You know what they say about the Gold Coast - beautiful one day, forcing lions to perform circus tricks the next. Read on for the full story and what you can do to help.

Traditionally, you can find clowns INSIDE the circus. But on the Gold Coast this week, it seemed like some of the clowns had run away to join the Gold Coast City Council. In a vote of 8-7, councillors on the Goldy overturned a 2009 ban on exotic animal in circuses. This means that travelling circuses with lions and other animals can once again use public land for their out-dated and increasingly opposed shows.

100 protestors turned up to the meeting to urge councillors to extend the ban, as opposed to just 8 people (former circus owners) who wanted the ban overturned. Still, the councillors made the disappointing decision to let the circuses back into town.

For animals, life in a circus is no fun. Instead, it is boring and unnatural. They spend months on the road in small enclosures with no opportunity to express their natural behaviour. Circuses don't even pretend as though they're offering education or conservation of wild animals - so the lifelong confinement of circus animals is all for a few minutes of human "entertainment".

Even though the Gold Coast has taken a backwards step on animal protection this week, YOU can show them what caring individuals think of their decision. Take the pledge to boycott circuses that use exotic animals. And if one comes to your town, make sure you let your friends know that lions belong in the wild (and in awesome dreams!) - not in circuses!

If the thought of lions confined in tiny places bothers you, you might be shocked to know that pigs and hens are kept in even smaller cages, and what happens to them is even worse. Discover the truth for yourself!

I've been carrying this secret around all long weekend, and I can't bear it anymore. Read on to find out who won the animal-friendly rucksack from the good people at Bare Backpacks. You never know ... it could be you!!

As per usual with any contest on Unleashed - there were many, many, many excellent entries. One of them rhymed, some of them were highly amusing (this was my favourite), and most all of them were original and really inspiring.

To win, all you had to do was tell me what you'd be doing at your school/uni/TAFE/juvenile detention centre in 2013 to make it a kinder place for animals. Simple really. The hard part was choosing the winner!

In the end it came down to two entries - one by Mary6 and one by april-san.

Mary's entry was:
"I am going to ask my principal to change the uniform code sheet to say leather or fake leather black school shoes so that my fellow students know they can wear a cruelty free uniform without needing to ask permission."
That was so good it made me wish I could go back to school and not eat so many crayons do the same thing! Unfortunately though Mary - your entry was just too long! Entries had to be 30 words or less. Ooh, harsh, I know :(

BUT!! That IS good news for April who has scored a fully vegan (and fully sick, bro) Bare rucksack with her entry:
"With my uni's Vegetarian Society I'm going to produce and distribute a 'Veg Campus Guide', detailing every vegetarian and vegan option at every vendor on campus to facilitate ethical choices."

Put simply - April is going to make a list of veg food at her uni. Not only will that help students at her uni make kinder choices between lectures; it's something that even YOU could do wherever you're studying this year!

If you missed out this time round - don't sweat it. You can still go in the draw to win free Unleashed stickers. 50 lucky winners are drawn each month - you gotta like those odds!

Unleashed is going on tour!! We'll be rocking out at the Big Day Out and Soundwave around the country over the coming weeks. Find out when we'll be in your town ... then make it a date to come and see us!

Our "Unleashing Unleashed Tour 2013" has already kicked off in style. Our enthusiastic and friendly vollies on the Gold Coast started the party on the weekend, getting the word out about compassion and kindness at the Big Day Out there.

That's just the start, though! We're going to be criss-crossing this wide brown land, bringing good vibes and a pro-kindness message to music festivals everywhere. It's going to be a long and hot few weeks, but our amazing volunteers are hyped and ready for the challenge.

Check out the "Unleashing Unleashed" tour dates below ... and if you've got tickets to the Big Day Out and/or Soundwave (or if you're just going to jump the fence), make sure you come say hello, support our campaigns and grab some cool merch!

