It's time to whip out your Australian flag and chant 'Aussie Aussie Aussie!', cause we're number one! Actually... you might want to just sit on that flag when you hear this...
"Our region has the notorious distinction of having possibly the worst extinction record on earth," said Richard Kingsford, one of the authors of a new study on extinction. The study highlighted the fact that the earth is currently expreriencing its 6th greatest extinction, and guess what... Australia and the Pacific top the list of culprits.
According to the report, land clearing and overlogging are amonst the biggest threats to Aussie plants and animals. So who's cutting down all our trees? According to the UN the livestock industry is the number 1 cause of deforestation worldwide. When you connect the dots it's just obvious: eat less meat - save more planet!
And so on that note, it's time for another installment of "Spot the Difference"!
Meat and Livestock Australia have launched a new green-washing campaign to 'keep it real' and highlight the environmental contributions made by livestock producers. This campaign hopes to counter all these concerns about about deforestation, methane emissions (the livestock industry also produce 18% of all greenhouse gas emissions), and all that crap (Literally! - livestock produce 130 times the waste of the entire human population.).
The first image below is the ... ahem ... crap that MLA are trying to feed us. The second is the crap that they're polluting our land with.
Q: What do gorillas and mobile phones have in common?
A: They're both native to the Congo.
Ok, so that might be a stretch. But there is a tiny piece of metallic ore inside your phone, called coltan, which was mined in the Congo. And every time your mobile rings, it's the coltan inside that makes that call possible.
It turns out that whilst a mobile may be convenient for you and me, the mining of coltan to make that phone isn't so convenient for gorillas. Mining in the Congo River Basin is causing deforestation and unrest in the region. And that's bad news for the gorillas, whose populations are dropping at a troubling rate.
Fortunately the ever amazing Jane Goodall is onto the case, and is spearheading a mobile phone recycling program, "They're Calling on YOU". Giving the coltan in your phone a second life, might just help spare a gorilla's in the process. Not to mention the fact that recycling your phone means less landfill. And to top it all off, the sale of refurbished phones helps fund the Jane Goodall Institute's primate conservation work in Africa!
If you're saying "bye bye" to your old hand set then hand it over to the "They're Calling on YOU" recycling program to help protect gorillas.
Ever wondered what the Terminator might have for breakfast before a hard day out .. um .. terminating? Well wonder no more! The peaceable folk over at the Pentagon have assured us all that their latest military robot is a vegetarian. This announcement came after rumours that their self-sufficient robot may eat human corpses.
"We completely understand the public's concern about futuristic robots feeding on the human population, but that is not our mission," said Harry Schoell, the chief executive of Cyclone Power Technologies - one of the companies behind the machine. Phew! I'll sleep a little easier tonight, knowing we don't have to also worry about robots with a taste for flesh.
Dr Finkelstein (no joke that's his name) of Robotic Technology Inc. - another of the companies working on the project - explained that EATR (aka Energetically Autonomous Tactical Robot) has in-built sensors to determine if something is animal, vegetable or mineral. The robot's diet mainly consists of bark, twigs and other plant matter.
Have you heard? Our Macbeth comp is in its last days... While we're all sitting back and wondering who is going to be one of the 4 lucky winners to nab a free pair of Macbeths — what are you doing?
a) Huh? Macbeth comp?
b) Wondering why I'm reading this blog instead of entering the comp already.
c) Going back to enter the comp again to increase my chances of winning!!
If you answered A, or B, then there's only one thing to do: click the fuzzy wuzzy cute widdle cow below and you'll be well on your way to scoring a sweet new pair of the Hunter Burgan Studio Project Shoes — vegan for "my footwear kicks ass". And if you're wondering why you need these awesome leather-free shoes...? Then just check this out.
Another horse died yesterday in jumps racing in Victoria. You've got to wonder how much longer the Vic Minister for Racing, Rob Hulls, will let this go on. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to work out that no amount of 'safety measures' is going to make this 'sport' safe.
