Did you know rabbit teeth never stop growing?Or that rabbits can jump up to ten feet?As well as being social and sensitive animals, rabbits are incredibly fascinating.We’ve rounded up eleven fun facts about rabbits that you definitely didn’t know!
1. Rabbits are escape animals
Rabbits are always on the lookout. This is particularly evident from the fact that they are very cautious and behave more fearfully. For example, when rabbits are fooled by a human, they often become numb or try to free themselves by jumping uncontrollably.
2. Rabbits move as much as cats
Rabbits have the same urge to move around like cats. They need a lot of space and love to exercise in the fresh air.
3. Rabbits digest twice
Rabbits eat a special part of their excrement called appendix feces. This enables them to digest the food that is difficult to digest, such as crude fiber.
4. Rabbits are group animals
In the wild, rabbits live in large groups and have distinctive social behavior. Like us humans, they need conspecifics to be happy.
5. Rabbits defend their territory
Rabbits are very territorial and even defend their territory in a fighting manner if necessary.
6. Rabbit teeth will grow for a lifetime
Rabbit teeth never stop growing. The animals, therefore, wear off their teeth, for example by gnawing on branches. If they do not do this, the teeth may be misaligned.
7. Rabbits warn their conspecifics with knocking noises
Rabbits signal anger, discomfort, excitement, or fear by quickly so-called drumming with their hind legs on the ground. This also warns group members. The knock is usually followed by a quick sprint at high speed in order to outrun the possible enemy and hide in a shelter.
Animal testing: Germany refuses to adapt to EU requirements – take action now!
Infringement proceedings are currently underway against Germany because EU requirements for the protection of animals in test laboratories have not yet been sufficiently implemented.
Eight years late, the federal government is now submitting completely inadequate draft laws, which, however, continue to ignore important animal welfare requirements. Call on the responsible minister to remedy the deficiencies!
Brussels / Stuttgart, August 16, 2018 – breaches of contract: The EU Commission, based in Brussels, has informed six European countries about inadequacies in the national legislation on the protection of animals in the test laboratories.
Each member state had to implement the EU directive “for the protection of animals used for scientific purposes”in its laws by 2012.
However, around eight years later, the Commission still found numerous shortcomings in the national laws of Estonia,Germany, Portugal,Romania,Slovakia, and Spain.
PETAGermany, together with PETA UK, has asked the responsible ministries to no longer allow experiments on animals and is starting an online petition.
8 years too late: BMEL(German Ministry of Food and Agriculture) presents draft laws! That is also inadequate!
In the summer of 2018, the EU Commission reprimanded those six EU countries for failing to implement various legislation on the protection of animals in test laboratories – including Germany.
Up until November 10, 2012, each EU member state had the task of implementing the “Directive 2010/63 / EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes” in its national legislation.
Now, almost eight years (!)after the deadline was exceeded, and with EU infringement proceedings on the back of its neck, the federal government is submitting corresponding drafts.
“Among other things, the German law allows that despite the requirements of the EU Animal Experiments Directive, no appropriate inspections are carried out in test laboratories,” said Dr. Christopher Faßbender, ecotoxicologist and research assistant at PETA Germany. “In addition, the wording of the German legislation does not sufficiently specify the requirements for the expertise of the staff in such facilities and the presence of veterinarians.”
These are still more than inadequate and sometimes keep back doors open so that we can continue as before.
We are brought up as children with the racist prejudice to deny other beings the rights that we only recognize for our species and call human rights.
We already learn as children that animals are born to serve us as slaves, to be killed for our purposes.
The only time we come into contact with all the billions of animals is when we eat them, dress them, swallow them as drugs for which they have been tortured in laboratories.
Meat producers and meat consumers are one front, work hand in hand, and each side enjoys their privileges: the meat mafia lies to consumers with organic fairy tales, humane slaughtering, and animal protection laws that are systematically disregarded.
This is how they do the billions in business with modern slaves.
