Target: Shawn Benge, US National Parks Service Deputy Director
Goal: Stop lottery to hunt Grand Canyon bison.
The National Parks Service (NPS) recently held a lottery that allowed anyone to enter for the chance to hunt bison in the Grand Canyon. More than 45,000 people entered the lottery, which is part of an initiative to limit the population of bison, whose growing numbers are negatively impacting resources in the Grand Canyon area. The NPS will ultimately only select twelve skilled shooters.
While the NPS has defended their decision for the cull, stating that a fast growing bison population has been ravaging water, vegetation, soils, and archaeological sites within the national park, the excitement around the opportunity to hunt this majestic animal is concerning. Hunting at national parks is forbidden, but the NPS does have the jurisdiction to allow park staff or volunteers to kill animals that are damaging the natural spaces. This normalization and “viral” attention that the search for bison-hunting volunteers has drawn could potentially lead to unauthorized hunting or attack on wild animals.
Sign this petition to urge the NPS to stop the public lottery to hunt Grand Canyon bison.
PETITION LETTER:
To Mr. Benge,
The publication of the culling of bison in the Grand Canyon and the ability for anyone to simply enter a lottery to hunt these animals sends the wrong message to the public. The NPS should be focused on conservation and respect for nature. This lottery has, instead, created “viral” excitement around the possibility of shooting a majestic animal that is native to the United States. The fact that 45,000 people registered for a lottery reveals a strange and gruesome desire of many individuals to kill wild animals.
I urge you to stop the lottery to hunt Grand Canyon bison and leave conservation efforts of all kinds to NPS staff.
WAV Comment (Mark) – After more than 30 years of personally campaigning against this disgusting, barbaric trade; the news today (12/5/21) is finally looking good. “MINISTERS have published an action plan on animal welfare, looking at how to use Britain’s freedom outside the EU to increase standards”. Freedom outside of the EU; this legislation shows what can be done by individual nations when they do not have to bow to do nothing fools in Brussels.
I am checking and re checking everywhere to get confirmation; but as you can see below it looks positive.
I will write more on this as more detail is obtained.
Regards Mark
George Eustice, the environment secretary, said: “We are a nation of animal lovers and were the first country in the world to pass animal welfare laws.
Our action plan for animal welfare will deliver on our manifesto commitment to ban the export of live animal exports for slaughter and fattening, prohibit keeping primates as pets, and bring in new laws to tackle puppy smuggling.
As an independent nation, we are now able to go further than ever to build on our excellent track record.”
By now, you probably will have seen our latest investigation into an intensive pig farm called P&G Sleigh pig unit. A lot has happened since we conducted the investigation. Here’s an overview of what unfolded.
Philip Sleigh, the owner of the farm, resigned as the Chairman of the Pigs Standard Setting Committee of Quality Meat Scotland (QMS), a public body to which he had been appointed as a Board Member by the Scottish Government.
The Independent, the Scottish Daily Mail, and many more newspapers published articles covering the story, including the front page of Scotland’s most widely-read paper.
What we have achieved so far is huge. After our investigators captured footage of pigs being abused, we made sure people everywhere saw it by securing coverage in some of the UK’s leading newspapers. Scottish actress, Karen Gillan, also shared our investigation on Instagram to her 7.3m followers.
Not only has this led to people all over the country learning about the cruelty behind meat production in the UK, but it has been seen by government officials and company executives: decision-makers who are in a position to create change.
By uncovering ties between the farm and major UK supermarkets, Tesco and Lidl, we have sent another strong and clear message to retailers: if you do business with farms that abuse and exploit animals, you will be found out.
And we have also sent a powerful message to the meat industry itself. Philip Sleigh, who resigned as the Chairman of the Pigs Standard Setting Committee of QMS, is a well-known and influential figure in the UK meat industry.
Rubbing shoulders with Government officials and accreditation reps, he was entrusted with a position of power, and yet his own farm breached the very standards that he helped set.
With this investigation, we have shown that it doesn’t matter how high up in the industry you are: we will hold you to account.
While Philip Sleigh (pictured above) has left his position at QMS, the publicly-funded body still has a lot to answer for. It boasts of being proud of its standards, yet it took Animal Equality to uncover these serious breaches on its board member’s farm. How can QMS claim to take animal welfare seriously when its own poster-boy didn’t?
QMS is just one part of an industry which routinely misleads the public and profits from the abuse and exploitation of animals. We need the Government to take action.
