News & Alerts

Items appearing on this page are presented as items of interest to animal activists and do not necessarily imply endorsement of groups/actions by Other Nations.

Dog saves woman, woman saves dog, a story about loyalty between friends… here. Includes video of Cain, the pit bull who’s now called a hero.

PETA takes mobile billboard to Kentucky Derby: Article here. Additional resources: Study reveals disturbing number of U.S. thoroughbreds slaughtered each year - here. Stop Over-Breeding Horses - Facebook. HSUS forms responsible breeders council - here. “Overbreeding” from The Horse; horse racing industry needs reform – from CNN. “Death and disarray at America’s Racetracks,” EXCELLENT resource with state-by-state stats, video, ad more…New York Times.

“He pulled me out of one of my darkest times so I had to pull him out of one of his darkest places.”  Soldier saves cat. Cat saves soldier. Soldier refuses to leave cat behind. A lovely story of compassion and karma.
THE LAST 1,ooo: 87 down. 913 to go. Click here. (Hint: pictures or green squares next to names are clickable links.) Here’s their new home (video)…heaven on earth.

European Union BANS animal testing of cosmetics; ban takes effect 3/11/13! “The European Coalition to End Animal Experiments has something to celebrate this winter; after years (23 to be exact) of effort, the group has succeeded in banning the use of animals in cosmetics testing in all member countries of the European Union. As of March 11, all personal care products, from high-end to drugstore brands, will be subject to the rules, which means that final products cannot be testing on animals and nor can any of a given products’ ingredients” (source). For a fact sheet from HSUS on animal cosmetic testing in the U.S. (and tips on animal-friendly shopping), click.

2012′s worst zoos for elephants: Elephants do not thrive in captivity. In fact, they suffer both mentally and physically. But knowing this doesn’t stop zoos–in the business to make money–from keeping captive elephants in spite of serious welfare issues.  Our friends at In Defense of Animals have released their 9th annual top ten “worst” North American zoos (including one in Mexico) plus a dishonorable mention and a Hall of Shame addition. For a full education on this sad topic, read the Seattle Times excellent special report, “Glamour Beasts: The dark side of elephant captivity.” Find it here–and don’t miss the 8-1/2 minute video on that page, narrated by the investigative reporter who produced the series. (He’s interviewed on TV here; a zoo official is interviewed here regarding her zoo’s elephant policy.) Remember that in addition to what zoo elephants endure, circus elephants also endure long hours confined in transport trailers. It’s criminal.

Congress holds military accountable: With the recent signing of the National Defense Authorization Act, Congress has taken its strongest stand ever, directing the military to replace the use of animals in combat medical training. The Dept. of Defense kills more than 7500 animals per year in such battlefield training courses. Learn more here. Also, see our blog post from last April, “The Men Who Prune Goats.” Yes, prune–and yes, it’s as bad as it sounds.

2012′s Best New State Laws for Animals: “Hounding” is banned; cock fighting is banned; horse slaughter for human consumption is banned (along with horse transport); livestock cruelty is codified, and more. Visit the ASPCA’s run-down of the year’s best new state laws–including which states are stepping up to protect animals.

If you live near a factory farm…better check your blood pressure. “Airborne hydrogen sulfide and strong smells from animal feeding operations can affect blood pressure in those who live nearby. Both physiologic responses to the chemical pollution and the stress of living with chronic and frequent unpleasant odors may contribute to changes seen in blood pressure following low and high pollution incidents.” This will come as no surprise: “Many pig operations in North Carolina are disproportionately located in low-income communities of color, where residents already are at increased risk of these diseases.” Full report is here. And check our our blog post, “All factory, no farm: And the CAFOs go rolling along” for more health and environmental fallout from industrial agriculture–including communities that have to issue “stench alerts.”