BIG DAY OUT

Adelaide 25th January
Melbourne 26th January
Perth 28th January

SOUNDWAVE

Brisbane 23rd February
Sydney 24th February
Melbourne 1st March
Adelaide 2nd March
Perth 4th March

Which band would you most want to see at BDO or Soundwave this year?

There's a saying that goes: "Saving one animal won't change the world, but it will change the world for that one animal." Find out how Unleashed member rhi_jenkins has changed the world by rescuing abandoned and unwanted animals - some of them destined to become pet meat. For her efforts, Rhi is the latest winner of the Unleashed Activist Challenge! This is her story...

There must be something good in the water down in Tasmania because there are some amazing and compassionate people down there. First it was Emma Haswell and all the team at Brightside Farm Sanctuary, and now there's Rhi.

It doesn't matter whether it's lizards, pigs or horses, Rhi is there to help. After a life-changing experience at high school, Rhi decided to put her energy and passion into saving animals. Here's just one of her rescue stories:

Read the rest of Rhi's story, and discover past Activist Challenge winners here. If you've been getting active for animals - you can also submit your story there! And to sweeten the deal, Activist Challenge winners receive an exclusive Unleashed prize pack. Score!

Two things bring us together as Australians - we're all mates and we all love a day off. This Australia Day, YOU can join the campaign to give our animal mates a day off too - a day off the menu! It'd be un-Australian not to...

Shane Warne, the cast of Home and Away, and a Bondi lifeguard. What do they all have in common? They're all Australian and they all love a day off. Every year across this great nation, Australians unite on January 26th to celebrate our shared love of having a day off. (Umm ... that's right, isn't it?) This year you can make a stand for our four legged mates, by keeping them off your plate. On Australia Day ... Everyone Deserves a Day Off.

However you choose to celebrate your day off, fight un-Australianism, and bring a plate of delicious veggie tucker. Going to a barbie? Cook up some true-blue veggie snags. Picnic? What could be more Australian then taking some lamingtons! Beach party? Wrap yourself in an Aussie flag and take some veggie wraps. The options are as wide as this dry, brown land we call home. You could even host a barbie yourself, encouraging friends to bring a cruelty-free plate.

There's heaps of other ways you can get involved but the best way to celebrate all that's good about Australia is to keep meat off the menu.

Being Australian means more than just ending all your words with the letter "O". So this Australia Day, stand up for the underdog (undersheep?), because Everyone Deserves a Day Off!!

If you're over the idea that being Australian means eating animals, then share this campaign far and wide! You know it makes sense. ;)

This one simple (non-gory) image will change the way you think about animals who are born to be slaughtered in Australia. Prepare to have your mind blown.

Nearly every animal in Australia born to be eaten or have their eggs or milk taken, will not live their full natural life. This chart shows to scale how much of their life they experience before they are killed to be eaten, or because they are no longer 'productive' enough to be kept.

To give it some perspective: the average life expectancy for an Australian is almost 82 years. If you were a 'dairy cow', it would mean you shouldn't bother planning your 21st b'day. If you were a veal calf, you wouldn't even reach 2 years old.

That's a really grim way to look at it - but the sad truth is that most animals in Australia are killed as babies.

There are some lucky ones, though. They find their way to sanctuaries, rescue shelters and into the care of kind individuals and families. Pigs like Hope who ended up at Edgar's Mission, and calves like Esther at Brightside Farm Sanctuary.

You don't have to rescue a pig and have her live in your backyard to be a lifesaver for these animals. All you have to do is decide not to eat them. It's such a simple change in your life, but it will make the world of difference to animals you no longer eat. Take the pledge to be veg, now!

What two things do Joaquin Phoenix, Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway all have in common? They've all just been nominated for Academy Awards, and ... well, you'll have to read on to find out the second thing!

These three big-time Hollywood stars are all in the running to win Oscars in February, and they're also all vegan! So for being such amazing role models and for saving lives by refusing to eat animal products, we'll be cheering for these cruelty-free candidates on Oscars night.