*GRAPHIC* Actor Evanna Lynch met with Co-founder of @VFCfood Matthew Glover, to see what conditions are like for the majority of farmed chickens. VFC aims to eradicate farms like this with its range of vegan fried chick*n. Get 10% off with PBN10 here👉https://t.co/jZUeiYCbT4pic.twitter.com/YlnXndusaI
It can be a little confusing to non Brits, but the United Kingdom is literally what it says, ‘United Kingdoms’; formed by the (kingdom) nations of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Each has its own government; Read more at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_the_United_Kingdom
United Kingdon.
WAV Comment – there is a lot of talk going around that the UK Ministry Defra will aim to get legislation for a ban on live animal exports intorduced by the end of this year. They are currently going through all the submissions submitted to them; including a large proposal by ourselves. The UK government promised that once the UK had left the EU, it would be able to introduce legislation to ban all live animal exports, which it was unable to do as an EU member state. The consultation (now being reviewed by government) is part of that objective; and we are hopeful for good news in the coming months.
The State Opening Of Parliament – Good news for the environment and animals.
The StateOpening of Parliament is an event which formally marks the beginning of a session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It includes a speech from the throne known as the Queen’s Speech (or the King’s Speech if the UK has a male monrch).
It takes place in the House of Lords chamber on the first day of a new session, which is usually in May or June, and traditionally in November, but can occur at any time of year depending on the timing of General Elections and parliamentary session start dates.
It takes place in front of both Houses of Parliament. The monarch, wearing the Imperial State Crown, reads a speech that has been prepared by his or her government outlining its plans for that parliamentary year.
Basically, it outlines the major legislation that the government intends to introduce into UK law in the coming Parliamentary session.
This next session is going to see some positive legislation for both animals and the environment being passed into law, including:
Environment Bill
Another confirmed commitment is to new, legally binding environmental targets in the form of the much-delayed Environment Bill, which was was first launched in July 2018. The Government said it will pass the legislation in the run-up to the international Cop26 climate change summit in Glasgow at the end of year.
Animal Sentience Bill
The Queen’s Speech will also ensure animals with a backbone will have a legal right to feel happiness and suffering. According to the Sunday Telegraph, an Animal Sentience Bill will enshrine in law that animals are aware of their feelings and emotions in order to make the UK a world leader in animal welfare.
Animals Abroad Bill
A new Animals Abroad bill is also expected to ban imports of hunting trophies, while a Kept Animals bill will ban families from keeping primates as pets.
Here is a further review of some other issues not related to animals or the environment:
“A mother’s love” is not only reserved for biological mothers. And it’s not just shared with babies. Anyone who has dearly loved an animal, whether an abandoned calf who thinks you’re his real mama, or a senior cat who barely tolerates your presence, knows the incredible joy of being needed like a mother. We’ve nurtured thousands of orphaned newborns, ill and wounded animals, often with intensive care. That’s what mothers–whether they are men, women, cows, donkeys or goats–give every day: intensive care and vital love.
This teenager puppy was badly injured after likely being snagged by a passing vehicle. The wound covered a huge area on her shoulders, and Jewel’s pain must have been excruciating. Infection was a grave danger. We hurried her back to Animal Aid, brought her into surgery to clean and stitched the wound back together.
Shy young Jewel emerged from her ordeal needing extra snuggles while her massive laceration became a tiny scar.Please donate
Colby took months to reveal his inner strengthafter a spine injury laid him low
This beautiful boy was hit by a passing vehicle and his neck and spine were injured. Our protocol for spine injury includes pain treatment, bed rest, good food, and gradual physiotherapy starting with passive movements and progressing to hydrotherapy.But with spine injuries, mobility is not guaranteed.
We were heartbroken that after a month of treatment, this sweetheart still couldn’t stand and our hopes started to fade. But Colby had hidden strength, and he just needed a little more time.
Abandoned and adorable, Jake waited 9 long months before we found a loving family who could care for him in the way he deserved–with abundant play, multiple opportunities to exercise every day, and people who adore him.
Jake’s new family knows the importance of adopting a shelter or street dog rather than buying a dog from a breeder or shop. And they also know the value of unconditional, life-long commitment and love.
Did you know that a shockingly large number of farm animals are not killed in the slaughterhouse?
Many people are not aware that numerous animals end up in so-called carcass disposal facilities (CDF for short) – especially those that were sick and therefore could not be killed for their meat.
Carcass disposal systems are collection points for dead animals from various areas, including so-called pets, but also animals from agriculture, zoos and fur farms.
Their bodies and body parts, including slaughterhouse waste, are destroyed in the facilities, for example by incineration.
Studies that examined animal corpses in such animal body disposal facilities have shown that so-called farm animals in the food industry experience immense suffering while they are being kept.