Bacon lovers are complicit:  An undercover investigation at Wyoming Premium Farms (a Tyson supplier) revealed yet more horrific treatment (really, by now, are we surprised?) of factory farmed pigs and piglets. Now, nine cruelty charges have been brought against employees. Read the full story at Huffington Post; view the undercover video–if you dare. Yet again the factory farming industry calls the acts of abuse “aberrations”–but factory farming itself (not to mention eating sentient beings) is aberrant behavior passing itself off as normal.

Human greed and ignorance threatens newly-identified species: “A new species of primate, a “big-eyed” and venomous slow loris, has been identified in Borneo by researchers. But the new loris is already under threat from the Asian pet trade in part because its “teddy-bear face” make it attractive for illegal poaching, the team of UK and US scientists said. …’Unfortunately, in addition to habitat loss to deforestation, there is a booming black market demand for the animals. They are sold as pets, used as props for tourist photos or dismembered for use in traditional Asian medicines.’ ” Full article from The Guardian is here.

NIH retires 100+ chimps from laboratory research suffering!  “More than 100 chimpanzees that (sic) have lived virtually their entire lives in scientific laboratories will be sent to retire at a national sanctuary called Chimp Haven, the National Institutes of Health said Tuesday. …The 113 chimps currently live at the New Iberia Research Center at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where they’ve been used to research diseases and test and develop medicine. Most of them have never walked on grass or seen the sky without bars.” More at NBC News.com, where you can view a nine-minute video on Ken and Rosie, two long-time lab subjects for whom Jane Goodall appears on camera as an advocate. Visit Chimp Haven here.

U.S. Senate cracks down on animal fight spectators!  On Dec. 4, 2012, the Senate approved S. 1947, “the Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act, by a voice vote. The bipartisan legislation, introduced by Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn, Scott Brown, R-Mass., Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Mark Kirk, R-Ill., closes loopholes in the federal animal fighting law related to attendance at dogfights and cockfights.” Story here, with more from the Humane Society Legislative Fund. Note to Montanans: None of our three Congressional representatives signed on to co-sponsor this legislation. Co-sponsors for the identical House bill can be accessed here.

Alaska wolf-killing contest draws protest. “It’s not a contest to exterminate wolves, not an organized thing where we go out and shoot every wolf in the country. If you are driving down the road and see one and you happen to shoot it and you’re in this contest, you have a chance to win something,” one defender of the contest is quoted saying in this news article. But the contest has created a backlash: “An accomplished nature photographer is urging a tourism boycott of the Alaska Highway next year to protest a contest offering cash and prizes for hunting wolves. John Marriott…said he believes the hunt is unethical and should be stopped immediately.” Article here.

Shocking photos of bird slaughter in Lebanon – where “birds are shot indiscriminately in there (sic) thousands. As Lebanon is at the cross roads between Europe, Asia and Africa, many of the birds are killed while migrating to and from their breeding grounds.” Article and photos are here. May the Lebanon Eco Movement find the strength and resources to fight and reverse this terrible squandering of avian life.

Huge (symbolic) $500 million settlement reached in abuse and meat recall case - ”It’s a deterrence judgment,” HSUS attorney Jonathan R. Lovvorn said. “It informs other federal government contractors that when your contract says you provide humane handling, if you don’t do that you’re likely to end up bankrupt as well.” Find the article at Huff Post Green; the undercover video that broke the story is also available, if you can bear to watch it.

Look who’s bragging about thwarting wild horse advocacy…Safari Club International. Yes, the same SCI that champions toxic lead ammunition and keeps record books of hunted “trophies.” E.g., see how to measure horns (rhinos, wildbeest), tusks (elephants, hippos), antlers (elk, caribou, reindeer), and skulls (carnivores) and so on. SCI joined the federal Bureau of Land Management in a lawsuit brought by In Defense of Animals, which claimed that wild horse management violated federal law. Details are here. Watch the video of the so-called “gather”; at about the 2:20 mark, the helicopter pilot pushes a lagging wild horse along with the chopper’s landing skid! Our taxpayer dollars at work.

