Dominion, use and abuse of power

When I first saw this event, all I could think about was the fact that I wanted to go see it! I had seen a video of actual cats plinking guitar strings and banging on drums and keyboards, but after realizing that these are not just some local pets who have been trained, they are not only required to dress up and perform, but they must travel in order to do it. I was thinking that makes them a Circus. Maybe this example is pushing the definition a bit though. What do you think? It looks like what these kitties are put through (being trained to do tricks for treats – maybe it’s not that much different in their case than what anyone would with their pet). Making them travel? I don’t think that’s a good idea for a bunch of cats, but I guess it could be worse.

I am (obviously) in favor of keeping certain animals as pets (a.k.a. family members, a.k.a fur people) but am against using animals purely as workers or entertainers. Something that falls under the both categories is dog sledding. Now, I understand that, under primitive conditions, certain animals are utilized as the only possibly form of transportation, where transportation of a certain speed is required for survival. This might take the form of horses, camels, dogs...

Here is the horrible story of the slaughter of 100 sled dogs (out of 300). After the BC Olympics, tourism dropped and the dogs were no longer needed so they were sentenced to be shot and throats slashed. Many of them reportedly did not die quickly enough to be called humane, and that is the only part of this incident that broke the rules. It's not even clear that charges will be brought.
This is enough to shock just about anybody, but we don't give that much thought to racing horses or dogs, performing circus animals, or even those poor urban carriage horses who clip-clop you up and down the streets among the downtown traffic jam - endlessly. I always think they must be wondering when in hell they applied for that job.

Seems like the Olympics brings animal death as a matter of course, such as in China when they rounded up a half million cats (many of whom were pets) under the guise of a SARS scare but in reality a way to *clean* the streets for Olympic visitors, then they were beaten to death or sent to death cages out of town. Similarly, in Greece 2004, there was suspected activity of this kind to clean the streets of strays, although not in the same staggering volume.

Humans have it in their heads that we are in charge of the earth and all the things that live on it (and more)! The principle of Dominion is written in the Bible, but even if it weren't, it would still be accepted by most of mankind. That's what I think. People write down what they believe in their sacred books, and blame the writings on a god.

Getting back to the Acro-Cats/Rock-Cats... they are starting to seem not so bad. Apparently they are rescue kitties, which gets a gold star, and if they are well cared for, taken to the vet regularly, given enough days off, not overly stressed, never hurt, and really, really loved... I am OK with it. It has to be done for love, not just for money... or power.

Endangered species in a can

Saw this story about an animal wrangler who was gored to death by a rare deer that was being loaded into one of those exotic game hunting ranches - a place where animals are gathered from all over the world, and confined on the premises to be killed for "sport." It's a canned trophy hunt of the most barbaric kind.

This particular ranch is a favorite of some celebrities, including Ted Nugent, who will be attending a Huntbash there this winter that will cost the participants $3,500 per person (can Sarah Palin be far behind? Or Dick Cheney?). I am really turned off by people who enjoy killing, but this is not even hunting... they bring the animals into an area and the customer kills them, cuts off the head (and/or skin) to mount on the wall, proving to all that humans are superior to lower beasts. Cowardly and sickening. It's not about food.

What I am really shocked about is the the deer, called a barasingha, is on the list of endangered species! How is it that people are allowed to hunt an endangered species?

The animal itself also died from the exertion of the attack - but it already had a death sentence on it anyway.

Furbaby Friday - Henry agrees

Tags and links: Friday Ark - Carnival of the Cats - This week's carnival is at The Whole Kitten Kaboodle - Cats - Catblogging

PC gone too far

[LINK] OK, normally I do not mind it when political correctness pushes the envelope. I actually think it's better to err on the side of there being too much of it rather than not enough. It's important to respect people.

BUT... in this case I have to object.

The Williamson County Animal Shelter is was having a special promotion offering reduced adoption fees for animals with black coats. Black animals are adopted less frequently than others. This is a national statistic. The shelter was calling the promotion "Black is Beautiful". People protested the use of that phrase because of the Juneteenth celebration that is held on June 19th. Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery.

