Saturday, April 5, 2008
The Clubbing of Seals
MORE THAN 1 MILLION SEALS HAVE BEEN KILLED JUST DURING THE PAST FOUR YEARS. ON MARCH 28, 2008 THIS KILLING SPREE HAS BEGUN YET ANOTHER YEAR
What Is 'Seal Clubbing"?
You may have heard it already, but one of the largest subjects being talked about in the news or by all animal activists is the clubbing of seals. The clubbing of seals is where men (sometimes women) go out to the seals habitat and kill them by clubbing them to death. Seal hunting, or sealing, is done for the profit of the seals' pelts, blubber, and meat.
Why Do They Club?
Clubbing the seal is a safe and easy to preserve the seal's valuable pelt. The hunters don't want to damage the pelt because doing so would result in being paid less. They get money for every dead seal they bring in. Federal laws in Canada give a sealer three ways to hunt his prey. He can shoot a seal with a rifle or shotgun (provided it's above a minimum caliber or gauge); he can break its head with a blunt club something like a baseball bat that must be at least 2 feet long; or he can smash in its brains with something called a hakapik. A hakapik is a 4 or 5 foot wooden pole with a bent, metal spike affixed to the end.
The hunter will most likely use a hakapik or club if at all possible. That's because with these weapons, it's much easier to aim a blow directly at the seal pup's head. One swing from a hakapik will usually kill a pup right away.
By law, you have to keep clubbing the seal in the forehead until you know for sure that it's dead. Sealers are supposed to "palpate" a pup's skull after they've clubbed it, to feel the caved-in bone beneath the skin and blubber,or they can perform the "blink reflex" test, which consists of touching the seal's eyeball. If it blinks, you've got to club it again because that means it is still alive. Very few hunters actually perfome these tests because they say they can feel the skull collaps as they make contact with their clubs.
Where Is Clubbing Done?
The hunt for these seals is practiced in five different countries. Canada is where most of the worlds seal hunting takes place but it is done in Greenland, Namibia, Norway, and Russia.
The United States, Belgium, the Netherlands, Croatia and Mexico have already banned the import of seal products. And the European Union is currently considering a comprehensive ban on seal product trade. This move, many believe, could put the end of Canada's commercial seal hunt.
How Many Are Killed?
Like i said, over 1 million seals have been killed just in the past four years. The Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) set the "total allowable catch" (TAC) of harp seals at 270,000 per year. The men are supposed to only kill that amount per year during that hunting season. The hunters literally compete against each other for quotas, killing as many seals as quickly as possible before the region's quota is reached.
The Brutal Truth
In the past years, The HSUS(Humane Society of the United States) has consistently filmed hunters beating seals repeatedly on the jaw, the face and the body failing to render the animals unconscious (which by law are required to). Veterinary studies have confirmed that hunters often fail to crush the skulls of the seals they club, instead striking them in other areas such as the jaw failing to ensure unconsciousness, let alone death.
When the hunting is started, the hunters are unable to get close enough to club them on their boat, so long-range shooting, shooting from moving boats, and shooting at seals in the water often occurs. What happens is the hunters usually fail at killing them, leaving the wounded seal to suffer in agony for extend periods of time. The hunters on boats have a difficult time getting to the injured seal though the thick, broken ice, who are often still conscious and suffering from their wounds.
When the ice has broken, the hunters are unable to get onto the ice to test the seal for unconsciousness. Instead, hunters frequently lean over the sides of their boats, impale the seal with a gaff (a long wooden pole with a steel hook at the end), and drag them onto the boat completely skipping the unconsciousness test and bleeding process. The HSUS has documented this on countless occasions.
I am going to attach a video of the actually fotage fillmed in this killing. If you don't think you can handle watching this abuse, i advise you not to watch.
What Is 'Seal Clubbing"?
You may have heard it already, but one of the largest subjects being talked about in the news or by all animal activists is the clubbing of seals. The clubbing of seals is where men (sometimes women) go out to the seals habitat and kill them by clubbing them to death. Seal hunting, or sealing, is done for the profit of the seals' pelts, blubber, and meat.
Why Do They Club?
Clubbing the seal is a safe and easy to preserve the seal's valuable pelt. The hunters don't want to damage the pelt because doing so would result in being paid less. They get money for every dead seal they bring in. Federal laws in Canada give a sealer three ways to hunt his prey. He can shoot a seal with a rifle or shotgun (provided it's above a minimum caliber or gauge); he can break its head with a blunt club something like a baseball bat that must be at least 2 feet long; or he can smash in its brains with something called a hakapik. A hakapik is a 4 or 5 foot wooden pole with a bent, metal spike affixed to the end.
The hunter will most likely use a hakapik or club if at all possible. That's because with these weapons, it's much easier to aim a blow directly at the seal pup's head. One swing from a hakapik will usually kill a pup right away.
