Whether you're a cricket fan or not - there's one reason you should get behind the Australian team this summer. And that reason is Peter Siddle - the anti-factory farming, vegetarian fast bowler. Shove off, Warney ... I've got a new favourite player.
Peter Siddle hails from Victoria and has played for Australia over 50 times. And if you're a cricket fan you'll be interested to know that he is one of only 36 players in the whole history of the game to have ever claimed a Test hattrick! That's impressive. (Also impressive? The amount of cricket jokes in this blog - see how many you can find!)
As well as being a gun fast bowler, Vicious (apparently that's his nickname - how cool is that??) recently became a voice for animals confined and abused in factory farms. While some sportspeople are on telly flogging anything from vitamins to body spray, Peter is explaining clearly why he reckons factory farming just isn't cricket.
Peter was knocked for six after seeing videos of how animals are treated in the food production process. He decided that animals deserved a long innings too, and so went vegetarian. As well as saving lives by not eating animals, Peter is also seeing the benefits with his own health and performance.
Says the man himself: "I'm starting to feel good and everything's going well from it. I'm recovering well and feeling fit and strong out in the middle ... [I'm] a lot leaner, a lot lighter, and feeling a lot more comfortable out on the field ... I tell you one thing, I'm pulling up a lot better the next day, that's for sure."
Whatever sport you follow, or wherever your interests lie, making the decision to go veg is a no-brainer. It's good for your health, good for the planet, and of course - it's great for the animals. You can join Peter in making a kinder world possible by taking the pledge to avoid animal products altogether.
You can show some love for Peter in the comments below. Post a message for him and I'll make sure he gets it!
There's only one reason you'll ever need to adopt, rather than buy companion animals. And this video is it.
Forget asking, "How much is that doggy in the window?" You should be asking, "Where did that doggy in the window come from?" Because in many cases, the dogs you see in pet stores or for sale online have come from puppy farms.
There, the mother is locked in an empty cell, continually made pregnant, and never given the care, exercise and love that she needs. Her puppies are taken from her to be sold to pet shops or online to unsuspecting families. No animal deserves to be treated like that.
Puppy farms are also contributing to the shocking overpopulation of dogs in Australia, which is leading to tens of thousands of dogs being killed in pounds every year. The decision to adopt rather than support the cycle of abuse, overbreeding and death really is a no-brainer!
If you or your family are thinking about adding a new furry member to your home, you'll need to think seriously about these questions
Are you ready to make a long-term commitment? (Dogs can live to be 15 years old, cats even older!)
Will you be able to afford food, health care, safety and toys?
Do you have enough time to spend with your new best friend?
Is your place big enough for a companion animal?
If you've thought through all that, and decide to go ahead with welcoming a beautiful animal into your home, then here's some tips to get you started
Always adopt! You've seen the video, show it to your family so they know why adopting rather than buying is the right thing to do. You can even take the personal pledge to adopt and not buy.
Head to petrescue.com.au to find the perfect companion for you. They've even got an app!
Consider adopting an older dog. They're usually a lot more chilled and may adapt quicker to new environments.
Have you already saved a life by adopting? Was it a cat or a dog? What's his or her name? Tell me your story in the comments below :)
Every year during Schoolies celebrations (which are taking place right now) you hear of people doing some pretty dopey things. But these guys ... these guys take the cake.
Graduating from high school doesn't necessarily mean that you've learned the important things in life. Two students from Newcastle proved that this week while celebrating Schoolies in Bali. Chris and Jeremy decided that it wasn't enough just getting wasted at night and apparently losing all their t-shirts. They decided that buying a monkey and keeping him on a metal chain would be a good idea.
Let's make just a quick list about why that was NOT a good idea.
Long-tailed macaques prefer to hang out with other macaques, not a bunch of "bros" from NSW; and they often huddle together when sleeping at night to keep warm.
They would normally spend a large part of their day in trees, not on a metal chain on busy Bali streets.