That is sad everyday life and not – as lobby-related politicians like to claim – the individual case.
Study shows: 13.6 million pigs end up in carcass disposal facilities
So far, hardly any studies have been carried out on the health of animals that do not survive breeding or fattening and are “disposed of” in animal carcass disposal facilities.
The few available results of such investigations are all shocking because they show that a large number of these “fallen animals” suffered considerably before they died.
The University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover (TiHo) published a study at the end of 2017 that examined some of the approximately 13.6 million pigs that die or are killed every year in German breeding and fattening facilities.
The result: 13.2 percent of the so-called fattening pigs and 11.6 percent of the pigs from breeding had cruel findings.
Externally recognizable ailments and some animals that were delivered alive
“Want to see cognitive dissonance in action? The photo on the right, of a murdered dog, has been censored by Facebook. The photo on the left, of a murdered pig, has not been. If there was ever anything that both Facebook mods and non-vegans (i.e. the ones who reported the dog image) have done to prove the very point of a vegan post, this is it”.
George Martin
And I mean…We humans, as a species, have successfully eaten our way to the top of the food chain.
And above all we Europeans consider ourselves to be particularly sensitive and animal-friendly when we are exceptionally outraged by the “sick and perverted” Chinese who eat the “wrong” animals.
Because we take animal welfare seriously here.
After all, we are not just some uncivilized animal that has run around. We are Homo Sapiens!
And what does homo sapiens have ?! He has rights! And lots of it.
The right of the strongest, for example. And then it would be an offense against natural law not to apply it.
So let’s do that and think of all kinds of ways to eat animals!
We can destroy any animal because we are stronger!!
The meat-eating home-pet protectors have set themselves the task of explaining to the Chinese that instead of dogs they should finally eat the right animals: cattle, chickens, pigs … just like normal people.
According to the motto … “Nobody cares about eating dogs. It’s about torturing! IT’S ALL ABOUT TORTURING! … “
But if we actually took this seriously, then in the end it would really prevent us from being able to eat animals at all, because every slaughter is about tormenting, and because now more and more people know that the pigs killed here are more intelligent than dogs there, or that they are at least as friendly, playful and trusting if we let them.
But that would be a certain inconvenience for our morality.
And above all, it would conflict with the law of the strongest. After all, this is a law of nature. And we take THAT seriously.
So seriously that we even consider it the duty of the strong to eat the weak.
Thanks as always to Stacey at ‘Our Compass’ for sending this info to us.
WAV Comment – (Mark): As and English activist that has campaigned against the calf trade and dairy industry for the last 30+ years; I find this video very disturbing. It is a complete and utter insult to all of us who have worked so very hard over the years to get this kind of thing stopped. Cruelty goes on, no matter where you are on the planet; and what you do to effectively try to stop it.
Please watch the video – the UK prides itself (quite rightly) on being a nation that prides itself on the way it treats and cares for animals. This video shows the dark side, the other side of the UK pride for animal welfare. It gets to me hard; as it will get to you hard; mere babies cruelly separated from their mothers just hours after birth; the despearate calls from both sides for the want to be together.
There is one simple way to avoid the situations you see in the video; and that is to completely ditch all dairy products and instead go plant based; it is so very easy nowdays.
We have fought over the years in the past; we fight now, and we will forever fight in the future until abuses like those shown here are confined to history books, and we have to explain to youngsters in future why we allowed such abuses to take place in the ‘recent past’.
Regards Mark
Source Expired: Dairy Still KillsWhy do some promote cow’s milk and cheese as “humane”? Consuming animals as well as their “products” is never a victimless activity regardless of how humans define it, those anthropomorphized tv demonstrations of happy cows and cows going to school are delusional deflections from the reality of hell they experience: all exploited animals die, most after brief lives of pain, torment, bodily control, and mutilation.
If you agree that such incalculable suffering and violent death of infants “from other countries” is horrific, you should read about how many infants are violently, fearfully butchered in the US yearly, page 6, and also note that the US, just as one example, exports animals and animal “products” globally.
USDA: 2019 Commercial calf slaughter totaled 587,000 head
Mind you, that number includes calves and not the mothers or the chickens or the lambs or the pigs or the fish: globally and yearly, trillions of unwilling animals are butchered.
If you consume animals or the secretions of animals and refuse to watch the violence and cruelty required for you because you find it “too distressing”, can you imagine having to actually experience it? Would you promote “humane euthanasia” of your cats or dogs in a slaughterhouse?