By law, you have to keep clubbing the seal in the forehead until you know for sure that it's dead. Sealers are supposed to "palpate" a pup's skull after they've clubbed it, to feel the caved-in bone beneath the skin and blubber,or they can perform the "blink reflex" test, which consists of touching the seal's eyeball. If it blinks, you've got to club it again because that means it is still alive. Very few hunters actually perfome these tests because they say they can feel the skull collaps as they make contact with their clubs.
Where Is Clubbing Done?
The hunt for these seals is practiced in five different countries. Canada is where most of the worlds seal hunting takes place but it is done in Greenland, Namibia, Norway, and Russia.
The United States, Belgium, the Netherlands, Croatia and Mexico have already banned the import of seal products. And the European Union is currently considering a comprehensive ban on seal product trade. This move, many believe, could put the end of Canada's commercial seal hunt.
How Many Are Killed?
Like i said, over 1 million seals have been killed just in the past four years. The Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) set the "total allowable catch" (TAC) of harp seals at 270,000 per year. The men are supposed to only kill that amount per year during that hunting season. The hunters literally compete against each other for quotas, killing as many seals as quickly as possible before the region's quota is reached.
The Brutal Truth
In the past years, The HSUS(Humane Society of the United States) has consistently filmed hunters beating seals repeatedly on the jaw, the face and the body failing to render the animals unconscious (which by law are required to). Veterinary studies have confirmed that hunters often fail to crush the skulls of the seals they club, instead striking them in other areas such as the jaw failing to ensure unconsciousness, let alone death.
When the hunting is started, the hunters are unable to get close enough to club them on their boat, so long-range shooting, shooting from moving boats, and shooting at seals in the water often occurs. What happens is the hunters usually fail at killing them, leaving the wounded seal to suffer in agony for extend periods of time. The hunters on boats have a difficult time getting to the injured seal though the thick, broken ice, who are often still conscious and suffering from their wounds.
When the ice has broken, the hunters are unable to get onto the ice to test the seal for unconsciousness. Instead, hunters frequently lean over the sides of their boats, impale the seal with a gaff (a long wooden pole with a steel hook at the end), and drag them onto the boat completely skipping the unconsciousness test and bleeding process. The HSUS has documented this on countless occasions.
I am going to attach a video of the actually fotage fillmed in this killing. If you don't think you can handle watching this abuse, i advise you not to watch.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Stop The Fighting!
COCKFIGHTING:
Cockfighting is a centuries-old blood sport in which two or more specially bred birds, known as gamecocks, are placed in an enclosure to fight, for the primary purposes of gambling and entertainment. A cockfight usually results in the death of one of the birds. Sometimes it ends in the death of both. A typical cockfight can last anywhere from several minutes to more than half an hour.
The birds, even those who do not die, suffer in cockfights. The birds cannot escape from the fight, regardless of how exhausted or injured they become. Common injuries include punctured lungs, broken bones, and pierced eyes. Such severe injuries occur because the birds' legs are usually fitted with razor-sharp steel blades or with gaffs, which resemble three-inch-long, curved ice picks. The birls are bred for maximum aggressiveness (and sometimes given steroids or other drugs to make them more successful fighters) are forced to fight until a winner is declared.
DOG FIGHTING
Dogfighting is a sadistic "contest" in which two dogs (again specifically bred, conditioned, and trained to fight) are placed in a pit generally the size of a small arena enclosed by plywood walls to fight each other for the spectators' entertainment and gambling. Fights often average anywhere from an hour to sometimes two. Dogfights end when one of the dogs will not or cannot continue.
The American pit bull terriers used in the majority of these fights have been specifically bred and trained for fighting. With their extremely powerful jaws, they are able to inflict severe bruising, deep puncture wounds and broken bones.
Dogs used in these events often die of blood loss, shock, dehydration, exhaustion, or infection hours or even days after the fight. Some owners train their dogs for fights using smaller animals such as cats, rabbits or small dogs. These "bait" animals are often stolen pets or animals obtained through "free to good home" advertisements. Often, the owner of the losing dog will shoot or abandon the injured dog to die slowly from injuries. Yes. Dogfighting is illegal in all 50 states and a felony offense in almost every state but sadly is still done.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Bullfighting Facts
-Each year, more than 40,000 bulls are barbarically slaughtered in Spain’s bullrings.
-One of the biggest supporters of bullfighting is the tourist industry.
-Bulls are intentionally debilitated by various means, such as having sandbags dropped on their backs.
-Drugging is also very common. A study conducted by scientists at Spain’s Salamanca University found that 20 per cent of the bulls used for fighting are drugged before they step into the ring.
-Another common practice is to “shave” bulls’ horns by sawing off a few inches. Bulls’ horns, like cats’ whiskers, help the animals navigate, so a sudden change impairs their coordination. Shaving is illegal, so the horns are sometimes inspected by a veterinarian after a fight. In 1997, the Confederation of Bullfighting Professionals – which includes Spain’s 230 matadors – went on strike in opposition to these veterinary inspections.