Unending abuse for factory farmed turkeys – “Less than a year after a Mercy For Animals undercover investigation into a Butterball turkey facility led to five workers being charged with criminal cruelty to animals, a new investigation shows that animal abuse continues to run rampant at Butterball factory farms. In October of 2012, an MFA investigator documented a pattern of shocking abuse and neglect at numerous Butterball turkey operations in North Carolina” …continued here. Note that the video will start automatically; just hit the pause button if you want to read the text first…then perhaps consider giving thanks over a cruelty-free meal.

Traps bite: The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance– “defenders” of trapping, hunting, and fishing–has named a Missoula-area activist group to its “America’s Top 10 Threats to Trapping.” According to the “Sportsmen’s Daily,” Footloose Montana “works to oppose wolf trapping and the management of these large predators in Montana while other wildlife species, like elk, dwindle in numbers at the hands, or paws, of wolves. Also works to end trapping on public lands.” To see who comes in at numbers one through nine, click here.

Black Eyed Peas ask, “Where is the love?” Hint: You won’t find it in puppy mills. Visit our new puppy mills page under “issues” in the menu bar.

10/5/12: We are no fan of zoos or marine parks, and have had our say about captive marine mammals in the past. Now comes an egregious injury to an orca at SeaWorld–check out the photos here. Click the image at left for an article:  ”Orcas’ behavior can become aggressive in captivity.”

 

10/5/12: Sure, we’d love for all farmed animal exploitation and suffering to end–yesterday!!! That would require a whole bunch of people going vegan overnight, and we’re pretty sure that ain’t gonna happen. Here’s research that predicted the popularity of the Meatless Monday campaign–and the incremental approach. See what you think. Quote: “This notion – that we can achieve more through gradual change than by seeking overnight success – applies to almost all forms of animal advocacy.”

Pit bull heroics: Pit bull saves unconscious woman from oncoming train; dog suffers severe trauma but survives. Video here. Pit bull extra: Earlier this year, Ohio rightfully removed pit bulls from its “vicious dogs” list and now defines a dangerous dog based on behavior, not breed.  To learn more about why breed specific legislation (BSL) doesn’t work, click here.

 

As if a slaughterhouse could be anything but inhumane! Compassion Over Killing (we love this group) has once again delivered the goods with undercover video on the sickening abuse of animals by corporate exploiters. Irony alert: The perp, a California slaughterhouse, supplies meat to the US Dept. of Agriculture’s National School Lunch Program and–here’s where it gets thick–the USDA oversees and provides inspectors at said slaughterhouse which, in the aftermath of the video release, it has shut down. Be prepared to stop the video (which starts automatically) if you prefer to simply read the text at COK’s report, which provides numerous links to major media outlets. However, anyone who eats beef and drinks cow’s milk should watch the video to understand the main ingredient in these food products: Saturated misery. Related item at our blog. 

Indiana’s Snapperfest bites…the dust! We wrote about it last year in “Snapperfest -or- Hoosiers gone wild (and stupid)” (at our blog). “The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has announced that the abuse of turtles at the annual Ohio County event known as “Snapperfest,” where “contestants” demonstrate their prowess by pulling the heads of live turtles far outside of their shells, will not take place this summer.” Animal Legal Defense Fund and Best Friends Animal Society led the charge against turtle torture. Read the WISH-TV report and rejoice.

Another great reason to switch from cow’s milk to delicious, healthful plant milk: ”While their mothers are likely indoors hooked up to computerized milking machines pumping their mammary gland secretions for profit, calves just days old…are snatched from their mothers and penned outside in the hot summer sun, dying in record levels of heat exhaustion, dehydration and perhaps malnourishment. That was the story that hit the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel the other day.” Visit Free From Harm for story details. A livestock industry report states, “All cases involve dairy calves between 2 to 7 days of age that have been housed in outdoor calf hutches with no shade.” Just 2 to 7 days old–imagine the emotional trauma for mother and child. A serving of unhealthy, factory farmed milk is never worth THAT!

