You'll have to bare with us if the Unleashed site doesn't get updated quite so regularly in the next few days... but you can follow every step of the campaign on Animals Australia's Facebook page and join the #banliveexport discussion on Twitter.
Mark this date in your diary, because you won't want to miss this! Everyone is talking about the story that will air on Monday night (30th May) on Four Corners! The program will feature never-before seen footage from Animals Australia's recent investigation into the treatment of Aussie cattle exported live to Indonesia.
Every year, millions of animals born into Australian care are exported live, to be killed in countries where there are no laws to protect their welfare.
Over the past seven years, Animals Australia has carried out investigations into the treatment of animals exported live to the Middle East. Footage from past investigations has repeatedly shown the live export industry is happy to export animals to countries regardless of how badly they will be treated. When exposed on national TV, evidence provided by Animals Australia led to a ban on live sheep exports to Egypt, and created massive public opposition to the cruel trade.
This coming Monday night, ABC1's Four Corners will air exclusive footage of exported Australian cattle filmed by Animals Australia investigators in Indonesia.
So tune in and tell all your friends and family to watch this groundbreaking story! Four Corners airs at 8:30PM, Monday 30th May on ABC1.
Did you catch 6.30 with George Negus last night? He aired a shocking story about Australia's new breed of factory farming - battery sheep. If you missed it, don't despair, here's the video:
Unbelievable, huh? And to think this is all for a fashion trend - ultra-fine wool. Well done to George and the team for running the story!
If you wanna do something to help these poor sheep, join the Unleashed campaign to end the factory farming of sheep! Click here to ask the Victorian Government to ban these cruel single pens.
Then check out this moving video and share it with all your Facebook friends and Twitter followers. Help us get the word out there!
Sheep have been suffering in silence inside these sheds for way too long!
Even Olivia knows the world needs to pull its socks up when it comes to protecting animals! If a 7 year old knows it, surely adults can get it too right?
Sadly, Australasia isn't going so well in the biodiversity department. I mean, we have loads of amazing species of flaura and fauna, the trouble is that according to conservation experts, our native plants and animals are disappearing faster than anywhere else on the planet.
So while we scramble to save the pandas of China, the Orangutans of Borneo and the Bengal tigers of India, it's also good to know what we can do in our own backyard to save the bilbies, potoroos, frogs, orange-bellied parrots, spiny skinks, sheathtail bats, sharks, burrowing crayfish, even native snails and bees that make Australia amazing but are critically endangered. (I've only skimmed the surface here - check out this list!)
Rainforests, scrub and woodlands generally have a rich variety of animals and plants, but that quickly disappears when you cut down the trees! And according to the UN, livestock production is one of the key contributors to deforestation, species extinction - not to mention land, water and air pollution.
So it would seem that going veg can save more lives than just the one on the plate! Sounds like a win-win to me! More animals safe from extinction and more yummy food in our bellies :)
Einstein said "Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet." But it doesn't take a genius to see we need to do more to protect biodiversity. And what better place to start than with what we eat? Aren't you hungry for change?
An ex battery hen has won a Braveheart Award from a veterinary clinic in the UK! Angel was struggling to lay an extra large egg when her human companion (and rescuer) Lorraine Fox noticed she had a prolapsed vent.
I hear you asking "What's a prolapsed vent?" Lightning fast biology lesson: Sometimes called "uterine prolapse". If a chicken is attempting to lay an egg that is larger than normal, part of her oviduct (the equivalent of a human female's uterus) can be pushed out as well. As you can imagine, having raw inflamed tissue that should be inside the body exposed outside of the body is extremely painful. (Sorry, if you're a tad squeamish!)
Fortunately, the crook chook was rushed off to the vet straight away. After some very tricky and complicated surgery (called a cloacapexy - there's your new word for the day!), Angel recovered amazingly well and was back to her old self within a day :)
Unfortunately prolapses are actually a fairly common occurrence among laying hens, both in cages and free range. The difference between hens on factory farms in battery cages and Angel, is that Angel now has a loving attentive human companion who noticed that she was sick straight away and raced her to the vet to save her.
Battery hens are almost never this lucky. Stacked in cages up to 4 levels high with up to 5 hens to a cage, it's easy for workers to not notice sick birds. Many birds with prolapsed vents die in agony from infection in their cage and are not discovered for days. If they are discovered, they are likely killed, or worse, simply thrown out live and left for dead. This may have even been Angel's fate had she not already been rescued by Lorraine.
If only every hen was lucky enough to a loving, caring home and friends to look out for them!
Do you know of an animal who deserves a bravery award?
The wonderful people at Hopscotch Films have given Unleashed a stack of double passes to see advance screenings of the latest Disney blockbuster, Oceans.
Doesn't it look amazing? What a great way to give people a glimpse into the lives of sea animals!
The oceans have been plundered by outdated and cruel fishing methods driving many species to the brink of extinction. This movie shows that a lot of these animals aren't all that different to us - they form amazing bonds and play and protect each other. We should be doing all we can to protect them!
Tell us below what you're going to do to protect our oceans and you could win a double pass to see this spectacular movie before anyone else!
Hurry, comp closes noon Monday May 16th so don't plod along like a walrus!
