at the thought of never seeing her beloved pet again. As luck would have it, another New Mexico resident heard about the news and decided to help:


Enter fellow Albuquerque resident Lucien Sims. Sims said he has a tabby cat who strongly resembles Charles, and was moved when his mother sent him an online story about Alex and her pet.

Most importantly, Sims said was on his way to Chicago on Thursday for a wedding, so he said he would go to the shelter, pick up Charles and bring him back to New Mexico.

Sims has made all the arrangements for Charles' return, including getting a company to donate a cat carrier and American Airlines to waive the cat's travel fee.

We'll patiently wait for the Disney movie based on the kitty's harrowing tale and hope they'll pick Samuel L. Jackson as the voice of Charles.

Dogs and Whales Enjoy Mysterious Connection - by Jennifer Viegas

Many animal experts believe that a primitive communication system unites virtually all mammals. Beyond that, a special connection appears to exist between dogs and whales. Check out this footage, for example, of a dog interacting with a killer whale. The orca, which could have easily grabbed the dog for dinner, appears to be displaying submissive, playful behaviors, such as exposing its underside to the dog.



How amazing is this footage!? 

Octopus Steals Video Camera and Swims Off with It

Sun Apr 18, 2010 11:48 AM ET .An octopus in waters off of Wellington, New Zealand, just experienced a wild ride.

Videographer Victor Huang was filming there when the octopus grabbed his camera and swam off with it while the camera was still recording. Huang thinks the shiny blue metallic camera caught the attention of the curious, and probably hungry, cephalopod.

Watch how Huang attempts to retrieve the camera, and check out the great close-up footage toward the end, when the octopus latches onto a speargun, leading to another mini adventure.


octopus steals my video camera and swims off with it (while it's Recording) from Victor Huang on Vimeo.

The Animals Save The Planet

Animal Planet put out a bunch of cute commercials with ideas on how we can help the planet. With Earth Day right around the corner, it is our duty to find ways to do what is right for the planet and the animals that live on it. Please check out the video, and share it with the kids!

Be a Caring Consumer! Buy Cruelty Free Products!

Hundreds of thousands of animals are poisoned, blinded, and killed every year in outdated and ineffective product tests for shampoos, household cleaners, cosmetics, hairsprays, and other personal care and household items. Although more than 600 companies have banned all animal tests forever, some corporations still force substances into animals' stomachs and drip chemicals into rabbits' eyes. These tests are not required by law, and they often produce inaccurate and misleading results—even if a product has blinded an animal, it can still be marketed to you. Search for cruelty-free products and companies by visiting CARINGCONSUMER.COM.  Thanks!

World’s Leading Environmental Experts Agree: Best Way to Go Green is to Eat Less Meat

Just in Time for Earth Day, Farm Sanctuary Launches Groundbreaking Campaign to Introduce Green Foods Resolutions in Cities and Towns Nationwide

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – April 14, 2010 – It is one of the most underreported stories of the decade, yet the science could not be more conclusive: if we really— really — want to get serious about tackling global climate change, we need to start looking at what’s on our plates. The United Nations and a host of leading environmental experts, including Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, 2008 Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, have all cited animal agriculture as being among the leading causes of greenhouse gas emissions (ahead of the entire transportation sector), and now Farm Sanctuary, the nation’s leading farm animal protection organization, has launched a groundbreaking campaign to address the problem head-on by campaigning to get Green Foods Resolutions passed in cities and towns all across America.  

Think Globally, Act Locally

Through Farm Sanctuary’s Green Foods Campaign, citizens are reaching out to their local city governments to introduce resolutions that address the impact food choices have on the numerous health and environmental problems plaguing the nation. A Green Foods Resolution is a city or town council resolution designed to counteract the health threats, animal cruelty and massive environmental damage caused by animal agriculture by calling on citizens to eat lower on the food chain. This forward-thinking legislation enables cities to take responsibility for their carbon “foodprint” by encouraging greater access to nutritious plant-based foods, supporting local farmers markets and community gardens, and educating citizens about the health and environmental benefits of consuming more plant-based foods.

