News
The number of news found: 34.
08/31/2013 RICKY GERVAIS JOINS CAMPAIGN AGAINST BULLFIGHTING
Ricky Gervais recently asked his fans to speak out against the UK's badger cull. Now, the star has joined in the fight against bullfighting. "Bullfighting is so cruel. I can think of nothing worse than inflicting terrible pain, fear and suffering on a beautiful animal for the sake of amusement," said Gervais. He has joined in the "Love Spain, Hate Bullfighting" campaign by Humane Society International (HSI), which is calling on the Spanish government to end bullfighting, a move that HSI says "would surely win the hearts of citizens around the world." They provide a pre-written letter to send to the government. Spain is considering a law that would protect bullfighting by declaring it part of the country’s cultural heritage, allowing public funds to be used in funding and promoting bullfights.
08/30/2013 367 PITBULLS SAVED IN MULTI-STATE DOG FIGHTING BUST
An arduous, tiring three-year investigation and multi-state dog-fighting bust led to the rescue of 367 pitbull terriers and the arrest and indictment of 10 people in Alabama, Georgia, Texas, and Mississippi this past weekend, ABC News reports. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) assisted in the rescue on Friday, August 23rd. The dogs were seized at the request of the United States Attorney's Office.
08/30/2013 ALBINO ALLIGATOR RECEIVES ACUPUNCTURE FOR BAD BACK
Bino, an eight-year-old albino alligator living at the San Paulo Aquarium in Brazil, has been receiving acupuncture to help alleviate symptoms of scoliosis, a condition in which his spine curves from side to side. According to the NY Daily News, needles are jabbed weekly into Bino's leathery hide along his spine and the area where he's developed the hunchback. Unlike the conventional treatments tried, Bino has reacted well to the acupuncture – regaining the use of his hind legs and twitching his tail. The 30-minute procedure is becoming increasingly common among vets around the world.
08/29/2013 LOBSTERS FEEL EVERY SECOND OF YOU BOILING THEM ALIVE
Lobsters, crabs, and other crustaceans experience pain, according to Robert Elwood, an animal behavior researcher at Queens University Belfast. By Elwood's findings, crustaceans have drawn the short end of the stick when it comes to how humans treat them. Elwood notes crustaceans harvested and farmed for human consumption are subjected to "extreme procedures" that "would never be allowed for vertebrates." The evidence, as laid out by Elwood, is clear. In one experiment, crabs were offered two areas of shelter. The first repeatedly delivered a shock to the crabs, while the second offered no such shock. Crabs that entered the shocking sanctuary left. None of the crabs left the second. In the second experiment he presented, Elwood offered two types of shells to hermit crabs, one of which they are known to prefer, and delivered shocks to the crabs. When offered new shells, the shocked crabs were quicker to take up the offer of a new home. And while pain is "difficult" to assess, according to Elwood, these experiments seem to indicate "long-term motivational change" that is "entirely consistent" with the concept of pain.
08/29/2013 ANGRY BIRDS SKIP POLLUTED DELHI
Every winter the Okhla wetlands play host to Greater Flamingoes, Greylag Geese, Tufted Pochards, Northern Shovelers and other exotic, feathered visitors winging in from colder climes as far away as Siberia. These avian migrants join hundreds of local water birds to breed in the Okhla Bird Sanctuary and Wildlife Park – a four square kilometres patch of wetland on the Jamuna river. The river is struggling to survive amidst costly real estate and development projects in the state of Delhi on the west bank of the river and Uttar Pradesh state on the east. Conservationists now warn that unless there is a halt to construction activity on the banks of the Jamuna and to the pumping of raw sewage and effluents into the river, the annual spectacle of colours and shapes winging into the Okhla sanctuary will soon be nothing more than a cherished memory.
08/28/2013 VEGAN WITH ONE KNEECAP IN MARATHON BID TO SAVE ANIMAL FARM
Record-breaking marathon runner dubbed "superwoman" by her peers is facing a new type of fight - to keep her beloved animal farm afloat. Fiona Oakes, 43, is the owner of Tower Hill Stables Animal Sanctuary, which has stables in both Tillingham and Asheldham and takes in unwanted animals from all over Essex. But with rising bills of up to £10,000 a month to pay for feed, bedding and vet's bills, Fiona's salary as a retained firelighter, her husband Martin's wages and charitable donations, are not enough to look after the 400 animals in her care. So Fiona, a vegan who has taken on some of the world's most extreme marathons, despite only having one kneecap, plans to run another six gruelling challenges by the end of the year to boost the charity's coffers, and is appealing to the public for help.