7/2012: Dolphin carries dead baby’s body out to sea -  “the scene raises the question of whether dolphins are aware of their own mortality, which has long been debated by researchers. Researchers have observed, however, that dolphins do mourn and grieve for their dead. This is just the latest account of a dolphin expressing compassion. In April, three men claimed that they were possibly saved from sharks by a pack of dolphins that ran them off.” Full article here.

7/2012: Richmond, CA goes “guardian” instead of “owner” -  ”Richmond joins 18 other cities in officially recognizing the value of the term animal guardian. California cities that have made the change in the over ten years since the campaign began include Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, San Francisco, Albany, Sebastopol, and San Jose as well as the two counties of Marin County and Santa Clara County. Other cities include St. Louis, Missouri; Woodstock, New York; Bloomington, Indiana; Boulder, Colorado; Sherwood, Arkansas; Parma, Ohio. The state of Rhode Island also became a guardian community over ten years ago.” Who’s next? Check out the Guardian Campaign here (because words do matter) and view the “I’m a Guardian” video here.

7/2012: Top Ten Veg-Friendly Major League Ball Parks- listed here.

The average American eats HOW many animals in a year? This might stick in your craw–check it out. The good news? The 2011 stats show a fantastic trend: In 2011, the average meat-eater caused the deaths of fewer cows, fewer pigs, and fewer chickensthan any other year going back to at least 2000, while deaths for turkeys and ducks remain at near lows (2011 stats for land animals here).

Stingrays to be slaughtered for…shoes?  “The innovative ways people come up with to exploit animals in the effort to make some cash never ceases to amaze us. This time, a new company called Rayfish is raising genetically engineered stingrays to make expensive shoes.” (Source)

5/2012: Battering, Bullying, and Beyond: The Role of Gender, Power, and Control in the Link between Animal Abuse and Human Violence – “Let’s examine three different relationships: women-battering and pet abuse; animal cruelty and bullying; and childhood animal cruelty and subsequent adult violent criminality.” Read more about this research at HumaneSpot.org.

5/2012: Lab beagles rescued, start new lives – After seven years as laboratory test subjects, 20 beagles experience sunshine and green grass for the first time.  Story here.

5/2012: Chimp testing–beginning of the end? –  Viewers of the PBS News Hour saw a segment on chimpanzees as lab test subjects a few days ago. View it or read the transcript here. (The United States and Gabon are the only two countries in the world that have not outlawed testing on chimps!) Dr. Steve Wise of the Nonhuman Rights Project has commented on the segment–read it here.

5/2012: Sacramento Bee editorial- “Wildlife Services needs a tight leash”- an excellent follow-up to their in-depth reporting (scroll down to 5/1 entry on this page).

5/2012: Wildlife Services exposed–again - The Sacramento Bee has done a bang-up job of exposing the euphemistically-named Wildlife Services for what it is–a taxpayer-funded agency that brings horrendous suffering and death to animals by the millions. Not that WS hasn’t been exposed before–even at this very same website. What we can’t figure out, is why aren’t animal-friendly taxpayers screaming their heads off? Read part one, “The killing agency: Wildlife Services’ brutal methods leave a trail of animal death” here. Read part two, “Wildlife Services’ deadly force brings environmental problems” here. Read part three, “Suggestions in changing Wildlife Services range from new practices to outright bans” here. Interactive graphic of reported statistics here. Slideshow here. Four videos (sad but not gruesome) here.

4/2012: Day-old chicks used as package filler? Recently I learned that baby chicks are actually packed up and sent through the mail. And now comes this–baby roosters (of no value to the egg industry) used as packing material! Read more here.

4/2012: British activist’s shocking storefront window display protests animal testing, draws horrified crowd. Read it here.

4/2012: Research: Youth attitudes toward hunting- Commissioned by the Hunting Heritage Trust in cooperation with the National Shooting Sports Foundation, this study included two focus groups and a nationwide phone survey.