“Switching to energy-efficient light bulbs, carpooling, recycling— these are all great ways we can lessen our carbon footprint, but when compared with the difference you can make simply by eliminating or reducing meat and animal products from your diet, other aspects of green living pale by comparison,” said Gene Baur, president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary. “From natural resource depletion, to global climate change, to air and water pollution, industrial animal agriculture—the source of 99% of all meat and animal products consumed in this country— is among the worst offenders we must face in saving our planet from peril. With the 40^th anniversary of Earth Day right around the corner, we are excited by the growing movement to address this ultimate ‘inconvenient truth.’”

The Greening of America

In October 2009, the small town of Signal Mountain, Tennessee, became the first community in the country to pass a Green Foods Resolution. Activist David Cook, whose newspaper column inspired his town council to consider the resolution, sees its passage as the planting of a seed, not just for Signal Mountain but also for the rest of the country. “Something will really grow out of this,” said Cook. “I think it is part of many things that are moving in the right direction, including community-supported agriculture, organic farming, a greater commitment to vegetarianism, more car-pooling, more questioning. It’s all tied together.”

Alexandria, Virginia became the second community to pass a Green Foods Resolution in March 2010. Additional resolutions are now pending in New York City, where Farm Sanctuary is a key member of the Foodprint Alliance and in several other municipalities across the nation.

Signal Mountain and Alexandria aren’t the only cities rethinking their dietary choices. Just last week, San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to establish “Meat Free Mondays” and encourage restaurants, grocery stores and schools to offer more plant-based fare. In addition, Cincinnati recognized the connection between plant-based eating and climate change back in 2008, when they encouraged residents to reduce meat consumption with the Green Cincinnati Plan.

To learn how to introduce a Green Foods Resolution in your community, visit farmsanctuary.org/greenfoods/.  

To speak with Farm Sanctuary President and Co-founder Gene Baur or receive sample Green Food Resolution language, please contact Meredith Turner at 646-369-6212 or mturner@farmsanctuary.org.

About Farm Sanctuary

Farm Sanctuary is the nation's leading farm animal protection organization. Since incorporating in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the "food animal" industry through research and investigations, legal and institutional reforms, public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and Orland, Calif., provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals, who have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about the realities of factory farming. Additional information can be found at farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225.

As a vegan I can say it is EXTREMELY easy to stop eating animals!  Do it!  Go Vegan! Go Green!

PETA to Ask Feds to Shut Ringling Bros

BY Helen Kennedy
DAILY NEWS STAFFER WRITER


PETA's war against Ringling Bros. escalates Monday when the animal rights group asks the feds to shut the popular circus, accusing it of elephant torture and brazen coverups.

"They've lied, they've tampered with evidence and they've thwarted the inspectors," said Jeff Kerr, general counsel for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

In a letter to be delivered Monday, PETA asks the Department of Agriculture to revoke or block the April 28 renewal of the animal exhibitor license issued to Feld Entertainment, which owns Ringling Bros.

"Abusive and violent treatment of animals ... is part and parcel of Ringling's traveling circus, which requires powerful animals, many of whom were once wild, to learn and perform tricks that are alien to their nature," writes PETA president Ingrid Newkirk.

Circus officials could not be reached for comment Sunday, but they have always insisted their animals are well cared for.

Past attempts to prosecute the circus for the same or similar claims have been unsuccessful.

A lawsuit brought against Ringling Bros. by a former trainer alleging rampant elephant abuse was dismissed in December by a judge who ruled the trainer had no standing to sue the circus.

PETA has filed a series of abuse complaints in the past to little effect, but the group hopes to get a more favorable hearing from the Obama administration than its predecessor.

"This is the first time we've taken all the evidence and put it together to show that this is not just one bad trainer, having one bad day, with one bad elephant," said Debbie Leahy, PETA's director of captive animal rescue. "This is chronic and systemic."