What really gets me (aside from the racing industry not seeming to care much about horses) is the language used by the industry and the media to talk about these tragedies. The most recent victim of jumps racing was All Square, who collapsed on the track mid-race and was killed - or as it was reported in the media:
"All Square faltered in the straight after the jumps, broke down and was destroyed after a vet examined it."
They may as well be talking about a car breaking down during the Grand Prix with that language! Sadly, we have a long way to go when animals are referred to as objects that 'break down' and are 'destroyed'.
I think that as animal advocates we each need to take every opportunity to do our little bit to transform our langauge to reflect the fact that animals are living, feeling creatures. Simply referring to animals as 'he' or 'she', instead of 'it' goes a long way to defining them as a someone, not a something.
But that's enough of my thoughts...
If you're outraged that the carnage of jumps racing has not been 'destroyed' for good, please write to Minister Rob Hulls and let him know how you feel: [email protected]
Last Friday a man was killed during the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. The 27 year old man, Daniel Jimeno Romero, died after being gored in the stomach by a disoriented bull during the run.
As the annual festival wraps up today, the total death toll will near 49 at this year's brutal event. But unlike Mr Romero, the 48 bulls who are tormented and killed during the festival did not volunteer to take part.
While the people in this race may be running for their lives the bulls are litertally racing towards their deaths. After being poked with electric prods and sharp instruments and a terrifying and hazardous run through the slippery cobblestone streets, the bulls' run ends in a bullfighting arena.
Once the bulls are in the ring, the odds are heavily stacked against them. In bullfights, the bull may be drugged or even have the muscles on the back of his neck cut to prevent him lifting his head during the 'fight'. Men on horse back thrust barbed sticks into the bulls back until he is weak and drained of blood. Then the matador enters the ring to taunt the injured animal until he collapses. Finally the matador sticks a blade into the bulls heart to kill him.
Sometimes the matador misses the bulls heart and the animal doesn't die. When this happens, another person comes in to finish off the animal, usually with a knife. It can sometimes take as many as another 30 stabbings to finally kill the bull.
This is not my idea of a festive occasion, or a must see tourist event. I can understand the thrill of cheating death, but not at the expense of someone else's life! If people really want to face their fears and take on a challenge, perhaps they should take a few pointers from Steph Davis. Steph is a vegan free-solo climber (ie. she climbs cliffs without any safety gear and then base jumps off the top). Now that's a thrill without the carnage!
If you're disgusted by the running of the bulls, you might like to write to the Spanish Ministry of Tourism ([email protected]) to let them know you wouldn't consider visiting Spain whilst they continue to abuse and kill bulls.
Well I think I speak for everybody when I say that I'm pretty peeved off with all the deceptive advertising that goes in to promoting animal products, although Meat and Livestock Australia take the crown for their new dodgy ad with Sam Neill.
In the new ad Sam explains to his orang-utan friend Dennis the supposed importance of eating red meat to make your brain evolve. I highly doubt that Einstein, Da Vinci or Pythagoras – all vegetarians – would agree with Sam on this one. In fact about the most intelligent thing Sam does in the whole ad is dance like a fool.
To me, it really is showing a sign of the times that selling meat is getting tougher and tougher as people learn about the cruelty, the environmental devastation, and the health impacts of consuming it. So no wonder they stoop to new lows with every new ad they come out with.
Yesterday, Jill Singer of the Herald Sun bit back at MLA's shoddy advertising with her scathing article Choking on a red meat message. Jill accurately points out that the intention of MLA isn't to look after your interests and promote good health, it's to sell more meat. The best line in this whole article though, is this: 'The statement that red meat is an essential part of our diet is a lie. It is a more essential part of a maggot's diet than a human's.'
Take home message for the day – MLA, you got burned!