Wilco is a kill shelter. "Kill shelter" seems like quite an oxymoron, doesn't it? But the truth is that animals brought there have very little chance of surviving the experience. They are supposed to give unidentified strays 72 hours, and identified ones a week, but that shelter has been notorious for making mistakes and killing animals that should have been kept longer (but that is another issue, along with the investigations of animal abuse and neglect at the shelter). The point is that they (these cats and dogs) need all the help they can get. It's a matter of life and death... and it's mostly death... so shame on the party-planners who have traded political correctness for who knows how many dog and cat lives.

Worst. Souvenir. Ever.

[LINK] I know that people don't generally care about fish. I personally don't eat fish because I don't eat "beings", but most people I know DO eat them... but eating them is not the issue here. This is a Chinese Olympics souvenir (probably unofficial), a keychain that contains a live fish! Killing a fish merely for a gimmick. First of all, to use a living creature like this is unthinkable, and how stupid an idea is this? Sooo stupid and wrong on so many levels. It can't possibly be fed because the item is sealed up. Luckily for the fish, it would probably not live long.

Who would buy this? Do they think it's fun for a kid? What kind of a message is that to teach them? Disgusting.

Olympic-sized cruelty

[LINK] Another heartbreaking animal story out of China. They are rounding up cats by the thousand and sending them to death camps... and not for euthanasia... if not killed outright they are left to die of neglect. People are being told that the cats are spreading diseases and must be eliminated. There is mass paranoia over it, so that people are throwing their animals out to be collected or even killing them themselves. 6 cats (including 2 pregnant females) were beaten to death with sticks by Kindergarten teachers who feared for the children. The cat population of Beijing that is at risk of extermination is 500,000. It is suspected by many to merely be a step in "cleaning up the place" for the Olympics, as other measures, such as shipping the street people away to camps, are being taken.

This animal paranoia and extermination is not a new thing. Back in 2006, after 3 people died from rabies in a certain county in China, 50,000 dogs were slaughtered. Only 3% of dogs are vaccinated against the disease there.

This makes me sick and angry, but don't shoot me

[LINK] His name was Tusker and he was 50 years old. He was at a New Year's party, maybe he shouldn't have been there, but it was where he lived, and was too ill to be moved somewhere else. He was used to people and was well-loved, but after being taunted and abused at the party, having fireworks and bottles thrown at him, being slapped, having his hair pulled out, he was provoked into trashing some cars and stomping on bottles. No people were hurt.

Nevertheless, less than a week later, Tusker was executed... shot by rangers who thought he was a problem anyway, and this must have been his last straw. Johnny Rodrigues, head of the independent Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force did not agree with them, but what's done is done.

Rodrigues said that the elephant was provoked into trashing cars by some of the hundreds of young people at a New Year's party, and that no one was hurt.

"Despite this senseless abuse, we have had no reports of Tusker hurting anyone, which is testament to his basic good nature," Rodrigues said. "It is shocking these parties where drugs and alcohol are abused should be permitted in wildlife areas."

Music from powerful speakers at the party could be heard for miles across the bush, he said.

Witnesses told The Associated Press the elephant stomped on beer and soda bottles and attempted to eat broken glass. They reported drunken party goers taunting the elephant by throwing bottles, lighting fireworks, flashing car lights, hooting and even plucking hairs from the animal's tail and slapping its rump.

I must be missing something.

[NEWS LINK] I understand that the previous owner of this cat along with 27 other seized cats is going to be undergoing psychological counseling and promising not to bring any more animals into her home.

What I don't understand is the judge allowing this woman to continue to keep 3 of the cats in her "care".

Video shot by the Austin Police Department showed signs of animal cruelty and malnourishment. The animals were living without proper food, water, shelter and medical care. One cat was found dead in upstairs closet, autopsies at Town Lake Animal Center later revealed that it had been dead for several months.