PETA says it has amassed 700 pages of documents, videos and photos alleging a history of abuse at the circus ranging from "breaking" baby elephants with electric prods and sharp metal hooks to whipping a tiger until it collapsed and lost control of its bowels.

"The only way you can get a several-ton elephant to stand on his head is from fear of pain," Kerr said. Last year, the Daily News was first to report on the group's undercover video showing elephants being beaten backstage at the Greatest Show on Earth.

PETA also alleges a pattern of coverups, including lying to inspectors after animal injuries and hastily installing just the visible parts of a cage cooling system after a lion named Clyde died of heat stroke in a train crossing the sweltering Mojave desert in 2004.

Frank Hagan, a veteran Ringling Bros. lion handler who had asked the circus to stop the train and was later fired, told PETA he was threatened by circus lawyers to keep quiet about the big cat's death, PETA told The News.

Last week, a circus elephant named Dumbo stomped its handler to death in Pennsylvania - a coincidence of timing that PETA says underscores their argument that animals shouldn't be forced to perform tricks.


Seriously..........I would love to do the same to the trainers.   COWARDS!

37 Roosters Euthanized in Cockfighting Ring Bust

KTLA News - (Riverside County Animal Services / April 11, 2010)

RIVERSIDE-- 40 roosters were retrieved and 30 people were cited when authorities busted an illegal cockfighting ring Sunday.


County sheriff's deputies and animal control officers stormed the ring in the 100,000 block of Avenue 72 in an incorporated area of Riverside County near the Salton Sea Sunday morning.

Three roosters involved in earlier battles were found bloodied and dead near a cockfighting pen, according to John Welsh of the Department of animal services.

Animal services officers had to euthanize the 37 other roosters found at the scene. It is not the department's policy to adopt cockfighting roosters.

The birds would end up back in illegal cockfighting rings, said Deputy Director Frank Corvino, who oversees Animal Services' field operations division.

Usually when cockfighting rings are busted, all of the participants scatter, said Sgt. James Huffman of Animal Services. However, the coordinated effort with the Sheriff's Department stopped defectors from escaping.

"The Sheriff's Department even had deputies on off-road, quad vehicles to catch the runners that tried to escape into the desert," Huffman said. "We appreciated that level of enforcement. It sends a message to those that attend these illegal fights that we're taking them very seriously."

30 people in total were cited for the cockfight, which is a misdemeanor.

Ellen DeGeneres Accepts PCRM’s Voice of Compassion Award

After a recent taping of the Ellen DeGeneres show, Ellen accepted Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine's Voice of Compassion Award. The award recognizes individuals who have communicated caring, compassion, and the highest ethical principles.


Presented by Dr. Neal Barnard, founder and president of PCRM, Ellen received the award for all the work she has done by using her "humorous and compassionate voice to raise awareness of health issues and environmental and animal welfare concerns."

The Voice of Compassion Award also honored Portia de Rossi who was not able to make it to the show. This weekend Alicia Silverstone and Marilu Henner were also honored.

Watch the segment:

Circus Elephant Kills Trainer in PA.

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - An animal trainer died Friday after being kicked by an elephant at a circus.

The accident happened about 5 p.m. at the Irem Shrine Circus in Wilkes-Barre.

Wilkes-Barre Police Lt. Steven Olshefski said the elephant was somehow startled and kicked the trainer, who died at the scene. The trainer was thrown about 20 feet, WNEP reported.

The accident happened when the circus wasn't open, and the elephant was in a secure area. Police said other trainers rushed to the area and were able to calm the elephant, and the public was never at risk.

Now, I am a believer in "ahimsa" which is the belief that all forms of life are sacred.  My heart goes out to the family of the human victim in this tragedy, however I also feel very sad for the non-human victim.  If the elephant wasn't in the prison we humans call the circus, this tragedy would never have happened.  And somehow I can't help but wonder if the elephant is somewhere right now saying, "paybacks a bitch".