Buying a monkey on the street encourages locals to catch more monkeys, taking them from their natural environment and keeping them confined. As the man who sold this monkey admitted, he has a "house full of monkeys".
Who knows what will happen to the monkey when these guys leave for home?? They're treating him as a novelty party piece which they can just dump and forget about when the party is over. Bali, Australia, wherever ... adopting an animal is a serious commitment, not something you do for a laugh or because "the ladies love it", as Chris puts it.
If you want to get your Drapht on and have a Bali Party - go for it. But there's no need to drag a monkey (or any other animal) into the mix. So for all you future schoolies or travellers, try to keep one thing in mind when overseas:
Don't be giving money to anyone who uses animals as part of a street-show! Simple as that. More likely than not the animal will be living a totally unnatural life, being forced to perform with no end in sight. This is the case with elephants on Thai streets, monkeys in Indonesia and bears in Cambodia. The temptation to give money to try and help the animals might be overwhelming, but your money really just encourages the practise to continue.
If you want to make a positive difference for animals when travelling, why not consider volunteering somewhere like Elephant Nature Park (ENP) in northern Thailand? Supported by Animals Australia member society Animal Aid Abroad Inc, ENP provides sanctuary to dozens of elephants rescued from performing on streets or in logging camps. And that's bound to leave better memories than keeping a monkey on a chain for a week!
There comes a time in everyone's life when they need a pair of really, unbelievably good shoes. For you - that time is now. We're giving away the best shoes I think I've seen this year. Take a look for yourself then find out how you can win a pair.
Hit the pictures to see the new 2012 collections you can choose from if (when!) you win.
Introducing Keep - the very generous people behind these cool animal-friendly shoes. Launched in 2006 and based in LA, according to them, "Keep is a shoe company, an amalgam of interests, a way of being, a force, a language, a family and many other things." And most importantly, everything they make is completely cruelty-free (and looks unreal).
I could go on for ages about Keep, but I'll limit myself to just these 3 points:
1. They've done a shoe collab with Bon Iver to support an animal sanctuary. That's awesome on many different levels.
2. Their Facebook page is actually interesting, so make sure you go check it out.
3. They're giving away two pairs of sneakers to Unleashed members - one for guys, one for girls. (Adam and Eve would have totally loved this comp.)
To win...
...all you have to do is tell me what you'll be doing in 2013 to keep helping animals. It might be to attend a rally against live exports; to lend that animal rights book you have to one of your friends; or to make that next step in ditching dairy or eggs from your meals. There's a 1000 ways you can help animals in 2013 - you just have to choose one!
Fine print: your entry must be 30 words or less; there'll be one guy and one girl winner; you can only enter once; in case you win and were thinking of getting me a Xmas pressie, I like the Shaheens.
This promotion ends December 23rd which isn't far away - so get your entries in NOW! Good luck!
Oh, and here's something to watch while you're thinking.
It's been one month since our little hero took flight, inspiring change for animals confined in factory farms. Find out who she's seen, where she's been and how you can help her free animals from cruelty!
In case you're wondering what I'm talking about, take a look...
Who she's seen
The Make it Possible campaign by Animals Australia really has grown wings since it launched. The commercial has reached into the homes of 3 MILLION Aussies; the online videos have been viewed over 300,000 times; and the ad shown to moviegoers around the country - including before the midnight premiere of the final Twilight movie. (I mean, that's what I've heard. It's not like I was there or anything...cough, cough).
It's no surprise then that more than 70,000 people have already taken the Make it Possible pledge. For many people, this campaign is the first time they've seen the cruel reality of factory farming.
Where she's been
It looks like our hero needs herself a passport! The 11 minute video has been translated into Spanish, Portugese and Italian (Buenos dias! Hola! Buongiorno!), and animal protection groups around the world are sharing it with their supporters. Computer nerds users everywhere are also seeing the campaign on massive sites like Cheezburger and Ecorazzi.
