This is Autumn. She was recently rescued from a factory farm and is only now experiencing life's simple joys for the very first time.

Autumn is quiet, but when she chirps, she sounds like a baby. She never knew her mother, but constantly seeks comfort and protection from those around her.

Until recently, the only life she knew was inside the walls of a factory farm. She never saw the sun. She had no room to move, and lay in faeces covered litter every hour of every day.

Autumn was valued only for how much meat she could produce. Her body was bred to grow many times faster than nature intended. At just 30 days old, she already carries the weight of an adult, and struggles to walk.

Chickens like Autumn are not designed to live past six weeks. Soon Autumn is likely to succumb to lameness or heart failure. But in her last weeks or months, she is discovering what brings joy and meaning to her life. Her eyes close in delight whenever the sun hits her face. She has developed a profound love for watermelon. Yesterday, she learned to dust bathe...

She enjoys time with her feathered companions. In fact, she becomes distressed if she and her best friend Summer lose sight of one other.

Last week the chickens Autumn grew up with were packed into crates and trucked to slaughter. This week they will be on supermarket shelves.

Autumn lives on, and if you share this, so will her story.

She is someone, not something.

Thanks to Tamara Kenneally Photography for providing Autumn's photo and providing sanctuary for her to live out her life in peace. And thanks to you, for caring. Every meal is a choice. Animals like Autumn are depending on us to make compassionate ones.

UPDATE: Sadly, Autumn passed away in late July. Rescued and given a loving home, her last weeks of life were filled with simple joys that most chickens are never given the chance to discover. Brought into this world only two months ago, trapped in a body that was designed not to sustain life, but to grow unnaturally fast. She was just one of millions who grow up in factory farms across Australia. Farewell Autumn.

Bulls, horses, calves and people who care about animals can all breathe a little easier in Queensland. A rodeo planned for later this year has lost one of its major sponsors after Kmart decided to take a strong stand against animal cruelty and withdrew their support of the Mt Isa Rodeo.

After receiving evidence from Animals Australia showing the suffering and cruelty endured by animals at rodeo events, Kmart announced it will end its sponsorship of the rodeo. They've also said they'll make sure they're not supporting events like this one again in the future. Sounds like a KSmart idea to me.

Rodeos are often pitched as "family fun days". Would your idea of "family fun" be getting your kicks seeing animals in a state of fear and anxiety? Can you even imagine the advertising for a rodeo? "Come see calves being dragged by lassos around their necks! Horses rearing and desperately trying to escape! Horses collapsing after just giving up! Bulls made to buck with straps tightened around their sensitive organs!" Umm ... I'll pass, thanks. No wonder Kmart have decided to steer clear of this event.

Rodeos are 'entertainment' at the expense of animals. They've been banned in the UK, and some parts of Europe and the US. It's awesome to see good guys like Kmart (and Telstra) do the right thing and not support these cruel events. These events can't run without funding, so Kmart's decision is a major one in terms of protecting animals. Hopefully state governments around Australia will soon go the distance and get rid of rodeos altogether.

If you've got a minute or two, why not shoot Kmart a quick 'thank-you' message for looking out for animals. You can also join them and many other Aussies by pledging to "Say no to rodeos", too!

Sportswear giant Puma have scored some big points on the 'animal friendly' score board with news that it's considering giving leather the boot!

In an interview on the weekend, Puma's chairman, Jochen Zeitz said that given the environmental damage caused by raising cattle, "I think eventually we'll have to look at alternative materials, there's no question about it. We should eat less meat, all of us, and we should use less leather, I mean that's reality."

This move would save millions of animals from being abused and killed in the leather industry, not to mention cutting down on greenhouse gases and the toxic chemicals used to preserve dead cow's skin. Hopefully the other big shoe companies will come to the party soon too!

Luckily, Puma isn't the only one in the sporting world that is kicking out cruelty. From sports companies to sports teams ... Last year, the English football team, Forest Green Rovers lived up to the 'green' in their name and went vegetarian! The club announced that "on nutritional advice, it was decided to no longer feed our team red meat for health and performance reasons". But they didn't stop there: "If red meat was not good enough to feed our players, then it wasn't good enough for our staff, fans and visitors too". And so meat pies and hot-dogs were shown the red card, substituted by mushroom pies, polenta chips and felafel wraps.

I don't know if the new menu at the club can take all the credit, but the Rovers improved from 20th in 2011 to finish 10th in the 2012 season (after meat had been cut)! Even if the new menu can't take credit for all the points on the pitch, the players and fans can take heart in knowing that vegetarians are less likely to be obese or have high levels of artery clogging cholesterol, and enjoy a range of other health benefits - simply by choosing not to eat animals.

