Fantastic Animals Australia and Unleashed supporters continually amaze and delight me with the creative ways they speak up for animals. From leafleting and protests to simply talking to their friends about why they should consider animals, I'm proud to be part of such a wonderful community.

And last week was no different. We received an email from supporter, Kendra, to let us know that her workplace was now full of people who had recently taken the pro pig pledge after learning about the cruelty of sow stalls.
How did they find out? Check this out!

Kendra used her culinary skills to create these eye catching cupcakes highlighting the plight of mother pigs in factory farms across Australia.
It sounds a bit odd to say that seeing those sow stall cupcakes made my mouth water. I feel a bit better saying that the greener cupcakes look just that bit more appetizing!

Cupcakes were the order of the day all round Kendra's office, but none generated more buzz and discussion than her sympathetic sweets! And she no doubt changed a few workmates' buying habits at the same time.

Nice one Kendra! And thank you from the pigs!

Has this inspired you? What are you gonna spell out in the icing of your next batch of cupcakes?

This is making headline news around the world: After 4 year old tabby cat, Lola, greeted Mary Bale in the street for a quick pat, Mary grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and shoved her into a wheelie bin before walking away. Lola was trapped inside the bin for 15 hours. Luckily, this was all caught on film, otherwise Lola may never have been found!

After the footage was posted on Facebook, people worldwide have been outraged that anyone could do such a thing to a defenceless animal.

Surely throwing an animal into a wheelie bin, any bin, and leaving him or her to die is illegal ... well ... it depends on the animal ...

We know that eggs come from hens and that hens are female. So when one hen stops laying eggs, she gets replaced with another ...female. All the egg industry needs are female birds to keep clucking along.

What happens to a chick if he's born a male? Unfortunately, he ends up in the bin. But the difference here is that when male chicks are thrown into bins at hatcheries across the globe, there are no security cameras filming the people responsible, no one will come to their rescue. Every year in Australia alone, an estimated 12 million day old baby birds are either ground up alive or tossed into a bin on top of their brothers to be gassed to death... and this is legal!

See for yourself what happens inside the world's largest hatchery (the same thing happens here):

No animal (furry or feathered) deserves to be tossed into a bin and left for dead. Fortunately, we can all take a stand against this cruelty by giving eggs the flick. No yolk, it's easy as vegan pie!

The celebration was fun (and yummy!), the recruiting was done, and the T-shirts were won!

Thanks to everyone who took the opportunity to inspire and tell more people about Unleashed. We got lots of new supporters for our first birthday, all because of you! Thank YOU!

If only there was a free T for everyone who pitched in ... man, everyone would look so stylish ... Unfortunately there were only two to give away and the lucky winners are Tofu Ninja and Connors_mummy!

Check out Connors_mummy modelling her prize! Best looking life saver around!

If you missed out, don't despair! Unleashed is always on the lookout for freebies to give away to our animal loving friends. Check out our current Rise Against comp (closing soon!) and the 'Meat is for Pussies' comp.

And don't forget you can enter every month to win some free stickers that help get the cruelty free message out on your diary, your pencil case, your little brother ... wherever you see fit!

And if you simply can't live without one of the grooviest T-shirts around, you can just grab one from the Unleashed online shop!

We've since got our hands on girls' sizes in the Kicking Ass T too, cause we reckon girls are just as tough as guys (tougher even?)

How do you think we can top these celebrations when we turn 2?

What is it with people who are obsessed with bacon? I mean, I'm all for creativity with food... Seeing someone make a flute out of a carrot is very cool. But this obsession with putting bacon in everything is just plain disturbing. Take for example, bacon ice-cream... ICK!

Sure, I used to like bacon - before I realised the piglet on my plate had his tail cut off (cutting through bone), his testicles sliced off, and his teeth snapped down to the marrow (and nerves) inside - all without pain relief. It's hard to tell yourself "but it tastes good" when you know that BLT was an abused animal - especially when you could have a tasty FLT (facon, lettuce and tomato) without any casualty.

Now, I can't help but feel ill when I see some of the putrid products people produce from pigs. You roam the internet a little and you'll notice people have gone batty on bacon. A little while ago, I started a list of things I would never want as a present. Well today I want to add to my un-wishlist all those gastly bacon creations, and every bacon flavoured, scented or look-alike product out there. Here are just a few of those dreadful ideas:

Bacon Tuxedo: Apparently this suit not only looks like bacon, but it has been chemically treated to smell like bacon. So just like real bacon, it probably increases your risk of cancer.

Bacon Mints: If BK Flame was the perfect way to ruin your first date. Then this is guaranteed to ruin your first kiss.

Bacon Bra: I don't think I need to tell you how many ways this is wrong! *shudder*

I could keep going, but I think I've had enough of thinking about dead pigs.

What do you think of this obsession with bacon? Got another 'craze' that bugs you? Leave a comment.

So I just discovered that across Australia, 23 dogs and cats are euthanised every hour because there just aren't enough people willing to give them loving homes. I knew the stats were bad, but I had no idea they were that bad!

Puppy mills that supply pet shops aren't just blatantly cruel, they've caused the unwanted pet population to explode. The 'designer dog' phenomenon also adds to the problem. And this just gets multiplied when companion animals become unexpectedly pregnant because they haven't been desexed.