Undercover Investigation Reveals Cows Suffer for Land O'Lakes

A PETA undercover investigation inside a Land O'Lakes supplier facility in Pennsylvania revealed routine neglect and cruelty to cows whose milk is used for the giant company's products. Over the course of several months, the investigation documented deplorable, filthy conditions for cows on the farm, such as pens that were filled with deep excrement (see video and photos), and cows who suffered from ailments and conditions so severe that they collapsed and became "downers" but were not put out of their misery or given veterinary care in a timely manner, if at all.


Land O'Lakes "inspected" the farm as recently as June 2009 and even noted that there were areas in need of cleaning (including the milking parlor walls!) but approved the facility nonetheless.

Cows on dairy factory farms are not given much more than the numbered tag that is punched through their ears to identify them. Read more about what happened to a few of the cows who lived and died miserably at one such farm.

The farm's owner and one of his sons were caught on video electro-shocking cows who were in too much pain to stand up. One of the farmer's sons kicked a cow and jabbed her with the blade of a pocket knife. The dairy industry's standard forms of cruelty also led to suffering for these cows. In order to make milking easier, cows' tails were amputated by tightly binding them with elastic bands, causing the skin and tissue to slowly die and slough off and leaving the animals unable to swat away flies, which, in addition to tormenting the cows, also led to the spread of disease. Tail-docking is unnecessary and cruel, which is why it has been condemned by the American Veterinary Medical Association and banned in California.

Dairy farmers don't allow cows―whose pregnancies last for nine months, just like human pregnancies―to spend any significant time with their calves, who are taken away from their mothers shortly after birth. Cows are intelligent animals who can remember things for a long time, and they have the capacity to worry about the future.

PETA's investigation also reveals cows and calves who were kept in pens and barns whose floors were covered with deep excrement, which caused foot and hoof problems and fostered the spread of disease. Calves rescued from the farm had pneumonia, "manure scald," ringworm, pinkeye, and parasites. Some cows suffered respiratory distress and had pus-filled nasal discharge streaming down their faces. Abscesses were common on the farm—some of them burst and oozed pus, even as cows were being milked, as can be seen in our video.

World-renowned meat and dairy industry expert Dr. Temple Grandin, after reviewing the footage, said, "The conditions are absolutely atrocious. ... It was obvious that the place was seldom cleaned and ... that many sick animals were not receiving veterinary treatment. ... The dairy manager totally NEGLECTED his animals. ... Many animals suffer greatly."

Despite overwhelming video and photographic evidence of lame, thin cows left to suffer and die and a cow whose teat was banded and left to rot and fall off—as well as expert testimony that all this constituted cruelty—these suppliers, who abused and severely neglected the cows in their care, avoided a criminal conviction with misleading arguments and excuses, proving that current laws are not enough to protect cows on dairy factory farms. So now it's up to you to help these cows.

Demand that Land O'Lakes implement and enforce a 12-point animal welfare plan to govern all cooperative members' dairy-farming operations, which will eliminate some of the worst abuses to cows raised for their milk. Write to Land O'Lakes Senior Vice President Dan Knutsonnow and urge him to implement the plan today.

Of course, the best way for you to help prevent cows from suffering these abuses is to go vegan and stop consuming dairy products. Sign our pledge to be vegan for 30 days, and we'll send you all the resources that you need to get started. https://secure.peta.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2515&c=plolec09&s_src=ppvid


This is an example of one of the videos that I have seen over the past year that has helped me stay vegetarian and vegan.  There is no nutritional need for us to consume meat or dairy so why do we have to have these poor animals suffer for our greed and taste buds!  There is no excuse!  Go Vegan!

Baby Squirrels Nurse on Poodle

In a Friday, March 26, 2010 photo, a trio of baby squirrels nurse on Pixie, a poodle owned by Gail Latta, in Henderson, N.C. the baby squirrels were left homeless in North Carolina when the tree they lived in was felled by a chain saw. Pixie still had milk after giving birth to her first litter of puppies a few months ago. After being nursed to five weeks, the squirrels were taken Saturday to a federal animal rehabilitation specialist who will continue raising them until they are ready to be released.