I just sent a small donation (about all I can spare) to the Humane Society of Austin, it's going to be tough and $$$ for them to handle that many new cats. This Humane Society is no-kill. Town Lake Animal Center, where they were originally taken, is a kill shelter. I know that even 3 more cats would be an impossible burden on the Humane Society, but I don't know how to excuse the judge allowing them to be left in the possession of a proven abuser.

Purrsday Night - Just looking in on you

Tags and links: Friday Ark - Carnival of the Cats - This week's carnival is at Bad Kitty Cats on Sunday - Cats - Catblogging -

BE a humane society

Chickens are an animal that very few people care about. When carnivores rank their level of respect for the animals who die to feed them, I would say that chickens are worsted only by fish. They are viewed only as entities who have no purpose other than that of feeding us "higher" beings. Where chickens are not worsted by fish is in the way they are treated by us while they are alive.

I am not making a plea here for anyone to Go Veggie. That's a very personal choice, and a difficult one, but one thing that IS easy to do is that if you buy eggs, buy Cage-Free (Free Range). Support the growing list of corporations, vendors, cafeterias, restaurants, and other organizations who have switched their preference or policy to Cage-Free.

And boycott Wendy's. Even Burger King has instituted a preference for cage-free eggs, beginning with a small percentage and increasing it to 100% over several more months. Wendy's, on the other hand, is trying to defend its caged policy by asserting that the 72 square inches it allows per hen is greater than the minimum requirement. 72 square inches: picture an 8x9 inch piece of paper, not even a full sheet. The cages create unspeakably cruel conditions that no living creature should be subjected to, especially by us "superior" humans who pride ourselves on our big brains, and our ability to reason and feel compassion. So use it. If you are unaware of the conditions in the battery cages, here's a short video to watch (only 2 minutes).

Tags: eggs - free range - chickens - cruelty

Hen and Eggs picture by Jessica Fries.

Amazon, follow-up, more

EDIT, Sunday Aug 19: I am bumping this post to the top, because of a new tactic that Amazon is taking. I clicked on the first link below, Gamecock Magazine, to find that they have removed all the negative comments (including mine)!!! There is some customer/user discussion of this in the forum. Looks like they have also done this for some of the other items too, like the "Dog Pit" book. At least they have (for now) left the tags in place, and the forum(s) as well.
***/end update/***

***/original post from Friday Aug. 17/***
I am just following up on my Amazon animal-fighting post from earlier in the week. Here's more that you can do to tell Amazon what you think: writing customer reviews. I'm thinking that those things are going to be very effective in the long run from Amazon's point of view.

Some suggestions for Amazon animal-fighting products to review:

Gamecock (magazine)
Grit and Steel (magazine)
The Game Cock (book)
History of Game Strains (book)
The Dog Pit - Or, How To Select, Breed, Train And Manage Fighting Dogs (book)
Feathered Warrior (magazine)

Tags: cockfighting - dogfighting - animal cruelty

I told Amazon I'd blog this

I wrote a letter to Amazon.com via the Humane Society's campaign to get them to stop selling cockfighting magazines and dogfighting videos!! This is utter crap. Barnes & Noble and other online sellers don't sell this stuff, and nobody should be selling it.

Humane Society: "Amazon claims that its commercial sale of these publications is protected by the First Amendment. But the First Amendment does not protect companies advertising illegal contraband, and that's exactly what the magazines sold by Amazon are doing."

Want to let them know what you think? Here's a link to get you started.