The impact
The huge reach of the campaign has seen change for factory farmed animals almost immediately! Coles has since announced that they're fast-tracking their decision not to support producers who keep pregnant pigs in sow stalls; as well as ensuring that all of their home brand eggs will be cage free by the start of 2013. This means: 34,000 mother pigswon't be kept in small crates for up to 4 months during pregnancy, and that 350,000 hens will be free from battery cages. Find out what other supermarkets and producers are doing.
And I don't know about you, but I'm seeing more and more veggie options when I hit the supermarket these days too. This makes meal-time even easier for those caring Aussies who have made the pledge to go meat-free entirely. You can get some tips here if you want to make the decision to save over 100 lives a year by cutting animal products out of your lifestyle altogether.
How you can help
You can do your bit to help animals stuck in factory farms in a few easy ways. First, take the Make it Possible pledge to show your support for these most abused of all animals. Second, take Make it Possible to school - check out the activities and suggestions for how to make your class a kinder place. Last, share the campaign video with your friends and family. Many of them may not know what happens on factory farms - this is the ideal opportunity to open their eyes and get them to make a change that will help animals.
Two mums in NZ proved recently just how far they were willing to go to protect their babies, pushing and even biting a man that threatened them. Oh, did I mention that these mums were cows?? Find out more...
To summarise: a farmer tried to separate calves from their mums ... but the mums fought back to protect their babies! It's a good thing those cows didn't know "MOO Thai"!! Man, I love puns.
Like most mums, cows form very strong bonds with their young. One study suggested that this bond is formed within 5 minutes of giving birth! After birth the mum licks her calf all over, in a process that helps her learn the sight and smell of her baby. If they are separated, the mum will bellow frantically, and the calves appear frightened and confused.
Unfortunately, the separation of mum and baby happens on dairy farms all the time. See what happens right here in Australia for yourself. WARNING: this isn't easy to watch.
A TV show in England recently caused an uproar by showing the horrible truth, too - right during prime-time.
WARNING: this clip is really sad too :(
In Australia every year, over 700,000 bobby calves are killed as "waste products" of the dairy industry. Some are shot, but the majority are taken from their mothers and put onto trucks with other calves, bound for the slaughterhouse. There they will be killed ... after being alive for less than a week. That's the secret the dairy industry would rather you didn't know.
If you want to take action for bobby calves and their grieving mums - it's easy. You can simply ditch dairy.Delicious alternatives are in supermarkets and delis everywhere - milks, chocolates, yoghurts and icecreams. Have fun exploring and finding your fave!
p.s. my pick for best non-dairy ice-cream: Coco Luscious. Prove me wrong by telling me your pick below!
There are two hats in the closet. One says to the other, "You can stay here, I'm going on a head." *ba-dum-tshh* OK, so maybe that's not the best joke you've heard today. But the winning entries in our malc&andi giveaway are the best tips you'll hear! Take a look. (No more hat jokes, I promise).
malc&andi are a forward thinking fashion label that believes fashion should be fun and adventurous, but also as good for your soul as it is for your body. That's why they donate 5% of all their sales to animal charities. It's also why they very kindly agreed to give away two styling new snapbacks to Unleashed members.
All you had to do to win one was give a tip on how people can help animals beat the heat this summer. There were some outstanding entries - including one that rhymed, one about snakes, and a few about guinea pigs and chickens! The one thing they all had in common though, was how good they were. Judge for yourself here.
But just like a tandem-bike race - there can be only two winners. And here they are:
If you didn't win this time around, don't stress. The next Unleashed giveaway starts in a couple of days ... and it's a BIG one. Check back soon to find out more ;)
You probably already know what a battery cage looks like from the outside. But can you imagine what it must be like trapped on the INSIDE?? Find out with this interactive simulation which puts YOU in the cage. Step inside ...