And consumers want to be lied to and literally buy a clear conscience for their meat consumption with “organic meat”, “my farmer next door”, “I rarely eat meat”.
In doing so, they are eliminating the cruel reality of animal suffering by ignoring it.
This is the only way they can maintain their consumption.
Despite videos, undercover investigations, media reports, demonstrations, Internet information … Animal rights are disregarded and are only observed if they do not limit our privileges.
No animal deserves to live as a slave, to be treated as a product or commodity.
Never forget it and stop eating animals.
Vegan is healthy, vegan is ecological, vegan prevents immense animal suffering.
Ottawa, Canada — The International Vegan Film Festival will be doing something entirely new for its third annual event. It’s going virtual.
The 2020 Festival will take place online with digital screenings, panels, filmmaker Q&As and more from October 10th – 17th. The event will take place on the Eventive platform with the full schedule of event and ticket information being released in mid-September on the Festival website.
Founded in 2018, The International Vegan Film Festival is the world’s premier vegan film festival, dedicated to celebrating the vegan ideal: a healthier, compassionate, environmentally-friendly lifestyle that can be achieved through the consumption of plants and animal-free alternatives.
“Like many other live events around the world, we’ve had to adapt to prioritize the safety, comfort and well-being of our community,” said Festival Executive Director, Shawn Stratton.
The full list of films playing in the festival will be available in late September. Below are a few of the films that will be included:
Regan Russell – A Short Documentary
On the morning of June 19, 2020, Regan Russell was outside Fearmans slaughterhouse in Burlington, Ontario for a special vigil to give water to thirsty, dehydrated pigs when a pig transport truck drove right into her and dragged her body for more than 15 meters. This documentary showcases Regan’s young life, her involvement in animal rights, her last day of activism, and the aftermath of her death.
Butenland
The story of a former dairy farmer, an animal rights activist and the first cow retirement home.
A farm that has become a farm for life – the former dairy farmer Jan Gerdes and the animal welfare activist Karin Mück have created a place with their project Hof Butenland where there are no more livestock: a peaceful coexistence that seems almost utopian.
INVISIBLE
INVISIBLE is a short film exploring a dangerous and secret world that has never before been documented. Following undercover investigators ‘Sarah’ and ‘Emily’ (their names have been changed to protect their identities) on an investigation at a pig farm in Europe, INVISIBLE grants the viewer unprecedented access to a world that is deliberately and painstakingly covert.
Stratton said that “this year has given us an opportunity to think creatively about how we can make the festival more accessible and innovative than ever before, and we are excited to deliver a memorable experience that honors all the reasons we’ve become known as the premier event for vegan-themed content creators and film enthusiasts.”
This year’s fest still promises to highlight more short and feature-length films than ever. The full program and lineup will be released next month. It’s also planning “virtual social opportunities” to facilitate discussions between filmmakers and audience members.
“One of the reasons I started the International Vegan Film Festival was to help people discover outstanding vegan-themed films they have not heard of before or may never had an opportunity to see. I also wanted to give vegan themed filmmakers another platform to highlight their work to more audiences. You can discover and re-discover the enormous positive impact becoming vegan can have on health, farmed animals, and the environment through the film festival. With the festival now going online, we are making it even easier for people to discover these outstanding films.”
Judges
The Festival judging panel includes a who’s-who of the vegan world, including Miyoko Schinner, the founder of Miyoko’s Creamery, Dale Vince, CEO of Ecotricity—the UK’s first and largest green energy provider—and owner of the all-vegan Forest Green Rovers football club, as well as David Flynn, one of the twin brothers behind Irelands vegan ‘foodie empire’ Happy Pear.
As well, Seth Tibbott, the founder and Chairman of The Tofurky Company and author of In Search of the Wild Tofurky, has recently agreed to join this year’s IVFFF Photo Essay Contest judging panel.