A wing and a preyer

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center has what they call "Nature Nights", which are family-oriented evening nature presentations. This one featured Last Chance Forever, a group devoted to rescuing and preserving birds of prey (raptors). It was a pretty good talk and demonstration (especially since the target audience was about 6 years old), and of course it's a good cause. The speaker (presumably the guy running the organization) mixed in more religion in his talk than I'd rather hear, especially being taught to kids. It's kind of like if a doctor is performing some procedure, and gets starts chanting and waving incense around. Whoa Nelly!!! Mentioning a Creator in a science-related talk is borderline (I can easily overlook that), but when you mention that animals think and feel emotion, you can't also suggest to people that birds have a soul and an afterlife. Also, there was a "dominionist" flavor in suggesting that humans were put here to be stewards and caretakers of the earth. If someone out there divinely gave humans this job, it was either a VERY bad choice and a mistake... or... it's time for the Big Guy to fire us and give the task to some other critter because humans could not have done a more piss-poor job caring for this planet than they have done. That's MY opinion, which in this case, is worth as much as his.

I also got a mixed message when he said that he told his wife that she should have no fear of cockroaches, and that if she sees one on the wall she should just step up there and smash it instead of being afraid. THEN, with his very next breath, he tells us that we should not practice species-ism (a sentiment I strongly agree with) in hating and often killing -- for no reason -- certain animals because we think they are ugly, strange, otherwise distasteful, or just for being there.

HUH??? Dude, you just contradicted yourself. You confused me and probably confused the kids too. Plus you just told us a minute ago that cockroaches are not only food for birds, but they help decompose stuff so it can become dirt and go back to nature... and that they are harmless and beneficial. Later in the program he says that killing for any reason other than for food (or survival) is murder. So I hope his wife enjoys eating cockroaches.

But, all snarkiness aside, this group is doing some very good work and has some good messages about cohabitating on this earth as a fellow animal, and this Bald Eagle is part of that. A family built its new house in an undeveloped area where this eagle and its mate lived and hunted. The family moved in and placed their small dog in the backyard, where it was presumably taken by a predator. They got a new little dog, put it in the backyard, and when the man saw this eagle, he shot it as a preventive measure, hitting it in the wing. It lived but will never fly again. When authorities asked him if he had shot it, he denied it, first blaming it on some buddies (...with friends like him... who needs enemies?), then continuing to deny it until his wife and children told him they would not lie for him anymore (not to mention the ballistics evidence that was found). The rescue organization, using this eagle for an example, wanted to make the point that this man built his house in the eagle's habitat. We humans (as fellow animals) need to try to be better neighbors with the other creatures, especially when we take away their habitat to create ours.

Other birds shown in the presentation were hawks, falcons, and vultures, and the unbearably cute little screech owl.

Next week at the Nature Nights: SNAKES!!!! Slither and Slide!

Truck Stop tigers and Zoo noses

We had a day at the Austin Zoo on Saturday. The Austin Zoo is a rescue facility, they take exotic animals that have been pets, used in circuses, roadside zoos, and other situations where they never should have found themselves. Mostly all examples of man's inhumanity. There are signs on some of the cages/habitats that explain where those particular animals came from. Here's what one of the tiger signs says. Some of these little stories are incredible:

BENGAL TIGERS
Ramah was rescued from a roadside breeding "zoo" in Texas. He was malnourished and had a skin infection. His littermates did not fare as well. All are now deceased.

Taj was bought from a Truck Stop in west Texas. The owner soon after released him to our care.

While purchasing an exotic pet may be well intentioned, it encourages ill-advised or illegal breeding operations. Many end up in sanctuaries like Austin Zoo.

Here's one of the tigers being a big sweetie to someone who, for some reason, thought it was OK to get up close and personal with some of the animals. First he ran up and down outside the cage, with the tiger following, then he gave the tiger stritches and headbutts... and vice versa. I don't know if he was acquainted with some of these animals or not. Seems a bit ill-advised, to say the least.

Here is the history of a couple of the bears:

AMERICAN BLACK BEARS
Babs and Bruno were bought at a public auction from an establishment called "Noah's Land". Upon "introducing" herself to her new bear cubs, the purchaser was bitten by Babs and lost her finger. Not wanting the bears after this incident, the were sent to Wayne's World. The SPCA then confiscated the young bears and sent them to live here.