Grim Fate Awaits Whale Beached on Long Island

People watch the young whale struggle Tuesday in East Hampton, N.Y.

A baby humpback washed ashore in East Hampton on New York's Long Island this week, attracting onlookers who wondered why it beached itself. By this morning, however, marine experts delivered a sad diagnosis: The whale was already dying when it came ashore and cannot be saved.


Researchers shot two darts at the whale in an effort to sedate the animal but were unsuccessful. The Associated Press reports that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is trying to come up with a new plan to end the whale's pain.

People watch the young whale struggle Tuesday in East Hampton, N.Y.

"The actions of its body would indicate it's in really tough shape," Charles Bowman, president of the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation, told the New York Post. "It's not a candidate to save. It's a very young animal. It couldn't survive on its own even if it was healthy. It's supposed to be with its mother."

Beach goers looked on in frustration as the 25-foot creature sputtered through its blowhole in the surf. Experts said they could hear the whale struggling to breathe. According to Bowman, the whale is an orphan and is likely dying of starvation without its mother's milk.

"It's pretty sad. It looks pretty uncomfortable," Francis Molignano, 31, of Southampton, told the AP.

Several people begged authorities to do everything in their power to end the baby whale's suffering.

"You have got to be kidding me," Hamptons blogger David Lion Rattiner wrote. "Euthanize this whale and end its suffering."

Alexa Wolf of East Hampton told CBS News: "I think there's a lot they can do that they're not doing right now."

But Bowman said it may be impossible to safely euthanize the whale because of its immense size.

"People believe you can just shoot it with a dart. But it's a whale," Bowman said. "It takes a lot of effort and special equipment and time. We would need to have people right on top of it."

The Discovery Channel's science blog explained that whales sometimes become stranded on Long Island beaches as they migrate up the East Coast in early spring in search of food.

Bowman said he is still considering ways to put the humpback out of its misery but is concerned that researchers could be hurt. "We need a plan so that we don't put any of our staff in danger, because if they walk up to the whale and put a needle in him, we don't know if the whale would have a spasm, thrash around and possibly break someones neck," he said.

Bowman said his crew will stay with the whale until it dies.

It is very sad about what is happening to this young whale.  And I appreciate the fact that so many concerned citizens are there to see if they can help.  This is a good lesson to learn though....We can all help animals in small and large ways.  We can join groups to help shed light on the suffering of animals, such as Mercy for Animals, or the ASPCA, we can give money to sanctuaries and rehabilitation centers that help animals back from near death and re-introduce them back to the wild when possible. 

'Glee' star Lea Michele's new anti-fur PSA: Exclusive

Glee’s Lea Michele has teamed up with PETA for a new anti-fur PSA called “If You Wouldn’t Wear Your Dog, Please Don’t Wear Any Fur.” Watch it, and PETA’s video Q&A with the actress — who first raised her voice with the animal rights organization during her Broadway days to end the abuse of horses used in New York’s carriage industry.


In the PSA, shot in a faux school hallway, Michele says, “Everyone wants to fit in and feel like they belong. But sometimes you have to take a stand and step away from the crowd….With so many fashionable, cruelty-free options available, there’s really no excuse for joining a club that wears someone else’s coat.” (Is it wrong that we sort of wanted to see her throw a slushie on someone wearing fur?) Her video Q&A features stronger wording to go along with its harsher images: “When I see someone wearing a fur coat, the first thing that comes to my mind is why? Why do you need to have a fur coat? Why? You could be just as warm in any other kind of coat that hasn’t, you know, been made by killing animals. Why?” Then she adds, with a giggle, “And it’s ugly. You really look ugly. I don’t think you get it.”