Ever go to the footy? What do you think of the food on offer at the games? (Apart from the fact that it's overpriced, I mean). What do you think they should be serving?

ps. When you've got a sec, please send Puma a supportive message to let them know that you think getting rid of leather would be a slam dunk for animals and the environment: [email protected]

Watch the video first. Be amazed. Then read on.

Amazing what an act of kindness can do, isn't it! When Costa Rican local Chito found Pocho, the 5 metre long croc laying severely injured on the bank of a river almost 20 years ago, he did something quite remarkable and very compassionate...

Pocho had been shot by a farmer and blinded in one eye. Chito couldn't bear to let the croc suffer and die. As he said himself, "I just wanted him to feel that someone loved him, that not all humans are bad. I love all animals, especially ones that have suffered."

So, he rescued the croc and nursed him back to health. The story takes a turn for the awesome when Chito tried to return Pocho to the wild. Pocho didn't want to be left behind by his new human mate ... and followed him home! With permission from all the right people, Chito was allowed to care for and live with Pocho for the next 17 years.

The two would spend hours each day swimming and playing together, and Pocho even learnt to respond to his name, to roll over and to hold up his tail. Throughout the years, Pocho was gentle and patient with Chito ... which is more than I can say for Gus when he plays with/terrorises me.

After many years of friendship, Pocho died of natural causes last year at the age of 50. Hundreds of people attended his funeral. Chito was devastated by Pocho's death, but continues to share his mate's story to raise awareness about just how special crocodiles are.

DO YOUR BIT TO HELP CROCS!

Pocho's story shows that even crocodiles can appreciate an act of kindness. Sadly, the Northern Territory Government has come up with a plan that is anything but kind to crocs. They're hoping to reintroduce 'safari hunting' of crocs, effectively selling the right to shoot at crocodiles to the highest bidders. Click here to help stop this cruel plan in its tracks.

Some great news for turtles, dugongs and turtle-and-dugong-lovers. Thanks to Animals Australia supporters and other caring Australians these two gentle sea animals are now protected by the same animal cruelty laws that protect other animals in Queensland. That means: no more turtles having flippers cut off whilst still alive and no more dugongs being dragged behind boats until they drown. That's definitely worth shell-ebrating!

This turtle-y awesome news was made possible by the thousands of Animals Australia and Unleashed supporters, just like you who wrote letters and signed petitions to pressure pollies and the inspiring efforts of activists, Colin Riddell, Bob Irwin and Rupert Imhoff, to expose the cruelty. This is yet another example of compassionate Australians speaking up for the voiceless and winning.

Although the legal loophole that allowed for their terrible treatment has been closed, turtles and dugongs still face an uncertain future as their population numbers dwindle. The Liberal National Party in Queensland has taken a positive first step, now you can encourage them to protect turtles and dugongs by putting an end to their hunting altogether.

A thank you message for what they've already done, and a little encouragement to go even further can be sent to the Minister for Agriculture John McVeigh, right ... here!!

Interesting dugong fact: it is believed that ye olde time sailors created the legend of mermaids after sighting dugongs. Maybe ye olde time sailors were wearing eye-patches on both eyes.

There are good ads, there are bad ads, and then there are just downright bizarre ads. This effort from the European Fur Breeders Association definitely comes into the category of bizarre. SPOILER: there's a talking mink lecturing a cow and chicken on why they should be stoked to be killed.

Yeah, riiight. If mink really COULD talk, I'm pretty sure the first thing they'd say would be along the lines of, "What are you doing to us??!!?" (How surprised would you be if I told you that the same crew behind this clip has recently had their other ads banned for being misleading?)

Making terrible ads is not the worst thing fur farms will ever be accused of though. Confining animals to cramped cages, and then electrocuting them or skinning them alive would be top of that list.

Why people still choose to wear fur is beyond me. I can only think there is one reason for it, and that is that they haven't really thought about the cruelty involved in producing clothing with fur. And that's where you can help them AND animals. Here's a little game you can play with people wearing real fur:

You: That's a lovely faux fur coat you're wearing.

Fur wearer: Thanks.

You: I just don't understand why people would wear real fur. The way animals are electrocuted or skinned alive for fur is enough to put you off ever wearing fur again, don't you think?

By making people realise that fur is an epic fashion crime, it will make them think twice about their dodgy fashion decision. You can also let our government know you want to see an end to fur products in Australia with just a few seconds of your time.

