I always love hearing about how people got into animal rights. For me, it was discovering how animals are raised for food. Lots of people just always loved animals. But how can someone go from being scared of animals to rescuing them and campaigning for them?

That's exactly what happened to New York activist, Eddie Lama. To find out how someone can make such an incredible transformation, check out this great doco (called "The Witness") about his inspiring story.

(Btw, you can watch the full doco online here. So once you've checked out the trailer below, grab some popcorn and a friend to watch the full film! And just be warned that while most of the doco is inspiring and positive, there are a few graphic scenes.)

Click here to watch the full film online now.

So what did you think? Feeling inspired? Now tell me... How did you get into animal rights?

I don't know about you, but the idea of having a dead animal draped around my shoulders to keep warm, or worse, to make a 'fashion statement', makes me want to recoil in disgust, or more to the point: puke!

On a recent shopping trip I happened to spot a number of rabbit fur vests in shop windows--at least I think they were rabbit fur . But with dog and cat fur often deliberately mislabelled and imported as 'rabbit', you can never be sure.

What is up with this resurgence of fur?! At the recent Melbourne Spring Fashion Week there were a disturbing number of attendees in the crowd wearing this season's "on-trend" of brightly coloured fur.

Even Aussie expat, supermodel Jess Hart has been seen walking around the streets of New York in a fur coat that I'm sure looked much better on the animal it was taken from.

And to top it all off, the latest episode of Australia's Next Top Model again featured fur to the disgust of viewers and even the show's own judges. ANTM copped it last year for the same tasteless faux pas so they have no excuse for not using faux fur this time around.

We know there is nothing fashionable about the cruel slaughter of animals for fur. Fur farms, which often use killing methods such as drowning, anal electrocution and skinning alive are kept in business through the demand for fur coats, gloves, hats, fur trimming at the cost of thousands of animals' lives.

What do you think -- How can we communicate to these "fashionistas" that animals need their fur on their own backs, not ours? With so many cosy cruelty-free outfits at our fingertips, haven't we evolved past killing animals for coats?!

(Isn't this ad by Animal Friends Croatia great! We found it via Osocio.org)

ps. Have you made the Pledge to Wear Your Own Skin yet?

A couple of weeks ago, I was chuffed to see the panel on The Gruen Transfer discussing Animals Australia and RSPCA Australia's very own Ban Live Export television ad!

Not only that but they discussed quite a few ads from different groups on really important topics like fur, battery hens, going veg and an ultra clever ad on the destruction caused by unsustainable palm oil. Check out the discussion – it gets pretty heavy!

I'd love to hear your thoughts on all the ads. Which was your fave? What tactics do you think work better than others and why? Do you have any great ideas for tv commercials that raise awareness for animals?

Oh, and check out Animals Australia and RSPCA Australia's latest joint ad to ban live export here!

Have you ever wondered what your dog or your cat would say if they could talk back to you? I'm certain my dog, Kia would tell me she doesn't care if she has her own chair, she'd rather sit in mine! I also have no doubt that as I type this, she is trying to say "Hurry up, let's go outside for a tug of war!"

And what would animals say to each other? I really hope this video is close to the truth ;)

A biologist from the Bahamas might be on her way to discovering what animals really have to say. Denise Herzing has been working with dolphins for years and has devised an amazing way for humans and dolphins to communicate. Using symbols, and a keyboard synthesizer that creates sounds similar to those naturally produced by dolphins, they can actually ask each other for particular objects, like a ball or a scarf. How incredible! And she thinks it's only a matter of time before more complex interactions get started.

So just what will dolphins tell us?

And what about less fortunate animals? What would foxes and rabbits raised for their fur say? Or chimps and rats in labs? Or pigs and chickens in factory farms?

(Alright Kia, I'm nearly finished!) But I'd love to know, what do you think animals would say to us?

The fashion world sure has a lot to answer for. From innocent mistakes like handbags the size of suitcases to skyscraper platform shoes to the less forgivable things like fur coats and mink eyelashes. But whoever came up with the idea for fur coats for dogs must have a screw loose!

Unbelievable but true, a Danish 'fashion' house has decided it's not bad enough that humans wear the skin of another species, but now they want dogs to be wearing another animal's fur over the top of their own!

The company says that "it can easily be worn all year round". Correct me if I'm wrong, but do they not already have a fur coat that they wear all year round?

The company have encouraged their customers to "put the health of the dog before anything else. Situations where it is too hot for the dog to wear fur can occur." It's a shame they don't have the same concern for the health of the animals in fur farms!

Fur is an ugly business! On fur farms foxes, rabbits, minks, cats and even dogs are forced to live in tiny cages, before being killed - often in the most brutal ways imaginable - anal electrocution, drowning, gassing, or even being skinned alive! Anyone who has seen Earthlings will remember the live fox, who had been skinned and left to slowly die in a dumpster, without even the warmth of her own skin for comfort.

Skinning one animal to make another 'more fashionable' takes the cake for being tasteless, cruel and so unnecessary!

Is it just me, or has this fashion house gone mad? wdyt?