Joaquin Phoenix is up for a Best Actor nod for his movie, The Master. A long-time voice for animals, Joaquin's best work would have to be his narration for the doco Earthlings. This documentary is the most comprehensive film ever made about the ways people use animals for food, clothing, experimentation and entertainment. One reviewer described it by saying, "For those who watch Earthlings, the world will never be the same." Find out what other Unleashed members are saying about it, and then watch it for free online here.

Anne Hathaway has also been getting active for animals lately. As well as refusing to eat meat or any animal products, Anne made a stand for animals (literally) by having designer Tom Ford create her custom non-leather boots to wear to the opening of her smash hit Les Mis. You can follow in her animal-friendly footsteps by taking the pledge to avoid fur and leather, and leave animals to wear their own skin!

And third on the list of nature-loving nominees is Jessica Chastain who is up for a Best Actress gong for her movie Zero Dark Thirty. Jessica was named as one of the "100 Most influential People in the World" for 2012, so hopefully she'll be influencing plenty more people to join her in living a cruelty-free life!

It's awesome to see celebs make compassionate decisions like the three here. They can reach such a massive audience with their lifestyle choices; it's bound to help animals. But even if you're not a worldwide star (yet!) you can still make a world of difference for animals by choosing to go veg. Head here to make the best decision of your life, and get tips to help you on your journey!

Tell me - who's your fave of these three and why?

Proving that money DOESN'T buy you love, some big-time celebs have recently decided to adopt pooches into their family, rather than buy them. Check out the stories and adorable pics of their new best friends!

Miley Cyrus (or Hannah Montana, I never remember which one is real) and her Aussie fiance Liam Hemsworth (who really only needs one word written on his resume: "HUNK") recently adopted a Chihuahua mix named Bean. Here's just one photo of the little fella; you can find about a million more on Miley's twitter.

And in Australia, the very talented and very lovely Missy Higgins went undercover recently in Griffiths, NSW to adopt Gizmo. I had to include three pictures of Gizmo - I hope you don't mind :)

So why am I always banging on about adopting rather than buying dogs and cats? "They're all the same aren't they??" Yep, you're right - they ARE all the same. There is nothing wrong or faulty with cats and dogs in shelters. (Did you see the dogs who were taught to drive in NZ to prove how wonderful shelter dogs are?) They've ended up there because someone who was meant to look after them hasn't been doing that. And that's not the dog or cat's fault.

Unfortunately, there are hundreds and thousands of these kissable critters stuck in pounds and shelters across Australia. Uncontrolled breeding, and worse - puppy mills! - have led to a massive overpopulation of dogs and cats. There simply aren't enough loving families for them to join. Buying from pet stores or online may mean you are giving money directly to someone whose only care about dogs and cats is to make money.

You can make a personal promise to all the dumped dogs and cats in shelters around Australia: that you'll always adopt rather than buy when you're ready to welcome a furry friend to your home. Take the pledge now.

I hate to be the one bringing this up ... but in just a few short weeks, school holidays are going to be over :( That's a bitter pill to swallow, but our latest giveaway will make the end of the holidays just that little bit easier. Find out what's up for grabs and how to enter!

Whether you're at school, uni or TAFE - you're going to need a bag to carry around all your gear. There's the important stuff like your lunch; the 'kinda important' stuff like your colouring pencils; and even the 'unimportant' stuff, like your Maths file. But don't sweat it, because the crew at Bare Backpacks have got your back in 2013, with their line of animal-friendly backpacks. Oh and p.s. They're sweatshop-free too ;)

In their own words, Bare Backpacks make great backpacks for great people. They're making some seriously good-looking packs from their base in Oregon, USA - and there are no animal products in the making of. They're also generous souls, and have sent us one of their Lido rucksacks to give away to a lucky Unleashed member!

To get the school year started right by winning this pack...

...all you have to do is tell us one way you can make a difference for animals at your school/uni/TAFE in 2013! Get some ideas here and some inspiration from our previous Activist Challenge winners here ... THEN GET YOUR ENTRY IN! Post your idea in the comments below.