08/28/2013 PLASTIC PROVES LETHAL FOR SEA TURTLES
As if we needed anymore proof of the dangerous ecological footprint humans are leaving on the planet, a study of green and leatherback turtles shows these sea creatures ingest plastic at more than twice the rate they did 25 years ago. Plastic products consumed by turtles and other marine life can be lethal, killing the animals by either blocking their stomachs and starving them, or through puncturing their intestinal system. Conservationists also warn that, in cases where plastic ingestion does not immediately kill a turtle, the animal will suffer from ailments including reproductive complications, which has long-term consequences.
08/27/2013 IAN SOMERHALDER RESCUES AND ADOPTS DOG FOUND IN TRAFFIC
He may play bad boy Damon Salvatore on "The Vampire Diaries" but in real life, Ian Somerhalder's actions prove he is way more Buffy than he is vampire. On last Monday the actor wrote, "My new girl. Rescued from traffic near the Vampire Diaries stages just a few hours ago-so smart, so beautiful&charming-all a man could ask for in a girl-So happy together. Her name is Nietzsche... Photo by the one and only @thejram". Going from the streets to the home of an animal lover like Somerhalder means this pup hit the jackpot. The actor has been a longtime advocate of animal rescue and adoption. Nietzsche will be among friends at her new house. Somerhalder already has a few rescue animals, both cat and dog, who enjoy his daily cuddles and love.
08/26/2013 WHALES WIN BATTLE WITH CALIFORNIA FARMERS
After a year spent reviewing a petition to delist 82 southern resident orcas, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced the whales will remain protected under the Endangered Species Act. The organization found the killer whale pods, who spend their summers in Puget Sound, met the legal standard for a distinct population group in response to a petition on behalf of California farmers who faced restrictions to protect salmon farms.
08/26/2013 ALMOST HALF OF AMERICANS WOULD SAVE A DOG BEFORE A FOREIGN TOURIST
Americans love their pets. People from other countries? Eh. A recent paper from George Regents University described a hypothetical scenario to more than 500 people: A bus is speeding toward a dog and a human. Which do you save? The responses usually came down to: What kind of human and what kind of dog? Everyone would rather save a sibling, grandparent or close friend instead of a strange dog. But if it was their own dog versus, say, a distant cousin or stranger, then people get downright anti-human. And 40 percent of those surveyed, including 46 percent of women, would save their dog over a foreign tourist.
08/23/2013 U.S. PALM OIL PROJECT MAY DESTROY ENDANGERED CHIMP HABITAT IN CAMEROON
Endangered chimpanzees, other primates and forest elephants are at risk of losing their habitat in Cameroon if a U.S. company's plan to establish a palm oil plantation goes ahead. New York-based Herakles Farms claim that most of its project area consists of heavily degraded forests and farmland. However, aerial surveys, analysis of satellite images and field research from Greenpeace is proving the opposite: vast areas of forest are still largely intact and provide vital corridors for wildlife between the protected areas.
08/23/2013 PLANT-BASED MEAT ALTERNATIVES ARE GAINING IN POPULARITY
Meat alternatives are becoming a more popular choice for American consumers, especially among non-vegetarians, according to a newly released study by Mintel. The number of meat alternatives available on the market has been increasing over the last few years with the rise in vegetarian and vegan eaters, and sales of meat alternatives are growing as well. In 2012, meat alternative sales in conventional channels, natural supermarkets and specialty supermarkets reached $553 million. Surprisingly though, of the one-third of Americans purchasing meat alternatives, many are not vegetarians. Only 7% of consumers using meat alternatives surveyed by Mintel identified themselves as vegetarians.
08/22/2013 FORTY DISTRESSED PYTHONS RESCUED FROM CANADIAN MOTEL ROOM
Canadian authorities have rescued 40 distressed pythons from a motel room where they were being improperly held in plastic storage bins, police said on Friday. Police found the snakes, ranging from 1 foot to 4-1/2 feet in length, in a motel in Brantford, a city about 100 km (62 miles) southwest of Toronto. "The snakes were not being suitably cared for and were in distress. The anxious officers called the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals who attended and took 40 pythons into their care," local police said in a statement. The snakes are expected to be fine, they said. No one at the Brantford police or at the SPCA were available for comment. A manager at the motel said the snakes belonged to a couple who had checked into a room for one night, and who were out when police arrived on Thursday evening. Pythons are not legal for home ownership in Brantford, according to the city's animal control bylaws.
