Latest Stories
BOOK: ‘A Right to Live,’ A Story of Rescue and Courage in Remembering
Why did this book take me so long to write? Because it is the real thing. It is based on what I have seen in animal rescue and it took me so long to put it in writing because I often didn’t have the courage to remember… to remember the pain my rescues had gone through, and what it took to get them back on their feet.
How wildlife vie for space on the coal fields of U.S. public lands
Around 40 percent of U.S. coal is produced on public lands. These are the same lands which are the homes of wildlife, magnificent trees, and beautiful wilderness. The DOI and the BLM are accepting comments on the future use of public lands to produce coal.
Temperature Helps Drive the Emergence of Different Personalities in Spiders
Like people, animals have personalities. And their personalities differ, sometimes hugely, on traits like shyness and aggressiveness. Now researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have uncovered an unexpected benefit of these personalities: to protect societies from extreme temperature changes.
POETRY: Ode to ANWR
I am wolf.
I am caribou.
I am the circle and the blossom
And the unfolding dance.
…
Invertebrate Pain
The available evidence suggests strongly that many invertebrates are capable of experiencing pain and suffering. There is no logical reason why a (live) lobster-boiling restaurant or squid experimenter should not receive the same attention as abusers of vertebrate animals.
Lemur DNA Paints a Picture of Madagascar’s Forested Past
Logging and slash-and-burn agriculture have dramatically altered Madagascar’s forests, but just how much of the island was forested before people got there remains a matter of debate. An analysis of mouse lemur DNA suggests that humans did not arrive to find Madagascar as tree-covered as frequently assumed.
He who says speciesism says fascism (revised)
Fascism is distinguished for its unilateral proclamations of superiority by a certain race or breed, endowing said race with the “right” to dominate, exploit, and annihilate at will any group deemed “inferior.” If that doesn’t describe eloquently our despicable behavior toward non-human animals, I don’t know what does.
BOOK REVIEW: The Intimate Bond: How Animals Shaped Human History
For those who have not considered this topic, this book could serve as an enlightening lesson on the importance of animals in human history. For the more initiated reader, particularly those already concerned with animal liberation, the half-formed ethical and philosophical ideas Fagan puts forth leave much to be desired.
POETRY: Mountain
Evening enfolds Her stillness
In a calm, dark mantle.
The Mystery is in my nostrils,
Thick in my mouth.
I can touch it.
…
Seals, protests, and selchies
One day in November 1982, I went out in a powered boat to the Orkney Isles to protest against the annual Grey Seal Cull. On the way, an American photographer had asked me to tell her all about Selchies, seals that can change into humans (or humans that can change into seals) when the moon is full.
Intentional Animal Torture and Cruelty: Why India Must Rethink its Educational Policies
By giving importance to competition based education, people start forgetting humane elements like sympathy and compassion at a rather early age. At this juncture, Indian education should ACT to inculcate compassion for animals.
One Man’s Meat Is Another Man’s Taboo
The whole meat issue is trivialized when it becomes about which animals are appropriate for eating and which are taboo. The legitimate way to focus campaigns against the dog and cat meat trades in Asia and elsewhere is to point out the additional cruelty involved in handling and killing those species.
Cat Dissection in the Classroom – Teen Who Raises Awareness Wins National Prize for Humane Efforts
When Culpeper County, Virginia student Brynnan Grimes found out she had to skin and cut up a cat as part of a human anatomy class, she took her protest of the antiquated teaching method seriously.
Researching the Researchers
In the 1980s I did the background research for an anti-vivisection group in Glasgow. I am opposed to all experiments on live animals. I believe that they cost a fortune and that the results are misleading. But the main reason I oppose them is because animals matter.
POETRY: The Light
The light
Is most beautiful
In the early morning,
Quietly glistening
On dewdrops
And spiders’ webs…
The tragedy of a small dog catches my attention
A Maryland man was arrested on animal cruelty charges last week after he left his maggot-infested dog outside to die, reported The Washington Post. Events like this cry for an explanation, but no easy explanations are possible nor forthcoming. We are forced to dig deeper to reveal the diverse forces that made this poor animal’s fate a foregone conclusion.
RECIPE: Simple Vegan Oreo Banana Cream Pie
A simple light, airy, and refreshing vegan dessert to try.
End Animal Abuse in Egyptian Pet Shops
Please sign Egyptian Society for Animal Friends’ petition to close down the Al-Zahraa pet shop, where dogs, cats, mice, birds, tortoises, and other animals languish in horrid conditions.
Court Asked to Stop U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service from Capturing and Killing Wild Red Wolves
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is capturing, killing, and authorizing private landowners to kill wild red wolves. Conservation groups are seeking court intervention to protect this severely endangered wolf population.
Stop buying dogs in Yulin, urge Chinese animal charities to animal lovers
With media coverage of the Yulin Dog Meat Festival growing, more and more animal lovers are travelling to Yulin with the intent of saving animals. Unfortunately, by buying dogs at inflated prices, they only end up supporting the same dog black market they are trying to end.