She also talks about rescuing animals she found filming Glee on location and on the Paramount lot (one dog, named Charlie, now lives with a fellow cast member, and two cats, Sheila and Claude, came home with her) and about how the book Skinny Bitch enlightened her views on the meat and dairy industries. The vegetarian Michele also encourages people to find the issues they’re passionate about and get involved. All she did was go on the PETA website and post a comment asking how she could help.


Lea Michele for PETA
Find out more at PETA.org.

The Sentience of Swallows

This is truly amazing & very touching.............





Here his wife is injured and the condition is fatal.

She was hit by a car as she swooped low across the road.

Here he brought her food and attended to her with love and compassion.

He brought her food again but was shocked to find her dead.

He tried to move her....a rarely-seen effort for swallows!

Aware that his sweetheart is dead and will never come back to him again,

he cries with adoring love.

He stood beside her, saddened of her death.

Finally aware that she would never return to him, he

stood beside her body with sadness and sorrow.

Millions of people cried after watching this picture in

America and Europe and even in Asia . It is said that the

photographer sold these pictures for a nominal fee to the

most famous newspaper in France . All copies of that

newspaper were sold out on the day these pictures were published.

And many people think animals don't have a brain or feelings?????

PETITION ALERT : Sea Lions Are Being Trapped And Killed With Your Taxpayer Dollars

Sea lions eat fish. This is not a crime, just an evolutionary fact. As the spring Chinook salmon run begins in the Columbia River, California sea lions, who live in this Pacific Northwest river and are routinely scapegoated and labeled a "problem" - again are in the government crosshairs. They are getting trapped and killed by the Oregon and Washington wildlife agencies for eating fish - a tiny fraction of the salmon returning to their birthplace to spawn. Since March 2009, when federal authorization was given to bypass the protections of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, 33 sea lions have been trapped, 24 are dead and the rest put into permanent captivity.

Please follow the link and read the full story and take action. Thanks!
http://environment.change.org/petitions/view/sea_lions_are_being_trapped_and_killed_with_your_taxpayer_dollars

Help America's School Lunch Program Make the Grade - by Gene Baur

Discussions about our health care system reached a fevered pitch recently in Washington, D.C. with Congress addressing a massive health care bill. Disagreements abound on various policy matters, but there is no question that our nation’s health has deteriorated and health care costs have increased substantially and are not sustainable. We cannot continue accepting poor health and disease as normal, and depending on pharmaceuticals to treat preventable illnesses.

It is critical to promote healthier plant-based eating habits and to lower the risk of disease in the first place. Politicians and the mainstream media have been slow to address the importance of disease prevention; however, the concept is finally beginning to surface, at least in general terms. Shortly after the U.S. House of Representatives voted on the health care bill, an ABC News commentator spoke to a national audience about the need for “fundamental” change and discontinuing our “bad habits,” and on CNN, Dr. Andrew Weil highlighted the importance of “disease prevention” and “health promotion.” Meanwhile, Michelle Obama has planted an organic garden at the White House and is urging school children to exercise and eat more fruits and vegetables to combat obesity and other lifestyle related health problems.

Congress will begin discussing the federal school lunch program soon, and this provides an opportunity for parents and others concerned about our nation’s youth to weigh in and to challenge a system that allows factory farms to profit by selling unhealthy food to children. Each year, the federal government spends more than $1 billion on animal products for programs like the National School Lunch Program. The Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act will prevent the federal government from spending any of this taxpayer money on products from animals raised in veal crates, gestation crates or battery cages.

In addition, the Healthy School Meals Act would provide financial incentives to school districts that provide their students with plant-based food options and non-dairy beverages. By educating students about the dramatic benefits of adopting a plant-based diet for the animals, the environment and their health, this law would have a tremendous impact. Contact your legislators now and ask them to support the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act AND the Healthy School Meals Act. Agribusiness will fight to maintain the status quo, but citizens also have a voice in our democracy, and if we speak up, we can make a difference. The future, individually and collectively, is in our hands.

I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Baur at a vegan pot-luck in Rhinebeck, New York, where he gave one of his inspiring speeches.  The man is truly a hero to all farmed animals.  His vision and action to start Farm Sanctuary has helped open peoples hearts and minds about what we eat, and how animals have every right to live a happy life without being exploited for human palates.