What'd you think? Awful, isn't it? And yet that is what battery hens in factory farms experience for every minute of their entire lives. On average, a battery hen will spend up to two years in a cage like that - with no stimulation, no fresh air, no dirt beneath their feet. After two years, these hens produce less eggs then they used to, so they're gotten rid of - trucked to the slaughterhouse.
It doesn't seem fair, does it? It's not like people even need to eat eggs - check out the alternatives that are all readily available.
Wanna know more about hens trapped in factory farms? Then spend just two minutes watching this.
You can rage against cages with over 60,000 other Aussies who have already taken the Make it Possible pledge. Join them to make the world a kinder place for animals.
P.S. Want to know what the labels on egg cartons really mean for hens (and chicks)? Then grab this handy chart for the fridge at home.
I saw two videos to do with sharks yesterday. One of them depressed me immensely, while the other made me laugh...and think. Laughthink - what's the smiley look like for that? Anyway, check out both vids and make your own mind up.
The first one actually made the news. It's from WA and was posted online in the last couple of days. I'm not going to say too much more about it, because I'm trying to cut down on the amount I swear. WARNING: This is NOT a nice video, so be ready to quickly press the stop button.
Awful, hey? If you couldn't watch it, the vid shows a whaler shark hung in the air, still alive, being clubbed on the head with an iron bar. The person who posted it to Facebook also bragged about shooting a tiger shark, adding the comment, "Let the blood run free I say."
Scare-mongering about sharks seems to have reached a new low in WA. The state government there has announced plans to shoot great whites who swim too close to Perth beaches. I'm not saying there's a direct link between the state government's plan and the video that was posted on Facebook. But if you've got our politicians saying it's ok to shoot protected great whites, it sends an awful message that sharks don't deserve compassion.
Which leads on to the second video I was talking about. This was posted yesterday to the forum by Unleashed member JordanBajc. Not only did he post it ... he made it!! Take a look - it's a humorous take on a serious issue.
A recent poll showed that 83% of the state opposed the government's shoot-to-kill plan; even footy star Nic Naitanui spoke out in support of the sharks.
If you think that sharks deserve protection, then take action.Send WA pollies an email urging them to adopt non-lethal alternatives to protect swimmers.
When you're done, tell me what you think of the two vids here. And feel free to throw compliments in about JordanBajc's clip. I think it's really good - how bout you? Post your comments below!
Whether you can't wait to show off your report card, or whether you'll be 'filing it' in the bin before mum and dad see it - find out which animals would be top of the class if they went to your school.
1. Japanese macaques. These monkeys would definitely snag the Home Economics prize, as they are known to wash sweet potatoes in river water before eating them. Not only that, they since learned that washing the taters in sea water infused them with a pleasant salty taste. MasterChef ... or MasterChimp?
2. Finches. Language class would be no problem for finches who "talk" to each other using proper grammar. A field study found that finches ignored remixed versions of their own songs, because the jumbled up versions made no sense to them. This suggests that humans aren't the only animals able to order sound logically. tbh, if it's super-early in the morning, I can barely order sounds logically myself. So, well done finches!
3. Ravens. Excellent problem-solvers, they would dominate at school. They have been known to use sticks to get insects out of logs and even drop walnuts in front of cars to crack them open. Check out how smart they are in this amazing test.
That awkward moment when ravens solve a problem quicker then you would have.
4. Pigs. They're naturally curious (so the teachers would like 'em), and they don't sweat (so the other kids would sit next to 'em). That's right - pigs don't sweat at all. That's why they wallow in mud - to keep themselves cool. (ADDED BONUS: unlike dogs and humans, pigs will stop eating when they're full, so they wouldn't eat all your chips if you shared at lunch-time.)
5. Dolphins. Have you ever been cramming for a test or pulling an all-nighter to get that project done - only to give in to the temptation of sleep? Dolphins don't need to worry about that, because they sleep with only half their brain! They can carry on their normal routines indefinitely, which means while you're snoozing ... they're studying.