Good luck!!

Fine print: your entry must be 30 words or less, and entries close on Friday 25th January.

p.s. "Like" Bare Backpacks on facebook and check out their whole collection there ;)

Well, the votes have been cast in the Unleashed office and the winners of the Keep shoes have been decided! Find out who it was and how to enter our new comp!

To be declared the winner of this comp, you had to post a comment telling everyone what you would keep doing in 2013 to help animals. The responses we got were super creative and definitely got me thinking about what more I could be doing in the year ahead. It certainly wasn't easy to pick two winners ... but eventually the decision was made.

So congratulations (and new shoes!) go to:

Roobz who will be spreading the message of kindness:

And Elefriend101 who probably gets more done in one morning then I do in an entire week!

Thanks to all who entered and especially to the good peeps at Keep. Check 'em out on Facebook if you're ever after good-looking animal-friendly shoes!

If you didn't win this time around, don't stress, because we have a new comp starting already. Now I don't like to make promises I can't keep ... but I'm pretty confident that the prize up for grabs WILL actually make you the coolest kid at school/uni/TAFE/juvenile detention. Find out what it is!

If you've just eaten, you might want to skip today's blog. It's pretty gross. OK, that's enough of a warning, so read on when you're ready!

Ibrahim Langoo - a student in England - recently found out what the special ingredient was at his local KFC. While hoeing into his meal, he came across a "brain-like organ" in his meal. He took a photo of it, so now you can enjoy the sight too!

Ibrahim said, "I suddenly felt grim and really sick". You ain't the only one, Ibrahim! A spokesperson for KFC later said it was probably a kidney, not a brain. Which doesn't make me feel any better...

Really though, I'd like to thank Ibrahim for sharing his experience. Because I've been sitting on three other gross stories about meat-eating which I've wanted to share for a while, and now I have the perfect opportunity to share them with you. (Thank me later.)

1) Suppliers in Australia sold pet-meat and maggot-ridden offcuts to customers for human consumption. That lovely story here.

2) A year-long investigation revealed that most of the beef in the US suffers from "massive fecal contamination". I'll let you google "fecal" for yourself. Enjoy that story here.

3) Butchers have been glueing meat scraps together to form one bigger piece of meat which they then sell to customers. Watch that story here.

While these stories in themselves may make your stomach turn, if you think about - are they any less disturbing then eating parts of a corpse? Whether it's the leg from a chicken, a pig's belly, or flesh from a cow's backside - it's all part of the same process. The big difference is that much of the meat people eat is presented in such a way that diners don't make the connection between their meal and the animal who was killed for it. (The "final product" sold in supermarkets and restaurants also hides the mistreatment of animals before they are killed.)

Should Ibrahim have been so grossed out when he found that kidney/brain in his meal? What do you think?

Have you ever done something really great, and every one congratulated you and was proud of you and you felt really good about yourself? Well, for the country of Israel - that moment is now! Find out what they did that deserves a massive round of applause.

Israel has just banned the import, marketing and sale of any toiletries, cosmetics and detergents that were tested on animals in their development. So now people there will not only look and smell good - they'll also feel good, knowing that animals weren't tortured and killed for the sake of their shampoo and deodorant.

The law here at the moment is that consumer products can't be tested on animals IN Australia. While that may sound like a win, the problem is that big companies like Colgate and L'Oreal (and hundreds of others!) simply just test on animals in other countries before sending their products to Australia stores.

And the testing that is done on animals is probably as close to torture as anything you'll have heard of. You can find out more about it here (if you're brave enough).

The good news is that you don't need to be the country of Israel to help free animals from cruel testing.

Here's three powerful ways you can stand up against animal testing:

1) Take the pledge against products that have been tested on animals
2) Grab your own copy of the Cruelty-Free List which makes it easy for you to know what stuff is animal-friendly.
3) Send an email to our own politicians calling for an end to the importation of products that have been tested on animals.