Gene Baur is President and Co-Founder of Farm Sanctuary.

Man Slashes Owner's Dog; Animal Loses Eye

YONKERS — A prejudiced pooch that reportedly disliked minorities was slashed last night by a black man who had grown tired of the dog's incessant barking at him, police said.

The German Shepherd lost an eye, and the alleged slasher — who worked for an oil delivery business where the dog stood guard — was arrested on a felony aggravated cruelty charge.

Andrew Owens, 58, was arraigned this morning in City Court after spending the night in jail.

“The dog reacts to black people, Hispanics, anyone who is not white,” owner Paul Tocco said. “She always barked at him. He (Owens) was well aware the dog didn’t like him, and he knew to stay away from her.”

A detective for the SPCA of Westchester said the slashing was unprovoked. It took place around 7 p.m., as the dog, a four-year-old named Jenna, was leashed outside Valley Oil at 707 Nepperhan Ave.

Owens, who worked there as a handyman, had threatened to kill the dog in the past and told authorities it had bitten him about a year ago.

Last night, he “egged on” the barking dog and charged at her, Detective Ken Ross III said. He allegedly then pulled out a nine-inch folding knife.

“He taunted her with his arm, raised his arm with a knife and slashed the dog across the face,” he said. “He cut the dog over the right eye, all the way down to the eye socket bone.”

Tocco, whose family runs the business, said he heard the dog’s barking, went outside and saw Owens strike the dog.

“The dog let out a loud yelp, and when I ran there, she turned her head toward me and I seen the whole right side of her head bleeding,” Tocco said.

Rather than going after Owens, Tocco placed Jenna in a work van and drove her to a Greenburgh animal hospital. A veterinarian performed emergency surgery, but the eye couldn’t be saved, Ross said. Today, the dog was transferred to an animal hospital in Scarsdale.

“The dog is supposedly in good spirits and is okay now,” Ross said. “But it did lose the eye.”

The detective said he’s uncertain why Owens allegedly acted out on this occassion.

“He never liked the dog,” Ross said. “The dog did not bite him yesterday. It appears everything was done out of anger. He might have just snapped.”

Owens, who lives nearby, was arrested at his apartment at 10:20 p.m.

Tocco said he will never allow Owens to work there again. “We don’t want him around here anymore,” he said.

Dr. Cheryl Gross, V.D.M, is pictured with five year old Jenna at the Central Animal Hospital in Scarsdale, The dog's eye was cut by a person Monday night in Yonkers. (Mark Vergari / The Journal News)

Becoming Vegan on Valentine's Day 2010

The moment I saw the horrible undercover videos on the PETA website of the conditions at today's "factory farms", I knew I had to change the way I eat. The day was April 24th, 2009. I was so disturbed by the way the workers treat the animals, thinking to myself, what is the difference between these animals that we call FOOD and my beautiful companion dog that I snuggle to, or the dogs and cats that I see at the Dutchess County SPCA where I do volunteer work? I was blind to what was going on and gave up land animals that day, followed by fish, becoming vegetarian on June 1st, 2009.


Over the course of the last 8 months I have been reading all I can about the way animals are treated for "human" consumption and have discovered that we Do Not need to eat them to live healthy lives. We were all brought up to think that a piece of flesh was the center of the meal, along with a side or two of some kind of vegetable. Just because that is what we always did doesn’t make it right and doesn’t mean we have to continue to eat that way.


Growing up, I remember being so devastated when one day while eating my veal cutlet, I asked where it came from. When I was told it was a baby cow, I stopped eating it right away, wondering WHAT!?