Vegan Photo Essay Contest – submissions close Aug 31, 2020
Aside from the film festival, they also put on other initiatives such as a virtual screening in partnership with We Animals, and a Photo Essay to showcase creativity amongst professional and amateur photographers. Until August 31, 2020, applicants can submit a series of 3-5 images depicting vegan lifestyle, health and nutrition, animal welfare, or environmental protection. Winners will be announced during the festival in October and will also receive a $250 CAD cash prize.The jury is seeking a sequence of images that conveys a compelling story or message – with each image strong enough to stand on its own while conveying a greater narrative when viewed in the photographer’s desired sequence.
Stratton says, “The Vegan Photo Essay Contest is a great way for anyone with a camera and a story, not just professionals, to be involved in the festival.” The contest even has a Youth category to encourage young people to become more involved in sharing vegan themed stories.
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Creation of a university research program dedicated to animal welfare in Belgium
24 August 2020
The universities of Leuven and Ghent will open a university chair programme dedicated to ethics and animal welfare. The place of animals in our society will be the main focus.
The two institutions have been preparing since January for the opening of this university chair programme, which will be entrusted to the faculties of bioengineering sciences at KU Leuven and veterinary medicine at UGent.
The chair’s work will begin at the start of the academic year and will focus on various issues targeting both companion animals and animal husbandry or experimentation. They will be open to students from all faculties.
In Auvergne, a huge farm supplies between 1,000 and 2,000 Beagles each year to animal experimentation laboratories around the world.
In Gannat, there is a site inaccessible to the public, surrounded by fences, barbed wire, equipped with video surveillance and alarm systems. A high security prison? A military complex? No.
When we manage to glance through it to obtain a few images, we can see rows of dozens of small bare enclosures with access to concrete courtyards where beagles are locked up. These dogs are known for their gentle and affectionate character, but they will be sold as “laboratory equipment”.
According to official 2018 figures , in France, 2 million animals are used in laboratories. Rodents, fish, reptiles, macaques, marmosets, dogs, cats, horses undergo more or less invasive, more or less painful, more or less fatal experiments. However, there are alternatives to animal testing.
One of the measures of the referendum for animals, which L214 is carrying with many personalities and French NGOs, is the ban on animal testing when alternatives exist.
The post ‘Investigation shows dogs bred for animal testing in France’ is modified from an article published by L214 Éthique & Animaux in their original language.
Go vegetarian to save wildlife and the planet, Sir David Attenborough urges
Sir David Attenborough is urging people to go vegetarian or cut back on meat-eating to save species from dying out and to produce more food.
In a new Netflix documentary, A Life On Our Planet, the veteran naturalist says: “We must change our diet. The planet can’t support billions of meat-eaters.
“If we had a mostly plant-based diet we could increase the yield of the land,” the Mirror reported him as saying.
“The wilder and more diverse, the more effective. We must grow palm and soya on deforested lands. Nature is our biggest ally.”
Experts say that using swathes of land to grow feed solely for livestock is wasteful because animals are inefficient converters of calories, and that growing human-edible crops on the land would provide more total food.
Sir David, whose Blue Planet II series prompted widespread efforts to reduce plastic use, also warned that we should make the world wild again to save it.
The growth of animal farming worldwide and rise in demand for meat and dairy are considered key factors in deforestation, which is threatening the extinction of many wild species in the food chain, from insects to elephants and big cats.
“The true tragedy of our time is still unfolding – the loss of biodiversity,” Sir David reportedly says in the film.
“Half of fertile land on Earth is now farmland, 70 per cent of birds are domestic, majority chickens. We are one third of animals on Earth. This is now our planet run by – and for – humans.
“There’s little left for the world. We have completely destroyed it.”
The 94-year-old warns: “Scientists predict by 2030 the rainforest turns into a dry savannah, altering the global water cycle. The Arctic becomes ice-free, global warming increases, frozen soils release methane and accelerate climate change dramatically.
“By 2080 global food production enters crisis, soils overused, weather more unpredictable. The planet becomes four degrees warmer, large parts of the world uninhabitable.