08/21/2013 OLINGUITO THE NEWEST RARE MAMMAL SPECIES DISCOVERY
A small mammal with fluffy red-orange fur, a short bushy tail, and an adorable rounded face has leapt onto the raccoon family tree. Scientists at the Smithsonian in Washington announced Thursday the discovery of a new species of mammal called the olinguito (pronounced oh-lin-GHEE-toe). Such a discovery is rare. The olinguito is the first mammalian carnivore species to be newly identified in the Americas in 35 years, according to Kristofer Helgen, curator of mammals at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. His research group's study on the creature is being published in the journal ZooKeys.
08/21/2013 U.S. NAVY TO INCREASE SONAR TRAINING DESPITE INJURY TO MAMMALS
The U.S. Navy has indicated that it intends to disregard the California Coastal Commission's (CCC) recommendations to mitigate the harmful effects of Navy sonar and offshore training exercises on the state's marine mammals. In a letter dated July 31, the Navy responded to the CCC's March objection, which concluded that the Navy's planned training and testing activities in Southern California would not be consistent with California coastal law. The Navy's plans would allow a radical increase in sonar training and underwater detonations off Southern California, beginning in January 2014. While the Navy says it is open to negotiation, it refuses in its letter to abide by any of the state's recommended mitigation measures, such as avoiding training in globally important foraging habitat for the endangered blue whale.
08/20/2013 WHALE DRAGS DOWN BOAT WITH 12 TRADITIONAL HUNTERS ON BOARD IN EASTERN INDONESIA
Authorities in the eastern Indonesian district of Lembata continued to mount search efforts on Friday after a harpooned orca whale dragged down a boat with 12 traditional hunters on board, officials said. "Four made it to Mulandoro but the eight others have yet to be found," Lamalera village chief Yoseph Dasion said. Local fishermen, assisted by a local marine police unit, had failed to find any of the eight missing men by late on Thursday, he added. Traditional whale hunters on the island of Lembata usually hunt sperm whales, locally known as koteklema, but the animals have become scarce in recent years. Orca whales, or seguni, are usually not hunted as they are known to be aggressive and difficult to catch.
08/19/2013 DISABLED LAMB LEARNS TO WALK
Patricia was born with a debilitating condition that left her crippled. After spending 18 long days on the floor unable to stand or even move, this beautiful baby lamb was thrown a lifeline. Vegan Hope, an animal rights organization in Spain, heard of her plight, secured her rescue and put the wheels in motion to find her the perfect forever home. Luckily, not too far away in the breathtaking Spanish countryside, there was an animal sanctuary that specialized in veterinary acupuncture – El Valle Encantado. It was decided that this little sweetheart would make the journey to El Valle Encantado where she would have the best chance of recovery. The exact cause of her problem was unknown and the tests required to procure an accurate diagnosis was very expensive, so the sanctuary decided to treat her using their own experience and expertise. The primary course of treatment was acupuncture, coupled with swimming lessons, and of course extra special doses of love and care.
08/16/2013 SHARK ATTACK SURVIVORS UNITE TO SAVE THE SPECIES
Who would have thought that shark attack survivors could become the animal's most passionate advocates? In an act of ultimate forgiveness, the members of Shark Attack Survivors for Shark Conservation are speaking up for this misunderstood creature and fighting to protect shark species around the world. Shark Attack Survivors for Shark Conservation works with The Pew Charitable Trusts to target the inhumane practice known as shark finning, where fisherman catch wild sharks, cut off their fins and throw the animals back into the water to die. The fins are then sold as a delicacy to be used in the traditional Chinese dish, shark fin soup. Salamone's team has also worked with the United Nations to protect endangered shark species and has led a undercover investigation of restaurants where shark fin soup is served.
08/14/2013 100,000 HAVE SIGNED UP TO BECOME VEGANS ON MARS
Mars One, a project vying to create the first human colony on Mars, has received more than 100,000 applications for the one-way trip to the red planet. It's an extremely ambitious and costly venture (estimated at $6B for the first four-person mission) and if all goes according to plan, the first launch will come in September 2022, with a landing in April 2023. Despite tremendous hurdles and unknowns, more than 30,000 Americans have already paid the $38 fee to apply for one of 40 spots in the multi continental group. Of course, it's not just the scenery that will change for these Mars colonists, but also their diets. Vegetables will be the focus – with the participating astronauts growing their own food both during the trip to the red planet and once settled.
08/13/2013 DOLPHINS GRANTED PERSONHOOD BY GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
Dolphins have been granted "non-human personhood" status by the government of India, making India the first nation in the world to recognize the unique intelligence and self-awareness of the cetacean order (a class of aquatic mammals). The decision was announced by India's Minister of the Environment and Forests which also outlawed captive dolphin shows. The ministry added that dolphins "should have their own specific rights."