I could also remember that I could never eat any kind of animal flesh with the bone in it. Fillet Mignon or hamburger was all I would eat. Chicken had to be chicken cutlets. I never liked eating chicken off the bone or wings or drumsticks. Boneless spare ribs are all I would eat. I would always say that it was "too much work" to eat them this way. Maybe subconsciously it was much more than that. Maybe seeing the bone attached I was actually acknowledging that it was a once living creature that I was eating and not a piece of meat decorated in a Styrofoam plate wrapped so nicely in plastic on the supermarket fridge.


One of the greatest tools in my journey thus far is a podcast on ITunes, "Vegetarian Food For Thought" - by Colleen Patrick - Goudreau, founder of CompassionateCooks.com. Colleen’s pod casts have helped me quite a bit and I am so grateful for them.


Others who have influenced me on my journey have been Nathan Runkle of Mercy for Animals, and Gene Baur of Farm Sanctuary, just to name a few.


During August and September 2009 I started visiting Farm Animal Sanctuaries to get up close with “survivors” that were rescued and can now live out the rest of their lives in peace knowing that no one is going to hurt them. Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary and the Catskill Animal Sanctuary are the ones I have visited and I plan on visiting FARM SANCTUARY in Watkins Glen, NY this fall.


Since my visits to the sanctuaries I have given up milk, eggs, and finally cheese on February 14, 2010 – (Valentine’s Day) to become vegan. I am going to work as hard as I can to stay that way.


I have always had an affinity for animals since an early age. I loved to go to the zoo to marvel at the animals there, not realizing what sad lives they were living as prisoners for our amusement. Same with animals in circuses and aquariums.


I have become more vocal with my new lifestyle and have handed out some leaflets and talk to my friends and relatives about vegetarianism and even helped to inspire at least one friend I know of, into going veg. I hope to do more in the future to advocate for animals.


Thank for reading this and hope you will consider opening your eyes, hearts and minds to change. If you are considering going veg, please feel free to email me with any questions or concerns. I will be glad to help.






Michael

Me and my little buddy at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary

Forget the Zoo and the Aquarium.....Visit a Animal Sanctuary This Year!

Besides the fact that zoos and aquariums are basically animal prisons where humans view them as entertainment, it costs a fortune to visit them.  I have a much cheaper and more humane alternative!  Visit an Animal Sanctuary!


I have been fortunate enough to have several farm animal sanctuaries within driving distance of where I live in New York.  I have visited the Catskill Animal Sanctuary, and the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary .  The residents in these sanctuaries are rescues from factory farming hell holes.  They would have been slaughtered if they were not rescued.  Each animal has a story.   When you visit a sanctuary, you get to see the animals in there own environment and not a cage that keeps them from doing what comes natural.  You get to sit with the animals and actually interact with them. Have you ever seen animals in the zoo pacing back and forth like an robot???  That is NOT a natural thing for these animals to do!


If you follow the link below, it will take you to a list of sanctuaries around the world.  So wherever you live,   find a sanctuary and go visit it!  I guarantee you will have fun, and maybe a new outlook on life.


List of animal sanctuaries

Carrie Underwood Teams Up With Pedigree Adoption Drive

Carrie Underwood has teamed up with Pedigree pet food to raise awareness of the sixth annual Pedigree Adoption Drive.

The campaign encourages people to give homes to unloved dogs, and Underwood was on hand at the Bidawee Manhattan Animal Shelter in New York this week to help out.

“I have always been an animal lover,” she told CBS News. "I worked at a vet clinic when I was in college. When I was little I always brought animals into the house, and [nursed] sick animals back to health.

“The Pedigree Adoption Drive is all about finding animals homes, and making their stay comfortable while they are in shelters – because half the dogs in shelters never find a home. People can become a fan on Facebook, they can adopt dogs, they can donate money – we’ve raised 750,000 bowls of food for dogs and over half a million dollars.”


Please visit Pedigree's website at http://www.pedigree.com/03Adoption/Adopt-A-Dog/Default.aspx

Adopting an animal from an animal shelter is one of the greatest things you can do to help animals.  Millions of animals are waiting in shelters right now to be given a chance to live a healthy, happy life.  If you can adopt someone, please adopt someone today!




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