Now it's that time again to head to Lord of the Fries and grab some cruelty-free junk food that doesn't kill animals. Ward out
I don't know about you, but when I see the horrors that go on in profit-driven animal industries I feel like I cannot do enough to help stop it. So I'm always delighted when I come across some helpful tips on how to be a better advocate.
Last year I picked up a book called 'Striking at the Roots: A practical guide to animal activism'. The author, Mark Hawthorne, does a brilliant job of laying out simple 'how to' guides for some of the most successful strategies to help animals. I could barely put the book down!
So imagine my excitement when I stumbled across his blog! And better yet found an entry entitled: 'Activism Guides for Everyone'. Here Mark suggests a dozen great books on advocacy for animals. And he even suggests who the guides would be best suited to (from newbie to seasoned activist).
I'd highly recommend anyone eager to help animals to check out this suggested reading list. Mark sums up very well:
Bottom line: We owe it to the animals to be the most effective advocates we can. And with titles available for individual activists, those working or volunteering for grassroots organizations and even kids, there seems to be an activism book for everyone. Whether it’s through reading one of these books, attending an animal rights conference, taking a public-speaking class or getting involved with a local group, please commit yourself to improving your activist skills and knowledge.
If you're thinking of catching a flick this week, you might like to check out the new Aussie doco "The Burning Season" (starting 9th July). Narrated by Hugh Jackman, this film follows the young Aussie entrepreneur, Dorjee Sun, in his efforts to save the Indonesian rainforest and the orangutans who live.
The trailer looks fantastic. Who doesn't like an inspiring story of someone changing the world!
While you're waiting for the film's release, you might also want to check out the accompanying website. The site offers ten practical ways that anyone can help the planet. It's good to see reducing meat consumption makes a mention.
If you catch the film, I'd love to hear what you think.
You might remember that we've been nominated in Canon's "Creative for a Cause" photography comp, where we could win $60,000 to help animals...
Well, with only one week left in the competition, now is the time to cast your votes! Please take a moment to click on the photos below and vote for both of these leading photos.
You can only vote once per image, but you can vote for as many different images as you like. And don't forget to ask all your friends to vote, and of course to post a link on Facebook!
Some great news came out of Ipswich this week. Ipswich City Council voted to ban exotic animals from being used in circuses on council land. That makes Ipswich the first council in Queensland to take a stand against cruel animal circuses. Woot!
And it's about time! The lives of wild animals in circuses is the pits. They are tormented and abused to instill fear, so they will perform tricks for the audience. (Have you notice that it's a whip not a reward that they use?) Elephant 'trainers' often use a bullhook (a stick with a sharp metal hook on one end) to control or punish elephants. This hook is dug into senstitive parts of their body such as behind their ears, in their mouth or the bottoms of their feet.
When not performing, these animals, who might wander tens, if not hundreds of kilometers in a day in the wild, are confined in tiny barren cages. They spend months on the road carted from town to town, to be brought out on stage to perform in bright, loud tents for onlookers.
So a big hoorah to Ispwich Council for taking a stand against animal cruelty. Here's hoping a few more councils follow suit. If you have a moment, please write to Ipswich to congratulate them on the ban ([email protected]). And you might even like to write to your own local council and encourage them to ban exotic animal circuses too!
While I'm at it, I thought I'd also share these brilliant campaign posters from a collaboration between two portuguese animal advocacy groups, Acção Animal and Liga Portuguesa dos Direitos do Animal. They really sum it up well:
"Roll up, roll up, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls for the crack of the whip against the animal's stinging wounds. A big round of applause for the flaming hoops, the injuries and the electric shocks. Come and see the famed number of cages and tightly binding chains allowing no escape from endless training sessions. Laugh, applaud and join in with the repetitive choreographed routines typical of depressed animals under great stress. All the fun of the circus travelling from city to city exhibiting animals as human caricatures. Clowning around that's no fun at all. Animal circuses, don't be part of the show."
(If you're keen to check out some other clever NGO campaigns, I found these at: osocio.org)
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.
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