Wayne's World is some kind of a small-time tourist zoo near Corpus Christi. Noah's Land is another "rescue" place that has needed a lots of its animals rescued (more about Noah's Land at the bottom of the post*). Very sad. Check out the following story on the lions. You have to wonder what some people are using for a brain:

AFRICAN LIONS
Molly was sent to the zoo from Plano ISD following a confiscation from a drug dealer.

Leroy was donated by Black Beauty Ranch after being rescued from a junkyard in Arkansas. Leroy and his mate at the time were housed in tiny cages and used as "guards" for the junkyard. Following an attack by the female in which the owner's daughter was injured, Leroy's mate was shot and killed. Authorities responded and promptly seized Leroy.

Nayla was another of our big cats used in the traveling religious circus before making her way to the Austin Zoo. She was donated in 2000 via PETA.

Amara is an ex-pet donated to another adoption and rescue center. She was transferred from that facility to the zoo in 2003. Amara is the highly playful "small kitten".

Can you imagine that guy being used to guard a junkyard? I mean, what could go wrong? [sheeesh] Black Beauty Ranch is Cleveland Amory's (Fund For Animals) sanctuary.

My blog post on the Austin Zoo from two years ago.
Lions and Tigers and Honey Bears

*Noah's Land excerpt, article [full text here] from 2002

Tax-exempt "preserves": Noah's Land Wildlife Park in Harwood, Texas, currently under USDA investigation, calls itself a sanctuary, enjoys tax-exempt status, and solicits donations. When Cheri Watson took over in 1998, Noah's Land was in bad shape. Watson lacked the money-and enough paying customers-to improve things. She gained nonprofit designation in May 2000, but conditions aren't much better. "We took in way too many animals," she says, "including four tigers that had been kept in a two-horse trailer for six months [that was] never cleaned out." Watson allowed her cats to breed. Within two years, Noah's Land produced 26 new tiger cubs, infuriating regional accredited sanctuaries already swamped with unwanted Bengals. America now has an estimated 10,000 or more generic tigers in roadside zoos and backyard cages, virtually all of them mutts with no conservation value and often suffering painful physical defects from inbreeding. The 275-acre Noah's Land has 48 big cats, six bears, several primates, between 200 and 300 exotic deer and antelopes, and scores of feral pigs that are fed to the predators. Some of the caged animals exist in grim squalor, including cell-like cinderblock cages, but Watson rejects offers by legitimate sanctuaries to take them. "We're still having growing pains," she says. "We haven't got a foothold on the fundraising yet, but we will improve."

I'm not really sure what the current status of Noah's Land is. I know that lots of the animals at Austin Zoo were listed as being rescued from there.

Here's one of the fun parts of going to this zoo, getting to feel like a little kid and feed certain of the animals (these are hog deer, they also have goats, llamas, sheep and pot-bellied pigs that you can hand-feed with approved "chow"). What sweet little faces!

Clubbing Gets Whacked

Canadian baby seal clubbers are frustrated this year by the lack of baby seals. Apparently global warming (a.k.a. Al Gore's complete fabrication [snort]) and lack of ice is killing off seals and making them too scarce to begin the operation. [LINK]

Industry getting hit in the purse is unfortunately one of the only things that will make the corporatocracy take notice of something like climate change. It's pretty hard to keep pretending it doesn't exist or will go away on its own. Also, as things warm up, maybe the demand for fur coats will decrease along with the seal population. Fur makes you look fat anyway. It might be warm, but it's not too cool. Seriously.

To replace the loss of income, I'll bet people would pay good money to watch those asses whack each other. At least it's a fair fight.

EDIT: Well, the harvest has begun, in spite of the dwindling seal numbers. They have found some seal pups and have begun the killing. [LINK]

Inexcusable

U.S. Soldiers in Iraq Throw Stones at Crippled Dog [LINK to complete article]
Urge Army to investigate incident of animal abuse captured on video

You may have already seen the video being circulated on the Internet in which U.S. soldiers stationed in Iraq throw rocks and laugh at a dog suffering from a severe spinal deformity. One of the soldiers even says, "That's the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life!" as the dog yelps in pain and tries to escape on two legs.