“This study examined how youth aged 8-17 perceive shooting and hunting and the role that peers have on their attitudes. There was more support for shooting than hunting among the respondents, with 52 percent having a strongly or moderately positive attitude toward shooting but only 38 percent having a positive attitude toward hunting. Forty-six percent of respondents had a strongly or moderately negative attitude toward hunting.” Read more at Animals & Society Institute.

4/2012: When Horse Slaughter Comes to Town-  a 20-page, fully referenced document for use in lobbying against horse slaughter.  2nd edition, revised and updated March 21, 2011. Includes environmental impact, economic growth & community welfare, legal implications, opposition to slaughter, alternatives to slaughter, and conclusion. Find it at Tuesday’s Horse.

3/2012: Study reveals disturbing number of U.S. thoroughbreds slaughtered each year – “The case study is based on data published by the U.S. government and the Jockey Club. According to the study, an amount equal to 70% of the annual Thoroughbred foal crop, on average, die at slaughter each year.” Read more here.

3/2012: Animal rights superstar Jane Velez Mitchell speaks out against ag-gag bills.

March 7th is National Crown Roast of Pork Day. 
“…pork loin is gathered into a circle with the rib bones pointing upwards like the peaks of a crown. Usually, this contains two rib racks, or 12 ribs from one pork loin, tied together with twine. This also means “Frenching” the ribs – slightly cutting and cracking the bone so they can be molded into a crown.” Serve with wine and an undercover video from Smithfield Foods hog operations. Bon appetit!

3/4: Utah predator contest co-sponsored by Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation- from the Utah Environmental Congress: ”Stewart’s Market in Roosevelt, Utah is once again co-sponsoring a coyote-killing contest (actually this year they’re calling it a “predator contest” and not specifying which predators, but their poster shows a picture of a coyote). The other sponsors are the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife…please pass this information on to anybody else you think would be concerned about this.”

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is located in Missoula, MT. On a related issue (wolves): “More wolves will simply mean a need for more management, said David Allen, president and CEO of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, a nationwide group with 185,000 members. To keep wolf populations controlled, he said, states will have to hold hunts, shoot wolves from the air and gas their dens….Natural balance is a Walt Disney movie, he said. It isn’t real.“ AP article by Dylan Darling.

2/24: Perp walk at Butterball (see item below, posted 12/30) – Felony animal cruelty charges are piling up. From Mercy for Animals: “While it is encouraging that these individual animal abusers have been brought to justice, it is important to point out that Butterball facilitated this abuse by creating a culture of cruelty and neglect at its factory farms.” Full account here.

80% of Americans oppose horse slaughter – “A poll conducted in January by Lake Research Partners for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) found that 80% of Americans are strongly opposed to horse slaughter. The highly respected research group based its survey on 1,008 voters giving the results a 3% margin of error. The poll found opposition was consistent across all sectors, including horse owners.” Read more at the Equine Welfare Alliance. “This newest poll should serve as a warning to politicians who have yielded to (Big Agriculture’s) bullying” says EWA’s Vick Tobin, “Voters are not with you on the horse slaughter issue.”

Posted 2011: “If Max (Baucus, Montana’s senior senator) can get us shipping permits,” (said) former State Representative Ed Butcher (R-Mt.), “we’ll start moving horse meat into China.” If anyone was still laboring under the preposterous illusion that horse slaughter is about compassion for old and infirm horses, that statement should remove all doubt. It’s about money. Read the full article here, along with opposing comments by equine veterinarian Lisa Jacobson, who also serves as the board president for the Montana Horse Sanctuary. Butcher tells the Missoula Independent, “If they’re not useful, you got to get rid of them,” and claims he will have to “knock a couple horses in the head” because he has too many.  Photo from Canadians for Ethical Treatment of Food Animals.