This really isn’t difficult: next time you make a choice, choose the one that doesn’t require such violence and misery, reaching for plant-based milks or plant-based cheeses or plant-based foods in general takes no additional effort. Nobody selects cows’ milk because it’s “naturally healthy”, that’s just the spin to validate your money subsidizing suffering. Cow’s milk is fortified with those “naturally healthy” benefits – ie, those vitamins are artificially added to it after it is stolen from the infants who it is “naturally” intended for – and the USDA includes soy milk as a healthy dairy food.
It’s bizarre that people pretend that drinking another species’ breastmilk, beyond infancy, and with teeth, causing preventable death to infants and mothers, is “healthy” or “natural”. SL
A staggering 65,000 male calves under a month old were killed in slaughterhouses in 2020 in the UK, more than the number shot on farms.
Latest figures show that 60,000 male dairy calves were killed on British farms – a part of the industry which often faces public criticism. With assurance schemes, supermarkets and dairy companies prohibiting the “routine euthanasia of healthy calves” – the shooting of calves on farms – what will be the fate of these previously killed waste products? Is this another ‘kinder option’ that the industry has created following on from the mass integration of the dairy and beef industries?
Red Tractor, Arla and Müller, plus many supermarkets including Tesco, Waitrose and Morrisons all have varying policies attempting to prevent this killing. But there are loopholes and calves will not always be protected. Some of these policies only protect calves for up to eight weeks old and others do not prevent calves being sold on at markets. Therefore, the fate of many of these calves is to enter the integrated calf rearing and fattening system, where they will be killed from 12 months old for their flesh. But thousands will still be unsuitable and unprofitable.
Oaklands Livestock Centre
‘Slaughter calves’ are bought by dealers from dairies and markets. Dealers are accountable for over half of all calves entering slaughterhouses.
We filmed calves being picked up from dairy farms, supplying Sainsbury’s via milk processor, Müller, by Oaklands Livestock Centre, owned by renowned calf dealer Derek Whittall.
Whittall buys and sells calves at Halls Shrewsbury Auction, as well as buying calves at Barbers Market in Market Drayton.
Whittall’s facility, Oaklands Livestock Centre, is in Shropshire. It is a busy hub for calves passing through. Centres like these are an integral part of the UK calf trade and aid the exploitation of calves. This site is also home to one of Blade Farming’s collection centres. Arla and Sainsbury’s have partnered with beef processor ABP through its Blade Farming operation. This aids the integration of the dairy and beef industries through rearing calves. Son of Oaklands’ Director, Josh Whittall, has been in charge of transport for some Blade Farming calves.
Some of the calves who arrive at Oaklands are destined to enter the integrated rearing system, and eventually be killed for their flesh. Many others will head straight to the slaughterhouse.
Arriving at the centre, calves were mercilessly unloaded. They were kicked and pushed down trailer ramps. Others were dragged up by their tails and ears.
We caught on camera the physical and verbal abuse of these vulnerable babies.
Gates were slammed on the calves, trapping their delicate legs. Plastic bags were waved around to scare the already distressed babies.
The violent culture of abuse amongst workers towards calves at Oaklands was normalised, condoned and seemed to be expected.
These incidents are highly distressing to watch, and not only do they breach transport and welfare legislation, they demonstrate a total lack of compassion and cause unnecessary pain, fear and suffering to the individual animals.
Molly Vasanthakumar Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery MRCVS
Naturally, calves drink from their mothers throughout the day and under legislation, those who are less than four weeks old must be fed two or more times in 24 hours. We filmed multiple groups of calves going without feeds for as long as 21 hours and others were fed only once in 29 hours. This was a regular occurrence during our filming.
Unweaned calves had no access to water.
Young calves paced and cried out. Being separated from their mothers and having milk restricted is highly distressing and dangerous for calves. When they were finally fed, they were often shown no patience. Some were thrown and hit and one was kicked in the face for not taking to the drinkers fast enough.
Some calves were loaded up and were left on a trailer for almost three hours. This is another clear breach of guidelines.
Oaklands takes many calves directly to slaughter. This is the heartbreaking, lesser-known part of the calf trade. Oaklands workers took calves to G. & G.B. Hewitt slaughterhouse in Chester, which they used to kill calves. Other agents including Livestock Supplies Ltd were caught on camera also taking calves there, taking almost 30 calves in February alone.
Calves are sent to the same slaughterhouses that kill larger animals such as sheep and adult cows. Their small frames are reflected in how tiny they look inside the walkways and holding pens.
We saw calves who were mercilessly stunned with a bolt gun before being strung up by their back legs and having their throats slit open to be ‘bled out’. The workers, desensitised to this horrific violence, took no hesitation in taking the lives of the calves. Curious and vulnerable babies were reduced to a mere profit-making product, hanging upside down and bleeding onto the slaughterhouse floor.