That's why I was really pleased to find out that the National Desexing Network has declared August to be National Desexing Month! This initiative of the Animal Welfare League of Qld has arranged for almost 100 vet clinics around Australia to offer subsidies, discounts and special deals on desexing your beloved pets.

If your animals are already desexed, well done you! Give yourself a gold star! If they aren't, then now's your chance! Click here to find a vet near you offering a reduced price! And if you know anyone who hasn't had their furry four-legged friend fixed, direct them to the website, to take of advantage of the discounts while they still can!

Still not convinced? Desexed animals are more sociable (no spraying or humping my leg thank you very much!), less prone to wander or fight, have reduced risk of getting cancers in the reproductive organs, and (the clincher for me) generally lead longer, healthier, happier lives. Who wouldn't want that for their best friend?

Plus, you'll never have the extra burden of having to find homes for unexpected bundles of fur, or worse, taking them to the pound in the hope that they will do it for you (don't forget that opening stat!).

And finally, if you're thinking of giving an animal a home, please don't buy. Visit a shelter. I promise you'll find your new best friend there, and save a life at the same time. I did! :)

What did you have to eat on Monday? I hope it was tasty, green and animal friendly ;)

I'm happy to say that the people of San Francisco and Washington DC are being encouraged to eat green every Monday! The city councils of both these US cities have decided to beef up their environmental stance, by cutting out the cow (and chicken, and pig... you get the idea), and promoting Meat Free Mondays.

The problem is that most people don't realise that eating meat is about as green as hunting wildlife in an SUV! If you've watched Meat the Truth then you know that raising livestock produces more greenhouse gases than all the world's transport combined. Not to mention being a major contributor to species extinction, scarcity of water and all sorts of pollution. I mean, run off fertilisers and excrement from animal industries was killing plenty of wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico well before BP botched things up. (ever heard of a dead zone?)

So it's exciting to see cities encouraging their citizens to eat for a healthier planet every Monday. San Fran and Washington join the Baltimore school system, the original Hard Rock Cafe (in London) and the Belgian city of Ghent in promoting a meat free day once a week to save the planet. Sydney City Council also gave the campaign a plug last year (fingers crossed they'll join these others in officially adopting the initiative).

UPDATE: And now Cape Town has become the first African city to promote a meat-free day each week as well. Yay!

So, what are you gonna have for dinner on Monday? I think I might try this vegan shepherd's pie :)

If you are anything like me, when a new book on veganism/vegetarianism/animal rights (in a nutshell) is released, I am super keen to check it out and the new book by frontman for the Cro-Mags, John Joseph was no exception…

When I first read the title Meat is for Pussies I really didn't know what to expect, but I can confidently say now that I am most impressed!

As claimed on the cover 'A how-to guide for dudes …' and well 'yes' it is aimed more towards you guys out there, but as a chick who has read it I can tell you that it works for both, I totally enjoyed reading it!

In the first few pages it is obvious that author John Joseph doesn't sugar coat his words, he speaks to the reader in a raw, matter-of-fact style that can not be mistaken. Coming from a rough and ready background of NYC, he draws on his own experiences to inform the reader that there is much to be gained by adopting a plant based diet and he quickly squashes any misconceptions that vegetarians and vegans are weedy or wimpy.

Meat is for Pussies outlines a number of 'truths' that have been well hidden from consumers in order to protect the industries that thrive and profit at the expense of millions of innocent, suffering animals each year.

So Meat is for Pussies definitely is worth a read! And you're in luck, cause we've got a copy of this great book to give away. Check out our exclusive interview with John Joseph and enter to win!

Have you read Meat is for Pussies? What did you think? Got any other animal rights books you'd recommend? Leave a comment.

When I think of boxing kangaroos I think of enormous male red roos, fighting each other in truly awe inspiring displays of dominance.

Unfortunately, the words 'boxing kangaroo' make too many people think of the cartoonish image of a roo wearing boxing gloves. In Texas, the Rocky Show Circus has taken this image way too far, by not only making a real kangaroo wear boxing gloves, but also boxing shorts, and then forcing him into an actual boxing ring to spar with people. How demeaning to such a magnificent animal!

Long suffering 'Rocky' the roo, frightened audiences recently by knocking over a woman, crazy enough to get in the ring with him, before trying to mount her. In one news article about the incident, an expert said that Rocky was displaying 'natural' behaviour!

Hmph! If you ask me, there is absolutely nothing natural about a rambunctious roo being kept in captivity! Kangaroos are highly social animals but Rocky never even gets to lay eyes on another hopper. Roos are also shy by nature, yet Rocky is expected to box strangers in front of a crowd. Rocky could reach speeds of up to 70km/hr in the wild, but in this farcical circus, his muscular hind legs, adapted for marvellous jumping, are wasted because of his restrictive environment. It's no surprise that he's showing some frustration.

Too many animals used for human entertainment display abnormal behaviours. A beautiful elephant rocking back and forth in boredom; a massive killer whale swimming round and round in circles in his tank; a caged bird, never allowed to fly, pulling out her feathers ... You get the idea.

Rocky should be in a mob happily bounding around the open plains of Australia. Not wearing a costume in a boxing ring in Texas!

Once you get past the many spelling mistakes on their website, I'm sure you'll agree the Rocky Show Circus actually looks way more exciting when Rocky isn't even on stage! Please click here to send the organisers a message to let them know their circus would be so much better if they cut out the cruelty, and binned the boxing!