Posted 2011: Not the hope and change we’d hoped for (what’s next–horse-meat sausage pizza?). But: “…we’ve far from seen the last word on this issue,” according to Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA), speaking of both his anti-slaughter role and the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, HR 2966. See his statement here regarding what transpired in Congress. “I am committed to doing everything in my power to prevent the resumption of horse slaughter and will force Congress to debate this important policy in an open, democratic manner at every opportunity.” Update, 9/22: From Food Safety News: Americans Don’t Eat Horses, an opinion piece.

Posted 2011: Jean-Claude Van Damme teamed up with the Belgian animal protection organization GAIA to speak out against fur. In the parking lot of Kinepolis Brussels you can see Van Damme on a billboard that could be for one of his films. The muscle clad actor isn’t holding a weapon though. He’s holding a skinned mink. The tagline says, “Coming this winter to all fur stores.”

This is Van Damme’s first anti-fur campaign. He is now the anti-fur ambassador for the organization. He said about the fur trade, “I fail to see what is attractive about walking around in an animal skin, I suspect the animals would agree with me.”

Posted 2011: Horse slaughter back in the news — “…horses sold for processing used to be worth about 85 cents per pound. Now, because that market is no longer available in the U.S., the market has literally bottomed out. “Without human consumption, I get a whole lot less,”" said one horse producer and exhibitor. (Link no longer active) To some, a horse is merely a commodity to be harvested (humanely!) and processed for money. It’s a personal property issue.

Yes, a drive to restore slaughter in the U.S. is afoot. For another take on the Government Accountability Office report that pro-slaughter groups like to cite, check out this entry at the Animal Law Coalition. Montanans in particular might also want to read “Sen. Baucus dons his horse slaughter suicide vest” here. (One correction to that post–Max is not up for re-election until 2014.) Another great resource–the Equine Welfare Alliance. Related Other Nations blog post here.

Posted 2011: Raccoon dogs skinned alive for fake Ugg boots: “…investigators uncovered a Chinese operation that shows individuals skinning raccoon dogs alive. The fur is then sold to develop fake imitation Ugg Boots that is sold to millions around the world.” Article here; embedded video screen at bottom of page with graphic content, but you’ll need to scroll down to get there. What about the genuine Ugg boot? Some websites below, but first, something you should know–the definition of mulesing. Find it here.

“Protest Ugg, wool, & sheep abuse,” from FAUN NJ here; Uggs and sustainability here; the PETA files (“Pamela Anderson gives Uggs the boot”) here; “The Cruelty of Uggs” on YouTube here; “PAWS (Princeton) takes aim at Uggs” here. Finally, a curious piece from Huffington Post wherein a teenage fashionista claims that sheep aren’t killed to make sheepskin products (here). Hello?

THIS ALERT POSTED 7/31/11: PIG WRESTLING at the Western Montana Fair…WHY? Learn more and take action–details here.

Dame Judi Dench speaks out for animals–and against animal testing for cosmetics in laboratories. Read it here.

 Mercy for Animals (visit them here) has exposed horrific treatment of calves at a Texas dairy farm.  Read about it here (no photos) and at MFA’s site here (the video will start automatically, so be prepared to hit the “stop” button while you read). Then, if you drink cow’s milk, push the “play” button on the video screen. Now…isn’t almond, soy, or coconut milk sounding better all the time?!? Make the switch–nobody gets hurt!

Animal rights superstar Jane Velez-Mitchell discusses the Texas calf abuse case here with Mercy for Animals personnel and the undercover agent who shot the film. Her clip is heavily-edited for viewer sensitivity (she even discusses the editing)–please watch at least this much. You’ll feel her sense of outrage–and perhaps will make it your own. Please let CNN know how much you appreciate her ongoing work to bring animal rights to the masses–contact them here.

ANIMAL RIGHTS SUPERSTAR JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL speaks out against trapping. Watch her 3-1/2 minute segment here, then please contact CNN and let them know that you appreciate JVM and the broad coverage that animal issues get on her show.  To learn more about the Born Free USA landmark trapping investigation “Victims of Vanity,” click here.