So there you go, the five animals who would totally get straight A's if they went to your school. Good luck if you've got exams at the moment, or if you're coming up to end of year tests. Study hard, get through them ... then two months of party time!
Check out this online simulation that puts you into the shoes of a mother pig in a factory farm. This is what they experience for up to four straight months. How long can you handle it for?
How did you go?? How long before you wanted to bust outta there and free your fellow pig prisoners? I think my record is 22 seconds.
Pigs are renowned for their intelligence and curiosity (studies have recognised that they are as smart as 3 year old kids) - yet in factory farms across Australia it is seen as perfectly acceptable to keep mother pigs confined in sow stalls like you experience in the simulator.
Open the graph below to compare how a pig would spend her day if given freedom from a factory farm. (NOTE: "rooting" maybe isn't what you think it is, so stop being immature.)
While the intense and utter boredom may seem bad enough, it's hardly the only abuse pigs are subject to in factory farms. Not by a long shot...
If you've seen enough and want to see an end to this cruelty, then join with over 60,000 other Australians who have already taken the Make it Possible pledge. By promising to make kinder choices at meal times you can make factory farms -- and cruelty to pigs! -- a thing of the past. (And I guess you don't need to be a rocket surgeon to know that the kindest choice you can make is to not eat animals at all!)
Wow, another month down! It's gonna be Xmas before you know it. But there's always time to go back through all the comments Unleashed members have posted on the blogs and highlight the best ones. Find out who posted the Top Comment for the month and what it was they had to say!
It was extra good fun reading all the comments from last month, because there were so many different topics covered. The month started with the Veg Week Challenge, and was followed by massive protests around the country against live exports. The latest Unleashed comp was launched, and then the biggest campaign ever attempted by Animals Australia was unveiled - a plan to end factory farming!
But there's more! The month ended with champion iron woman Hayley Bateup bringing a drowned dog back to life, showing those who participated in a rodeo in Queensland what a real hero looks like.
Phew! See what I mean by a lot going on??
But enough of my whinging, you probably just want to know who posted the Top Comment this month. So here goes:
Buddha Baby put into words what thousands of people around Australia would have been feeling early in the month. As thousands of Aussie sheep were being brutally killed in Pakistan, Australians of all ages and backgrounds took to the streets to demand an end to live exports. Buddha Baby was one of them, and here is what she wrote:
"I was really proud to have been a part of this. I took my 2 young daughters to the rally in Brisbane and it was great. Animals Australia did a great job. Keep up the good work. With persistence we will win this battle."
I couldn't agree more! Congrats Buddha Baby for showing your support for animals and also for winning this month's Top Comment prize.
So, onto November. More campaigns, more ways you can help, and more prizes up for grabs. All you have to do for your chance to win is get posting on the blogs. Couldn't be easier, really. Good luck!
Oh, and the prize for November is a complete set of Unleashed cause bands. There's four of them so you can wear two on each wrist ... or one on each wrist if you're lucky enough to have four hands. Imagine how fast you could type!!
* We love it when you comment on blogs! We love it even more when your comments are thoughtful, inspiring, or make us laugh!! So just to be clear, this is not about who posts the most comments. It's about who posts what we think is the top comment for the month. You might only post one comment this month. But if it's a cracker, then you could be walking away with the complete set of causebands to show for it.
Did you know that Victorians get a public holiday tomorrow, which no other states get?? They're all getting the day off because of the Melbourne Cup which is a pretty sucky reason to celebrate. Find out why public holidays rule, while horse racing is cruel. (Hey, that rhymes.)
As you're probably aware, the Melbourne Cup is Australia's biggest horse-race. It's called "the race that stops the nation", as apparently all Aussies love watching little men thrash horses in an effort to make them go faster. This awesome clip sums it up perfectly.
The even bigger problem with horse-racing though is what those in the business call "wastage". This is the delightful name given to the routine killing of thousands of race horses every year who aren't fast enough or have grown too old to win races. As soon as they aren't making money anymore, many racehorses are sold off cheaply and become pet meat, or even wind up on someone's plate in parts of Europe.