Fur belongs on the animals who need it to survive, not on a coat rack. You can make a commitment to living fur-free by pledging to wear your own skin. I'm sure Freddy the Mink will be much happier with that.

What do you think of the EFBA's ads? Share your thoughts!

Proving that real men are kind to animals, Norwegian mates Erik and Torvald put their own lives at risk to rescue a lamb that was close to drowning. Check out these amazing pics of the rescue!

Erik (20) and Torvald (19) were out and about with a mate taking photos with a new camera when Erik saw the lamb struggling in the waves. Immediately the guys leapt into action and ... well, the photos tell the story. The lamb was reunited with his flock, while Erik and Torvald probably spent the rest of the day rescuing babies from burning buildings and stopping supervillains from taking over the world.

If you reckon this kind of story is inspiring (it gave me goosebumps!) then bear in mind that your decisions every day can have the same impact on an animal's life as these two guys have. Decisions like going meat-free, pledging to not wear leather, or encouraging your oldies to not buy cage eggs (or better yet, try egg replacers!) all make a world of difference to the lives of countless animals.

By making compassionate decisions, you can be a hero for animals, too.

What are some other ways you can think of that Unleashed members can do to help animals?

I've had vegan pizza and vegan lasagne. I wear vegan shoes and a belt. I've even got some amazing vegan music in my collection! But all I want for my next birthday ... is the same vegan carrot cake that P!nk got for her baby girl's first birthday party last week.

Look at that thing! It's making my mouth water.

P!nk is famous not just for her music and live shows, but also for her willingness to speak up for animals. She's supported campaigns against mulesing, fur, bullfighting and puppy mills. With all that action, it's no surprise that little Willow's first b'day cake was cruelty-free.

While a vegan b'day cake is a pretty sweet pressie just by itself, it's actually a gift that keeps on giving. As well as being 100% kind to animals, avoiding animal products at meal-time has all kinds of positive spin-offs for you. A study just published in the Medical Journal of Australia outlines all the benefits that going veg has. There's less chance of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and colorectal cancer. I particularly don't like the sound of that last one.

The study also found no noticeable difference in the growth of vegetarian kids compared to meat-eating kids, which doesn't surprise me one bit. Cough-Billy Simmonds-cough.

So happy birthday little Willow, hope you had a great day! And if there's any cake left over ... I'm on my way.

Socks are definitely the under-appreciated members of the fashion family. Tucked away at the back of the wardrobe most of the time; then when they are picked for a day out they're hidden in shoes and under pant legs where no-one can see them! Poor socks :( But, that's about to change for two lucky pairs of socks who have won brand new owners who I'm sure will wear them proudly for all to see! That's right, winners have been chosen in the Tofu Robot Socks Poetry Competition! Or as I call it - the 'ToRoSoPoCo'.

I have to tell you how impressed I was by the quality of entries. The rhymes were original and generally they even rhymed, which is always a good start! Obviously English teachers around Australia deserve a pay-rise (not you though Maths teachers - not until you make your subject interesting.)

There were dozens of quality entries, but only two pairs of socks to give away. If you missed out this time, then make sure you enter the Unleashed competition to win a pair of free Etiko sneakers.

Alright, so now the important part - the winning entries!

treehugga pointed to the health benefits of eating tofu with this effort:
I need some good protein that's cruelty free
Tofu is clearly the choice for me!

While Brodie put together a charming ode to the animals:
I love chicken and lamb and kangaroo
They all play in the paddock while I eat tofu!

Your socks (and probably an invite to appear on the next Hilltops' album) are on the way!

Have you ever found $20 in your pocket weeks after putting it in there? Feels pretty sweet doesn't it? Everybody loves scoring something for free. That's why I'm pleased to announce the beginning of Unleashed's regular giveaway competition! It's called the Top Comment Comp, and it begins ... now!

Here's how it works: Blogs get posted on Unleashed. You comment on blogs. At the end of each month, we'll pick the top comment posted that month. If one of your comments is the funniest, smartest, deepest for the month - then you win the prize. Boom. Easy as that.

The prize will change every month, and to get things rolling the prize for June is an Unleashed T-shirt. You choose which one you reckon would show off your sexy arms the best (it's gonna take more than a shirt to make my pasta arms look presentable), and we'll send it to you. Unleashed shirts are sweatshop free, and guaranteed to make you look (more!) attractive.* In these T's you'll be kicking ass for the animals in style.

Here's some of the shirts you could be choosing from.

Scope the full range here.

The winner will be announced at the end of the month, and all blog comments will be considered.** Good luck!!

* Well, it can't hurt anyway.

** 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 a hot new shirt to show for it.