PS The tickets are only valid for Friday 20th, Saturday 21st, Sunday 22nd May (not valid after 5pm on Saturday) at the following cinemas :
Sydney - Palace Verona & Palace Norton Street Cinemas
Melbourne - Palace Como Cinemas
Brisbane - Palace Barracks Cinemas
Adelaide - Palace Eastend Cinemas
Perth - Cinema Paradiso Cinemas
Canberra - Greater Union Manuka Cinemas So please only enter if you can make it to a screening! ;)
You may not have heard of the artist, Miru Kim before. Even when you look at these photographs of her, you may have a hard time seeing her at first. It's almost like an overly artistic "Where's Wally?" and when you finally spot her, it may shock you as to how well she blended in to a herd of pigs!
"Pig eyes are remarkable. They see right into the eyes of a human being. When they were looking at me, exposed before them, surrounded by them, I could not read their gazes, but they were somehow shockingly familiar. There was no language to bridge that disparity - the mysterious gap between the gaze of a pig and that of mine. But when I mingled with them with my skin, the gap momentarily closed in, as if I had forgotten my own language. My words were lost, and I felt the swinish grunts resonate inside me."
The close up images of the skin on skin are striking, aren't they? It's difficult to see where Miru ends and the mother pig begins. There are so many similarities between us and pigs, and not just in skin. Like us they each have unique personalities. Pigs are also considered one of the most intelligent animals outside the primate family - as smart as 3 year old children. And like us they can be affectionate and playful.
While there may be many similarities between humans and pigs, our lives could not be more different. In a couple of the photos you can see the barren single pens that mother pigs are often locked in during their pregnancy. In Australia, these clever pigs can be kept in those cruel sow stalls for as long as 16 weeks - their entire pregnancy! Imagine not even being able to turn around for 4 months!
Even the group pens for younger pigs are a crowded affair. Miru can barely fit in there! And those pigs have had to endure much more than just the stress of a crowded pen. At just a few days of age they would have had their teeth cut right back, their tails cut off and the boys may have been castrated - all without pain relief!
Sadly, unlike Miru, who left the farm after finishing her photo shoot, these pigs will only leave their life of confinement on their last day of life - in a cramped truck on the way to the slaughterhouse.
To see the rest of these incredible photographs go to www.mirukim.com
I love that these photos challenge people to see pigs in a new light. What do you think of these pictures?
Thanks for being amazing! I appreciate everything you've ever done for me.
But above all else, thank you for showing me what compassion is; thank you for encouraging me to think for myself; and thank you for always supporting my decisions. If it weren't for these simple gifts that you've given me, I doubt I would be campaigning for animals today.
It fills my heart with sorrow to know that unlike you, many mothers won't feel loved and cared for this mother's day (or any other day of the year). For new mother pigs, pinned tightly between metal bars, unable to properly nurture their newborn babies - used as nothing more than milking machines - this Mother's Day will be just like any other day of their lives: miserable.
But you've taught me to be an optimist. And one day I hope they will be as happy and free, with their family, as you are. Thank you for giving me all the space I need and the voice to speak for them and work towards that hopeful day.
I promise to take what you've given me and do all that I can to make this world a better place for everyone.
Ok, so I knew jumps racing was dangerous and often deadly for the horses, but I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw this footage from yesterday's 'Grand Annual Steeple' (more like Grand Disaster!) at Warrnambool Racing Carnival:
Seven people (including a toddler, an 80yr old woman and a 12yr old girl) were injured when Banna Strand jumped that 2m fence and plunged into the crowd.
With five horses already killed after falling during races across VIC and SA this year [Update 20/05/11: Another 2 horses have since died, bringing the total deaths to seven horses in seven weeks.], and now seven people injured, it's high time this recklessly dangerous and cruel sport was put down for good. Please take a moment today to click here and send a letter to the ministers of SA and VIC (the only 2 states foolish enough to allow this cruelty) calling for a ban on jumps racing (and yes, you can still send another letter, even if you have sent one before - maybe just change the letter content a little).
Please also take a moment to vote for a ban to jumps racing in these opinion polls:
This year's jumps racing season has barely started and five horses are already dead They're heading into week 6 now and the odds are stacked against the horses. Those racing in jumps races are at up to 20 time great risk of injury or death than horses in flat races.
The Warrnambool Racing Carnival started today. This 'spectacle' features a steeplechase that covers 5500 metres and includes 33 jumps. Can you imagine running that far with a person on your back and having to clear jumps at the same time? It's a tough ask, and tired, exhausted horses often fall suffering terrible injuries. No wonder there's already been one death today. Sadly, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the 'green screen' come out again in the next few days.
You can help stop this carnage! Here's a few simple ways how:
Click here to share this video on Facebook so the industry can't hide the body count.
Tell the Victorian and South Australian governments to catch up with the rest of Australia and ban this so-called 'sport'.
Disclaimer:
We’re supposed to let you know that the ideas expressed here are the views of the individual authors, and may not necessarily reflect the views of Animals Australia or Animals Australia Unleashed. So now you know.
They're heading into week 6 now and the odds are stacked against the horses. Those racing in jumps races are at up to 20 time great risk of injury or death than horses in flat races.
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