Have you heard of mink eyelash extensions? Neither had I until recently. But apparently they're all the rage - or at least that's what the people selling them say. Personally they just make me enraged!

Ok, so you're not likely to catch me with eyelash extensions anyway - mostly, cause I don't think I could pull this look off (and yes that is Johnny Depp). But seriously, there's absolutely nothing attractive about glueing animal fur to your face. Don't get me wrong, I think mink fur is nice - when it's on a mink.

I've noticed that many of the companies selling these extensions boast that they don't kill the minks. According to one site they "harvest" the lashes "by gently brushing live animals." That all sounds well and good, until you realise that must mean that these animals are forced to spend their entire lives on fur farms.

You only have to take a glimpse inside a mink farm to know that it's cruel. Minks are solitary animals who roam over a habitat of several kilometres. Yet in fur farms they are locked in a cage the size of an open newspaper, surrounded by other minks. This is an incredibly stressful environment for them and can even lead to cannibalism and self mutilation. I stumbled across this film about fur farms in Sweden recently (Warning: this is not for the faint hearted!).

Wanting to look beautiful is one thing. But condemning an animal to a life of misery to have longer lashes is an ugly thing for anyone to do. Having said that, sadly the truth is that most people splurging on mink eyelash extensions probably don't even realise what goes into making them. If they did, I'm sure they'd buy synthetic lash extensions instead!

That's my rant off my chest. What silly fashion trends bug you?

Who saw the latest episode of Australia's Next Top Model? The contestants were made to wear fur! Real fur! And the host even had the stupidity to say that fur was making a comeback! What the faux?

This is about as irresponsible as you can get (from a channel that calls itself FOX!), especially when it is clear that the majority of people in the fashion world have no idea where fur comes from and the awful ways in which it gets from an animal's back to their grotesque coats …

I love the feel of my dog's fur under my fingers as I pat her, knowing her fur is right where it should be …But obviously, not all animals are as pampered as my pooch. This is the 21st century and it's amazing that some people are still of the opinion that the rightful place of dogs' fur (or rabbit, raccoon, mink, fox etc) is the outer lining of their coat! These people have blood on their hands …

Did you know that Perth's very own Harmony and Lawson actually want you to believe that the fur they use is 'cruelty-free'? Clearly Harmony Douglas has never ripped it off the back of a living breathing animal herself.

'Cruelty free fur' – it's an oxymoron. So don't ever buy into it if you see it on a label, or you run the risk of being called a moron yourself (not unlike certain hosts on ANTM)!

Thankfully people are staring to wake up. Israel is currently voting on a bill to ban any trade in fur. And there are now so many alternatives to fur, I really can't see why anyone would wear it, even if they do think it looks good (which is another debate altogether!).

Jump onto the ANTM forum and let them know you won't be watching a show that sanctions animal cruelty. You can also make comments on their Facebook page.

And don't forget to go faux yourself! I mean that in the nicest possible way ;)

Hi! I'm Sim, I’m new to Unleashed and let me just say, the brutal killing of baby seals before they aren’t even two weeks old really upsets me…

See, every year the Canadian government allows hundreds of thousands of baby seals to be killed by hunters on the ice floes of Canada. It’s basically the largest mass killing of marine mammals anywhere in the world. But that's not the worst of it -- the way these seals are killed is absolutely horrific -- clubbed on the head or shot for their pelts -- and due to the carelessness of hunters, some are even skinned alive.

Last month Matt.Y had a great idea by suggesting we contact the Vancouver Olympic Committee and asking them to put pressure on the Canadian Government to stop the slaughter. But with the hunt about to start, and the Olympics now over, these seal pups still desperately need our help.

Here in Australia we can do something else to help end this killing. Please sign the petition to show Canada what Aussies think of this cruel slaughter -- and get as many of your friends as you can to also sign.

Most importantly, seals, like all animals killed for their fur, need us to step up and refuse to buy any products with fur on them. If you're with me on this, take the pledge to wear your own skin -- and let the seals keep theirs!

The Winter Olympic Games: It's an event scribbled in bold on every Australian's calendar, counted down to, day-by-day, from the closing ceremony 4 years ago. For 2 weeks straight, Australians sit glued to the television, with little on their mind other than the absolute excitement that is curling, being beamed from the other (and much colder) side of the world.

OK! So maybe it's not! But the location of The Games this year offers us, and more importantly animals, a potentially life saving opportunity.

Last year in Canada, over 60,000 baby harp seals were run-down by sealers and mercilessly bludgeoned to death on the ice, their parents watching on in terror and crying in horror. It's estimated that over 95% of the seals clubbed to death last year were less than 3 months old. These animals will never learn to swim and will never chew on their first solid meal.

So what can we do about it?

Well, just like any major event, the organizers want it to run as smoothly as possible - and the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee is no different. One thing they don't want is for the good reputation of the Winter Olympic Games to be tarnished by this cruellest-of-the-cruel hunt, which already hangs over Canada's international reputation.

The Committee carries a lot of political clout, and with their pressure on the Canadian government, we'll be all the closer to having the seal fur industry right where we want them: off the ice for good!