08/13/2013 ELEPHANTS TAKE REVENGE ON VILLAGE AFTER HERD MEMBER IS KILLED BY TRAIN
At the beginning of August, near the village of Matari in eastern India, a train struck and killed an elephant. For members of the deceased elephant's herd the death proved too upsetting to overlook. According to the Times of India, since the incident left one of their members dead, the herd of around 15 elephants appear to be in mourning for their fallen friend. For the last several days, the group has remained nearby to where the train struck, an ongoing vigil that has disrupted other locomotives from passing through the area. In the days following the accident, the elephants have taken revenge on surrounding villages. Despite efforts to drive the impassioned animals away, the herd is reported to have damaged at least 10 homes in the area, including demolishing part of a schoolhouse. Eventually, in an effort to restore order, forestry officials called upon a squad of elephant-chasers to drive the herd away using firecrackers. Nevertheless, the mourning elephants have persisted in their efforts to remain at the spot of the train-strike, compelled perhaps by a death ceremony among elephants that remains little-understood.
08/12/2013 WILL PINK POISON SAVE RHINO POPULATIONS?
With the demand for traditional Chinese medicine on the rise, wildlife workers at Sabi Sand, a private game reserve in Kruger National Park, have injected 100 rhino horns with a pink, poisonous cocktail in an effort to deter poachers. If ingested, the dye mixed with parasites has some significant side effects, but unfortunately the pink horns can be bleached white again for products that aren't consumed.
08/09/2013 INDIA FIGHTS TIGER POACHING WITH FIRE
In a partnership campaign called "Leave Me Alone," which kicked off on Global Tiger Day, government officials and wildlife conservation groups came together in a meaningful effort to fight against tiger poaching and illegal animal trade. In a public demonstration in Mumbai, the groups burned wildlife contraband including tiger and leopard pelts in a bonfire. With less than 2,000 tigers remaining in India, the conservation effort could not have come at a better time.
08/08/2013 GERMAN POLITICIANS PROPOSE "VEGGIE ONLY" DAYS
The average person in Germany eats 196 pounds of meat a year, but the country's Green Party proposed a measure this week that would cut back on that amount by instituting a weekly "veggie only" day at offices, schools, and kindergarten canteens around the country. "A Veggie Day is a wonderful opportunity to try to nourish ourselves without meat and sausages. Cooking vegetarian is about more than just leaving out meat," Renate Künast, chairwoman of the Green Party parliamentary group said. As cutting down on meat consumption is expected to help people’s health, the environment, and possibly the living conditions of animals, environmental groups are definitely on board.
08/08/2013 DOLPHIN DEATHS HIGHER THAN NORMAL ALONG U.S. EAST COAST BEACHES
Carcasses of bottlenose dolphins are washing up on U.S. East Coast beaches from New Jersey to Virginia at a higher than normal pace, with more than 120 dead animals discovered since June, local and federal officials said. The cause of the dolphin deaths has yet to be determined, said Maggie Mooney-Seus, of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries Service, which is analyzing information collected by marine stranding response centers along the East Coast. "It's absolutely alarming," said Susan Barco, research coordinator at the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center Foundation. Since early June, 87 dead dolphins have been found in Virginia, compared to about 50 dolphin deaths the state by this time last year. Most were found clustered in the middle to lower Chesapeake Bay region.
08/07/2013 KELLY OSBOURNE CREDITS VEGAN CHEF FIANCE FOR HER HEALTHY HABITS
There's been some buzz about Kelly Osbourne's trimmer, healthier figure, and she hasn't been hiding her secret weapon: her vegan chef fiancé, Matthew Mosshart. Osbourne says that she's lost over 60 pounds in a two year span and she credits Mosshart for the accomplishment. She says he does all the cooking, has taught her how to balance meals and be mindful of excess calories, and that everything he cooks is delicious. "He's a vegan chef so he makes sure I eat healthily," Osbourne told The Daily Mail.
08/07/2013 SCIENTISTS DISCOVER ANOTHER CAUSE OF BEE DEATHS
Scientists had struggled to find the trigger for so-called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) that has wiped out an estimated 10 million beehives, worth $2 billion, over the past six years. Suspects have included pesticides, disease-bearing parasites and poor nutrition. But in a first-of-its-kind study published today in the journal PLOS ONE, scientists at the University of Maryland and the US Department of Agriculture have identified a witch's brew of pesticides and fungicides contaminating pollen that bees collect to feed their hives. The findings break new ground on why large numbers of bees are dying though they do not identify the specific cause of CCD, where an entire beehive dies at once.