The tale of one such horse has been told by Unleashed member rhi_jenkins. Umm, you may want to have some tissues nearby, though.
So this Melbourne Cup day, when all the focus is on horses ... you can actually do something to help them. Join with hundreds of other young Aussies who have already pledged to never bet on cruelty.
You can also let your friends know why horse-racing bites by changing your Facebook profile pic for the day.
Being trapped in a factory farm in Australia is a life sentence for countless numbers of pigs and chickens. That's why these two stories of determined survival against the odds are so amazing. Brace yourself for goosebumps!
This beautiful girl is Willow. "On cold evenings, she loves to stretch out her wings in front of the outdoor fire on the lush, green property that is now her home. For Willow, any memories of a cage so small she could barely move are thankfully only nightmares of the past.
She was thrown away like a piece of rubbish when she slipped into unconsciousness in that cage; no longer laying eggs and no longer valued. Featherless and emaciated, she lay dying on a manure pile..."
And this is Hope. "Before escaping from a piggery, Hope's life looked very bleak. There, Hope's mum and other sows were kept in crates so small they couldn't turn around. The relentless boredom would have driven some insane. The pigs there would never feel grass beneath their feet, only concrete and metal.
It is from this nightmare that Hope escaped one night..."
Every year, a handful of lucky chickens and pigs survive the horrors of factory farms, and go on to live with the freedom and protection they deserve. Unfortunately, millions of others don't. Instead, they are locked behind closed doors, where they experience treatment that would be called "animal cruelty" if it happened to a dog or cat.
Behind the closed doors of factory farms there are millions of other individual animals with personalities and fears just like Hope and Willow. Each one of them is someone, not something - and their stories deserve to be told, too.
Every day of the year is a great day to be a vegan, but did you know that there's actually a World Vegan Day? And guess what ... it's today!
First though, some interesting info for you:
(1) ... a vegan is someone who chooses not to eat or use animal products. (But I'm sure you already knew that!)
(2) ... the word was first used in England in 1944 (though the idea has been around a lot longer).
(3) ... by not eating animal products, vegans save an estimated 100 animals from a life of suffering and slaughter every year! (not to mention helping protect the environment!)
(3) ... do you know what a vegan zombie eats? GgggrrRRAAAaiiiNNssss...
World Vegan Day started in 1994 and is held on Nov. 1st every year. It's an awesome opportunity to celebrate with your buds, to share a delicious meal with your fam, or maybe even to commit to leading a cruelty-free life by going vegan yourself.
So on this big day, I want to hear your stories. Why did you decide to go vegan? Was it for the animals? For the environment? For a potential boyfriend/girlfriend? ;) I'm interested to hear your story, so post it in the comments below.
Once you've done that, get out there and get crazy! Have a great World Vegan Day!
P.S. You might want to head along to one of the following events to celebrate. Perth, Saturday Nov. 3 Brisbane, Saturday Nov. 10 Sydney, Sunday, Nov 11 Melbourne, Sunday Nov. 11 Adelaide, Sunday Nov. 18
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.
There, the mother is locked in an empty cell, continually made pregnant, and never given the care, exercise and love that she needs. Her puppies are taken from her to be sold to pet shops or online to unsuspecting families. No animal deserves to be treated like that.
If you want to take action for bobby calves and their grieving mums - it's easy. You can simply ditch dairy. 
But there's more! The month ended with champion iron woman Hayley Bateup bringing a drowned dog 
So, onto November. More campaigns, more ways you can help, and more prizes up for grabs. All you have to do for your chance to win is get posting on 
This beautiful girl is Willow. "On cold evenings, she loves to stretch out her wings in front of the outdoor fire on the lush, green property that is now her home. For Willow, any memories of a 
And this is Hope. "Before escaping from a piggery, 
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