It is incredible to think that if I brought a little piglet home and named her (come on, we've all thought about it!) she would learn that name in no time and come running every time I called her - Ruby! Olive! Doris! (I can't choose). But studies have shown this to be true, meaning a pig could potentially be as wonderful a pet as a pooch!

But footage from a recent doco from Animal Equity in Spain proves beyond doubt that we still have a very long way to go in giving all pigs the quality of life we afford our gorgeous companion animals. This rare glimpse into their world is recommended viewing to anyone who still eats pork, bacon, ham, crackling � pigs basically! (Recommended viewing for those that don't eat pigs is here)

Pretty shocking stuff, right? What's more shocking is that this is happening all over the world - Australia included. Every year, in Australian factory farms, over 4 million scared piglets endure painful procedures like having their teeth cut, and tails sliced off -- all without pain relief. Those 'farrowing crates' that can be seen in the vid are used in piggeries across Australia too.

Did you know that pigs wag their tails when they're happy, just like dogs? Well, scientists believe that pigs are actually smarter than dogs. Now can you imagine if someone did these sorts of things to your dog (or your cat)? You'd make sure they saw the inside of a prison cell for a mighty long time right?

Even though these awful practices are still legal in Australia, pigs are slowly, but surely gaining a stronger voice as more and more people (including big players like Coles) are beginning to wake up to the horrors of factory farming.

But what can you do to ease their suffering RIGHT NOW? Don't eat pigs! It really is the easiest and simplest way for every person to help pigs straight away. And if you've already taken piglets off your plate (I love you, you're ace!), try to speak up and make their voice louder every chance you get!

PS Click here for further info on the effects of your meat free diet!

Have you ever thought "If only world leaders cared more for animals!"? Imagine how things would change for the better if those in charge saw more than just a dollar sign hanging around animals' necks.

Well, some news from the weekend is a step in the right direction. In a recent interview, former US President, Bill Clinton said that he's 'experimenting' with being vegan in the hope it'll keep him in shape long enough to be around to see his grandkids come into the world:

I 'spose he didn't want to end up like this guy:

According to an Ecorazzi source close to Clinton "He knows quite a bit and likely has a lot to say about the benefits of a vegan diet. He has read The China Study, and he knows the issues. With time, I think it's likely he could become the most outspoken proponent of a complete vegan diet." I'll be keeping all my fingers and toes crossed that he sticks with it!

Chelsea Clinton must be pretty chuffed that she's persuaded her dad to go vegan. Getting her dad to read 'The China Study' seems to have worked for her. Have you ever tried to get your parents to read a book about the health benefits of being vegan (eg. 'The China Study') or a book about animals raised for food (eg. 'Eating Animals')? How did they react?

Whenever I see footage of animals in factory farms or at the slaughterhouse I can't help but think "Run! Run!". If only...!

In '98 two piglets in the UK, Butch and Sundance, did just that. They escaped from the back of a truck, squeezed through a fence, swam across a river and vanished into a nearby garden. The pair were on the run for a week before they were finally caught. By that time their story was on the international news and the public were so taken by these two escapees that they were rewarded by being given a home in a farm sanctuary.

So what goes through the mind of an escaped pig?

Illustrator extraordinaire, Donn Pattendon asked this question for his most recent artwork, 'Escapee'. If you've taken a stroll through the back catalogue of blogs on Unleashed, then you've probably come across some illustrations by Donn before. He won the People's Choice Award at last year's Illustrators Australia 9x5 Exhibition with a very clever take on battery hens. His entry for this year's 9x5 Exhibition is another great illustration shining the spotlight on factory farming. And the cherry on top, is that Donn has kindly offered to donate 20% on the sale of this artwork to Animals Australia!

If you live in Melbourne and want to check out the exhibition (and vote for Donn's piece for this year's People's Choice Award), then below are details. If you don't live in Melbourne, then you can check out the rest of the exhibition online by clicking here.