[edit 5/31/11: the video is now unavailable. My apologies.]

It IS really disturbing to watch something like this, and you might be thinking that treating a dog in this way is different from treating a human in a similar way, but I don't happen to agree with that. I realize that training and circumstances are a factor in this, but I sure won't defend it, nonetheless. The ability to behave in this way should never be nurtured, or the behavior defended under any circumstance.

Tags: Iraq - soldiers - abuse - animal - dog

Delete this post

Why do they hate our freedom?

I didn't even realize that this thing was about to go down until it already done went on Friday night. The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) just passed unanimously in the Senate. It's an expansion of the existing Animal Enterprise Protection Act of 1992. Here are some talking points and general info taken from the Stop AETA website:

AETA labels the tactics of Martin Luther King and Gandhi as “terrorism.” It spells out penalties for “an offense involving exclusively a nonviolent physical obstruction of an animal enterprise or a business having a connection to, or relationship with, an animal enterprise, that may result in loss of profits but does not result in bodily injury….” In other words any act that causes a loss of profits to animal-exploiting industries (like a reduction in meat consumption) can be treated as terrorism.

AETA risks the prosecution of undercover investigators, whistle-blowers and other activists as “terrorists.” It defines economic damage” as including “the loss of profits.” The extremely vague and broad sweeping language puts all animal advocates at risk. Causing the loss of profits is NOT terrorism. It’s effective activism. And even activists that are not prosecuted under the law will be affected by the extreme rhetoric.

AETA is unnecessary. There are already laws to protect industries against illegal actions, regardless of who commits the acts.

All Americans should be concerned about this gross infringement on the first amendment. The term terrorism should not be used against peaceful social justice advocacy. Who will be next?

People like those pictured would not be considered terrorists unless their protests had the effect of diminishing the profits of the Animal Enterprise... and isn't that the whole idea of a protest or formal boycott of something?

You might not even care about animal rights, factory farming, the fur industry, lab animals, or any of that stuff... might think those animal rights people are a bunch of wackos... but I have to ask... what's next? Are they going to label you a terrorist for exercising your right of free speech against ANY corporation? And whistleblowing? That will be a thing of the past. This is an example of Corporatism at its worst, Corporatism that is closely related to Fascism. This is a major step in that direction.

What an ugly trend we've got going here - not only taking away the rights of people who are suspected of being terrorists, but expanding the definition of "terrorist" to include people who have spoken out against or boycotted some some Corporate product with a certain amount of success.

Ugly, and getting uglier by the minute.

Links on this topic:
ACLU - Fur Commission - Lots of coverage on Green is the New Red -
Tags
- AETA - terrorism -

Protecting seals by design

Check out the design competition slideshow to raise awareness about the Canadian seal clubbing event that still happens every year. Some very creative and disturbing stuff, it should make people think.

And remember this: fur makes you look fat.

I'm just sayin'...

(to explain a bit, the boycott against Canadian seafood is based on the fact that the seal clubbing is carried out largely by Canadian fishermen as their off-season occupation)

- fur - seals - Canada - heartless - murdering - bastards -

Fur still makes me sick.

It is unbelievable to me that this crap is still going on. Business still has free reign, and even though most Canadians apparently oppose this, it will go on as long as people want the products. From the Humane Society:

Seal hunting is an off-season activity conducted by fishers from Canada's East Coast. They earn a small fraction of their incomes from sealing—primarily from the sale of seal pelts to European fashion markets. But the vast majority of the sealers' incomes are from commercial fisheries. Canadian seafood exports to the United States contribute $3 billion annually to the Canadian economy—dwarfing the few million dollars provided by the seal hunt. The connection between the commercial fishing industry and the seal hunt in Canada gives consumers all over the world the power to end this cruel and brutal slaughter.

- fur - fisheries - baby seals -