Please write to the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee (info@vancouver2010.com) and urge them to help bring an immediate end to the seal slaughter by pressuring the Canadian government to end this brutal slaughter for good.

See you guys on the slopes,

Matt. (Guest blogger)

No doubt I’m not alone when I say I like stylish clothes. And one thing I love about faux fashion is that it not only looks hot, it’s a great way to show others that you don’t need to be cruel to be cool (and in fact there’s nothing less attractive than someone draped in the skin of a dead animal!).

One of my fave wardrobe additions of late is my faux leather jacket from Casual Guy (pictured below). When I’m wearing this bad boy and speaking up for animals, I often have people say something like “But you wear leather, don’t you?” and I think BAM! 'time to save lives' and then I respond: “Thanks for asking! Actually no, I don’t wear animal skins. I was horrified when I found out cows that die for leather often have their tails broken and chilli rubbed in their eyes before they are killed. Oh this jacket, it’s fake leather. Have you ever worn fake leather before?”

Here are a few other discoveries I just had to add to my wardrobe:

These 100% non-leather shoes (above) are from Spendless

There's plenty of non-leather belts out there like this Hurley belt made of PVC

If you want something real bad, just keep looking. I wanted one of these jackets for ages, and I finally found a non-wool jacket at Dangerfield.

So how do you strut your hot stuff for the animals? Have you got an awesome tip for compassionate fashion? Leave a comment.

Top o' the mornin' to ya!

*Ehem!* Well just like the many Australians who like to pretend that Russell Crowe and Crowded House are "fully Oz", today I'm liking the idea that I'm "fully Irish". Alright, alright... so I haven't been there in a while, and I probably can't tell you who the current President of Ireland is*, but the truth is I was born in Ireland — and today I'm going to (soy)milk that for all it's worth. :-) Why..?

'Cause this month the Green party in Ireland has achieved a huuuuge victory for our furry friends — they banned fur farming! Yep, you heard right: Ireland has banned fur farming!! But that's not all — campaigners in Ireland are now setting their sights on banning imports of cruel fur products! Noice Wan!

Fur factory farms are a special type of hell for animals like foxes, raccoons and minks. These and other animals are locked in tiny cages and are often driven insane from the stress and frustration of unnatural confinement. These traumatised animals have been known to gnaw at their own flesh and even cannibalise their cagemates. Those that survive the 'farm' are destined to be anally or vaginally electrocuted, gassed or drowned before having their skin ripped from their small bodies.

Unfortunately almost all fur in Australia is imported from Europe, the U.S. and Asia, where animals are treated just like this. Pretty sickening huh. We hope that other countries wake up and follow Ireland's compassionate lead in realising that animals need their fur more than ugly people do!

Meanwhile, you can help these little guys by signing the pledge to wear your own skin, and don't hesitate to remind any fur wearers where their coat or 'trim' really came from!

* My apologies to President Mary McAleese.

A lot to a seal, I'm willing to bet.

Just a warning, don't read on if you're easily upset. Just click here to help end this cruelty.

I only recently discovered just how brutal the annual Namibian seal cull is. People call it the 'cruellest in the world', and there's a good reason why. Most of the seals killed during this brutal slaughter are so young that they are still being nursed by their mothers. The defenceless pups are rounded up and separated from their mothers — and many vomit their mother's milk in fear — before being clubbed to death. Some seals who aren't completely knocked out are then stabbed and "bled out" while they are still fully conscious. Their mothers are left to watch on helplessly. It's one of the most disturbing sights you're likely to ever see (I don't recommend it, but you can find videos here of what has happened during previous 'hunts' if you think you can handle it).

You might be thinking — thank goodness we'd never support something so awful here in Australia! Well, it turns out that it's an Australian company that is directly linked to the annual Namibian slaughter. Last year, Sydney-based fur and skins company, Hatem Yavuz, purchased all of the dead seal pup skins from the cull. All of them!!

That's why we're publicly naming and shaming and demanding that Hatem Yavuz commits to never buying Namibian cape fur seal skins again. Never, ever again. If you think that a seal's fur coat is worth more to the seal than to Hatem Yavuz, then please take 1 minute to send this important message today. The seals need you!

Images courtesy of Seal Alert South Africa

If you pick up this month's Dolly magazine, you might spot a glimpse of our all-time-favourite-Kisschasy-frontman-and-hero-for-animals, Darren Cordeux. Yep. He's at it again. This time round, the outspoken rock star is giving chicks a voice in a full page ad, which begs readers to stop to think about the little guys (or, chickens), who all need our help.

And boy don't they know it. I mean—how's THIS for a chick magnet!?

There's more to this drop dead gorgeous entertainer than you might think. You can hear what else Daz has to say in his exclusive Unleashed video.

Dolly's double page spread on page 40 also highlights the tragic cruelty of fur. Kudos to Dolly for raising such an important issue in its magazine! Animals on fur farms live lives of sheer misery, only to be drowned, gassed—even skinned alive—for their pelts. No wonder The Veronicas are so pissed about it!

Did you see the feature in this month's Dolly? Tell us what you think!