Illustrators Australia Annual 9x5 Exhibition
Where: Space 39, Lvl 2, 39 Collins St, Melbourne
Opening night: Friday 17th Sep 6pm, Silent Auction, drinks nibbles and a chance to purchase original illustration on 9x5 wood, prize giveaways for People's Choice Awards. Gallery open for one day only; Saturday 18th Sept 10am-4pm.

Right, so back to the question... What do you think would go through the mind of an animal escaping from a factory farm?

Not long ago I took some friends to a favourite diving place of mine in Melbourne called Cottage by the Sea. This particular place has deep overhangs and crevices that provide shelter and feeding ground for lots of ocean life. It's home to one of the most inquisitive and cute 'fish' (actually an invertebrate, like an octopus) in the world - the Cuttlefish.

Imagine a creature that can change colour and texture on demand, can hover, shoot forward or backwards and has eyes that can look into your soul. A cuttlefish is SO much more than a piece of calcium washed up on the beach. This vid will give you a better picture:

One of my favourite things to do when diving is poke my head into the caves in the reef and see how fish are spending their day. I was doing exactly this when all of a sudden a large cuttlefish shot out and grabbed one of our air gauges with his tentacles! (Cuttlefish use their tentacles to explore things, just like we might pick something up with our hands.) The gauge was bright yellow and he was flashing different colours trying to match it. He seemed highly fascinated with the colour and shape of the gauge. Then he suddenly let go and hovered right near my friend's mask, having a good long look at her. Cuttlefish can actually make eye contact!

Our playful cuttle then moved on to another diver in our group who was quite nervous about the strange creature in front of him. I think the cuttle sensed this and actually toyed with him. The cuttlefish would dart forward; the diver would back up and the cuttle would raise four of his tentacles above his head and lower the other ones in a really funny gesture.

Then the cuttle moved towards me. He gently touched my raised hand with his tentacles before hovering up to my mask to look me in the eye!

We watched for a long while as the cuttle moved away from us. But when we decided to move on, I turned back a few times to see him slowly following us, watching us the whole time.

When we surfaced we couldn't stop talking about our cuttle encounter. We felt he was communicating with us and that we were lucky to be in the presence of such an intelligent creature.

I have no doubt that most sea creatures feel pain, and since this experience with the cuttle (who are directly related to squids) my friends haven't eaten any calamari. It's often the case that people won't knowingly contribute to the killing of an animal they feel empathy for. So why should our marine creatures be any different?

I love retelling this story because I know people who hear it will never look at cuttle bones on the beach the same way again. Would this kind of experience stop you eating squid or cuttlefish? Or have you given up seafood altogether?

When you think of animals in circuses, what comes to mind? ... Elephants, lions, monkeys, goldfish ... hold up! ... goldfish?

Yes, you read right - goldfish. The Moscow circus was this week banned from performing an act in which a woman swallowed 3 live goldfish and then regurgitated them, after Animals Australia reported the act to the NSW Govt.

It's bad enough that elephants and other exotic animals suffer miserable cramped and inadequate lives in circuses, but how could anyone imagine that swallowing a live animal would make for wholesome family entertainment? Mind you, if you ask me, swallowing dead animals at the dinner table hardly makes for a wholesome family activity either.

Anyway, if you're thinking "But they're just goldfish, don't they have a 3 second memory?", then to dispell this myth I'll refer you to that amazing fountain of knowledge that is Japanese Novelty TV:

I bet you didn't expect to see synchronised swimming goldfish when you woke up this morning ;)

Lady Gaga has taken the cake for revolting this week by appearing on the cover of Men's Vogue in Japan wearing nothing but a bikini made of raw meat. *gag*

Ok, I know Gaga has built her fame on her outrageous fashion, but draping yourself in the flesh of butchered animals is just tasteless attention seeking. In fact, Miss Gore-gore looks about as ugly here as is the reality of how that meat-kini came to be dead. But pictures speak louder than words, so I'll let you decide which is uglier.

What do you think? Which is uglier Lady Gore-gore, or the reality of what happened to the cows she's wearing?

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 ;)