Their flesh will be sold for human consumption and their skin for leather.
Their captive bolt gun failed to stun a calf FOUR TIMES
There is no legislation covering the time between stunning and bleeding out but the Humane Slaughter Association (HSA) states that “if it is possible to stick [cut the throat] within 15 seconds, then this should be the case”. We caught calves being left for over 40 seconds after stunning.
Could this cruel fate inside the slaughterhouse increase now that policies have been introduced to prohibit the killing of male calves on farms? Will we see slaughter figures increase? Ending the shooting of calves on farm will not end the killing inside slaughterhouses.
Whether they are killed at 10 days old or enter the “integrated rearing and fattening system” …
Take PETA’s Cruelty-Free Shopping Guide along with you next time you head to the store! The handy guide will help you find humane products at a glance. Order a FREE copyHERE
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Free PDF of Vegan & Cruelty-Free Products/Companies HERE
Want to do more than go vegan? Help others to do so! Click below for nominal, or no, fees to vegan literature that you can use to convince others that veganism is the only compassionate route to being an animal friend:
Corporate arsonists are torching forests in Brazil — and the “worst company in the world” is likely to profit from the disaster: Cargill, an agribusiness giant responsible for environmental destruction and human rights violations on a massive scale, makes billions producing soy and meat in South America.
To: the management of McDonald’s, Burger King, Walmart, Unilever, the Dutch company Ahold Delhaize and others
“Cargill is responsible for massive environmental degradation and human rights violations. We call on you to drop Cargill from your suppliers. “
Numerous corporations are guilty of trashing nature. Major chocolate manufacturers, countless palm oil producers and global fast-food chains are all driving the decline of the world’s forests, savannas and other ecosystems.
Yet when it comes to environmental destruction, Cargill dwarfs all the rest: If other corporations are piranhas, Cargill is a great white shark.
The US-based multinational has a long and sordid history of duplicity, deception and destruction that earned it the title “worst company in the world” in a report by the NGO Mighty Earth. The report describes in detail how Cargill profits from the destruction of the environment and the exploitation of people and how it blocks urgently needed changes.
– In Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia, Cargill is involved in the wholesale destruction of the Amazon, Grand Chaco and Cerrado ecosystems for the production of soy and beef.
– In Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, Cargill buys cocoa that has been illegally grown in protected areas and national parks. The company also does not seem to have a problem with buying cocoa that was produced using child labor.
– In Indonesia and Malaysia, Cargill buys palm oil from companies that illegally clear rainforests and are involved in child and forced labor.
Cargill ignores those issues: profits come before ethics.
For years, Cargill has been pledging to eliminate deforestation, environmental degradation and human rights violations in his supply chain. That promise is a massive lie.
While consumers can hardly avoid Cargill, Cargill’s corporate customers – restaurant chains, supermarkets and consumer-goods companies such as McDonald’s, Burger King, Walmart, Unilever and hundreds more – can!
We call on those companies to cut their ties with Cargill and to stop foisting Cargill products on consumers!
Some additional information on Cargill: Cargill is the largest privately held company in the United States, bigger than the notorious Koch Industries. Its presence extends across the globe.
And the worst company in the world
There is ample and compelling evidence to support this claim.
The people who became sick or died after consuming the contaminated Cargill meat, the child laborers who plant the cocoa that Cargill sells for chocolate consumption worldwide, the people of the American Midwest who drink the Cargill contaminated water, the indigenous peoples who are being displaced to Cargill’s fodder production due to massive deforestation, and last but not least, the common consumers who have to pay more for their food because of Cargill’s financial crimes – they are all feeling the effects of this agricultural giant. Contact with Cargill has affected their life.
If you don’t want to support such a company with your money, you can try to boycott Cargill – but that’s not that easy.
The agricultural group produces and trades in grain, oilseeds, cocoa, animal feed, sweeteners, starches and other ingredients for processed foods, among other things.
“Cargill raw materials” can be found in an extremely large number of brands and products – but the name Cargill cannot be found on the packaging.
It is not possible to compile a complete list of corporations and brands that work with Cargill: there are simply too many companies, and it is often even possible to find out which of them are processing Cargill raw materials.
Therefore, the petition appeals to some of Cargil’s powerful partners.
The more people participate, the greater the pressure on companies – and on Cargill itself.
This call to Gargill’s customers can help a lot Please sign the petition!
These companies must stop buying from Cargill until Cargill stops destroying native ecosystems, exploiting people and communities, and polluting public waters.
World Animals Voice 