“A sixth mass extinction is well under way. Our garden of Eden will be lost. I wish I wasn’t involved in this struggle. I wish I wasn’t there.”
Sir David urges the world to restore biodiversity and rewild the world, which, he says, would be “easier than you think”.
He adds: “Our planet is headed for disaster. We need to learn how to work with nature rather than against it.
“Human beings have overrun the world.”
Referring to the loss of wildlife and growth of meat production, he warns: “We’re replacing the wild with the tame,” but says: “If we act now, we can put it right.”
In 2017, Sir David revealed that he had stopped eating meat, and last year reportedly said: “I haven’t been a doctrinaire vegetarian or vegan, but I no longer have the same appetite for meat. Why? I’m not sure. I think subconsciously maybe it’s because of the state of the planet.”
Peter Stevenson, chief policy adviser of Compassion in World Farming, has reported that: “For every 100 calories fed to animals in the form of human-edible crops, we receive just 17-30 calories in the form of meat and milk.”
And I mean…Around 1 billion people are starving worldwide.
43,000 children die of starvation every day.
But the amount of grain and legumes fed to cattle would be enough to feed 3 billion people.
2.2 billion people worldwide do not have regular access to clean water.
But the global average production of one kg of beef is associated with a consumption of 15,415 liters of water.
This is the work of the rich oligarchs against the poor and weak.
And you are also a part of this crime if you consume meat and animal products.
Addressing the inaugural session of the ninth Parliament, the President announced that he would prohibit the cultivation of palm oil, among other measures to aid the plantations sector.
He presented his policy statement at the Parliament after ceremonially declaring the ninth Parliament opens on 20 August 2020.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa
He said that the income from industries such as tea, coconut, and rubber is currently unsatisfactory.
“We will commence operations to develop tea plantations while assisting small and medium scale tea estate owners as well. Due to the shutting down of tea factories, tea estate owners have encountered a number of difficulties.
We will restart these factories and eliminate existing irregularities simultaneously encouraging the export of high-quality tea products.
We will reclaim the global brand name we held for Ceylon Tea.” he stated.
Accordingly, the planting of coconut saplings will be encouraged, and to enact a reasonable price for rubber, local rubber industrialists will be encouraged to utilize their own products.
He further stated that the cultivation of palm oil trees will be stopped completely.
Furthermore, the production of export crops, such as pepper and cinnamon, will be promoted, and opportunities to generate substantial foreign exchange will be provided to farmers through value addition to agricultural products and export measures.
My comment: Even before the election, the president made it clear what he thought of palm oil, and like the environmental groups that have also voiced concerns about the cultivation of oil palms, he resolutely said: No to palm oil.No deforestation for palm oil.
His brother, ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa, caused a worldwide sensation when he banned glyphosate.
Sri Lanka became the second country, after El Salvador, to completely ban the sale of glyphosate herbicides when glyphosate was shown to be responsible for the growing number of chronic kidney disease (CKDu) in Sri Lanka.
Studies in Sri Lanka have shown that not only is nature being destroyed, but also that the water table is falling due to the concentrated growth of palm oil.
Other studies done in Indonesia indicate that groundwater quality is also affected by the adverse effects of the fertilizer required to grow oil palms.
Deforestation for new palm oil plantations Indonesia
Surface temperatures in the region have risen- making them more susceptible to wildfires. They destroyed habitats that have led the Sumatran Orangutan to be listed as critically endangered.
Records also show signs of animal cruelty as Orangutans have been found buried alive or killed by guns and other weapons. It is estimated that should this large scale deforestation continue, we might very well have to say goodbye to the wild Sumatran Orangutan within the next 5-10 years and the Sumatran Tiger is less than 3 years.
This industry not only threatens environmental conservation purposes but animal welfare too.
It’s a very good decision!!
If some European prime ministers had the strong character of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, we would have come much further in nature and animal protection.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Deforestation for new palm oil plantations Indonesia
World Animals Voice 