08/06/2013 COSTA RICA ANNOUNCES PLANS TO CLOSE ITS ZOOS AND RELEASE ANIMALS FROM CAPTIVITY
In a remarkable push to restore natural order for all its animal inhabitants, the Costa Rican government has announced plans to close its zoos, freeing creatures from their long captivity. The closures will take effect in March 2014, when the government's contract with the organization that operates its two zoos is set to expire - a move that Environment Minister René Castro says reflects "a change of environmental conscience among Costa Ricans." The facilities which now house captive animals, Simon Bolivar Zoo and the Santa Ana Conservation Center, will be then transformed into urban parks or gardens where wildlife can visit and live freely if they so choose. As for the many birds, mammals, reptiles and insects on display today, the government is working to find them more appropriate homes.
08/06/2013 ITALIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES SWEEPING RESTRICTIONS TO USE OF RESEARCH ANIMALS
The Italian parliament has voted in favour of introducing extreme restrictions in the use of animals in research - which some scientists say would halt important biomedical research in the country. But some experts say this may contravene EU legislation - leaving the Italian government with the uncomfortable choice of either upsetting its democratically elected parliament, or upsetting the European Commission. The dilemma arose as the government began earlier this year to prepare legislation required to adopt into national law a European Union directive covering the protection of animals for scientific purposes. The final legislation must be in place by the end of this year.
08/06/2013 U.S. MARINE NURSES ORPHAN BUNNIES BACK TO HEALTH AFTER RESCUING THEM FROM MILITARY BARRACKS
A U.S. Marine medic, previously stationed in Afghanistan, was able to use his field skills back home... when he came to the rescue of four orphaned rabbits. Joshua Bisnar, a Naval Hospital Corpsman, found the helpless bunnies alongside their dead mother while he was raking the volleyball court at Camp Pendleton, in San Diego, California, where he was stationed with a Marine Corps unit. He scooped up the animals and carefully placed them in a makeshift home - consisting of a box with a few old shirts to make it more comfortable...
08/02/2013 RIHANNA TRYING TO HELP SAVE WOLVES BY DONATING TO WOLF HAVEN
Rihanna has reportedly turned her obsession with wolves into motivation to help save the animals. According to the Daily Mirror the singer has donated a five figure sum to Wolf Haven, an organization that rescues and provides "sanctuary for displaced, captive-born wolves, offers educational programs about wolves and the value of all wildlife, promote wolf restoration in historic ranges and work to protect our remaining wild wolves and their habitat." According to Defenders of Wildlife the Mexican wolf is the most endangered kind of wolf in the world.
08/02/2013 RAT MEAT SOLD AS LAMB IN CHINA
Chinese police have broken up a criminal ring accused of taking meat from rats and foxes and selling it as lamb in the country's latest food safety scandal. The Ministry of Public Security released results of a three-month crackdown on food safety violators, saying in a statement that authorities investigated more than 380 cases and arrested 904 suspects. Among those arrested were 63 people who allegedly ran an operation in Shanghai and the coastal city of Wuxi that bought fox, mink, rat and other meat that had not been tested for quality and safety, processed it with additives like gelatin and passed it off as lamb. The meat was sold to farmers' markets in Jiangsu province and Shanghai, it said.
08/01/2013 ISRAELI HOSPITALS JOIN "MEATLESS MONDAY" MOVEMENT
Hospitals across the country are individually joining the international movement for "Meatless Mondays." The initiative looks to promote good health, improve the environment and save money by reducing the amount of meat consumed globally. In some hospital kitchens and cafeterias, doing without red meat once a week is an option, but in a growing number, it is a mandatory choice. In addition to the obvious benefit of lowering costs, Meatless Mondays encourage patients, visitors and employees to reduce their meat consumption.
08/01/2013 NEW YORK CITY DOCTORS PRESCRIBING FRUITS AND VEGGIES
Fruits and vegetables are just what the doctor ordered at two NYC hospitals. Lincoln Medical Center in the Bronx and Harlem Hospital Center have joined the Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program, an initiative that brings access to fresh produce to overweight and obese residents. In the program, organized by non-profit Wholesome Wave and GrowNYC, qualified patients receive $1 in Health Bucks per day for each family member for a period of at least 4 months. Patients have monthly check-ups with their physician to get their prescriptions renewed, their BMI recorded, and receive nutritional counseling. Patients can then spend their Health Bucks on fresh, local produce. Some residents are already seeing positive results.
The number of news found: 34.