-Petroleum jelly is sometimes rubbed into his eyes in order to alter his ability to judge distance.
-If the crowd is happy with the matador, the bull’s ears and tail are cut off and presented as a trophy.
-Bulls aren’t the only victims in bullfights. Horses used in bullfights are blindfolded and sometimes have wads of newspaper stuffed in their ears so that they don’t become scared by the charging bull or the noise of the crowd.
-They are often gored as the terrified bulls try to protect themselves. Each year, approximately 200 horses are killed in bullrings around the world.
What Actually Happens in the Ring :
In a typical bullfight, the bull enters the arena and is approached by picadors – men on blindfolded horses who drive lances into the bull’s back and neck muscles. This impairs the bull’s ability to lift his head. They twist and gouge the lances to ensure a significant amount of blood loss. Then banderilleros enter on foot and proceed to distract the bull and dart around him while plunging banderillas – bright sticks with harpoon points on their ends – into his back.6 When the bull has become weakened from blood loss, the banderilleros run the bull in more circles until he is dizzy and stops chasing. Finally, the matador appears and, after provoking a few exhausted charges from the dying animal, tries to kill the bull with his sword.7 If he misses, succeeding only in further mutilating the animal, an executioner is called in to stab the exhausted and submissive animal to death. The dagger is supposed to cut the animal’s spinal cord, but even this can be blundered, leaving the bull conscious but paralysed as he is chained by his horns and dragged out of the arena.
Summary of Cathryn Bailey's Article
Cathryn Bailey wrote an article called " Africa Begins at the Pyrenees (moral outrage, hypocrisy, and the Spanish bullfight)". It was published in 2007 by Ethics & The Environment. Baily discusses the "uncivilized" torturing of bulls (or sometimes horses) at Spanish bullfights.
Many of the 45 million tourists who visit Spain each year will actually attend a bullfight, lured by the propaganda claiming that it expresses something profound about this county. Whether or not they actually experience la corrida, many will still attend.
Despite the fact that nearly 70 percent of Spaniards claim to have no interest whatsoever in bullfighting , one cannot flip through the television stations in this country without risk of seeing a bloody bull, staggering under the spears in his back and neck, waiting for the sword thrusts that will end his life. Pro-animal rights Spanish philosopher, Jesus Mosterin, claims that "Spain has the deserved reputation of being one of the cruelest, most insensitive countries with respect to animals"
"It is the privileged window on the Spanish character, if not the Spanish soul”, one Spanish poet states. Other defenders of bullfighting have insisted variously that it is an art, the secret to Spain's distinctiveness, and, along with the most famous of American tourists, Ernest Hemingway, a ritual of universal, spiritual, significance. In any case, the bull is the dominant image in Spanish souvenir shops, appearing on T-shirts, key chains, or as a cartoon figure with a big grin.
Bullfighting in Spain is also widely advertised in newspapers right alongside soccer stories in the sports section. As one protester puts it, "bullfighting is as pervasive in Spain as baseball in the U.S., and bullfighters claim the same celebrity status as do sports stars here. But Spain honors unique cruelties that are unthinkable in the U.S"
People would never consider to peep their heads around the doors of slaughterhouses and farms in the hidden places of their own towns, but to see a full view of slaughtering for pleasure is somehow thought to be moral and just. It is public torture for entertainment's sake. The idea of crowds whooping and hollering, urging on death and delighting in it, under the umbrella of legitimacy, seems to take us back to a primitive beginning that most of us would like to this that we have transcended. Bullfighting provides nothing more than pure enjoyment for sadistic people who thrive on the torturing of helpless animals, and needs to come to an end.
Many of the 45 million tourists who visit Spain each year will actually attend a bullfight, lured by the propaganda claiming that it expresses something profound about this county. Whether or not they actually experience la corrida, many will still attend.
Despite the fact that nearly 70 percent of Spaniards claim to have no interest whatsoever in bullfighting , one cannot flip through the television stations in this country without risk of seeing a bloody bull, staggering under the spears in his back and neck, waiting for the sword thrusts that will end his life. Pro-animal rights Spanish philosopher, Jesus Mosterin, claims that "Spain has the deserved reputation of being one of the cruelest, most insensitive countries with respect to animals"
"It is the privileged window on the Spanish character, if not the Spanish soul”, one Spanish poet states. Other defenders of bullfighting have insisted variously that it is an art, the secret to Spain's distinctiveness, and, along with the most famous of American tourists, Ernest Hemingway, a ritual of universal, spiritual, significance. In any case, the bull is the dominant image in Spanish souvenir shops, appearing on T-shirts, key chains, or as a cartoon figure with a big grin.
Bullfighting in Spain is also widely advertised in newspapers right alongside soccer stories in the sports section. As one protester puts it, "bullfighting is as pervasive in Spain as baseball in the U.S., and bullfighters claim the same celebrity status as do sports stars here. But Spain honors unique cruelties that are unthinkable in the U.S"
People would never consider to peep their heads around the doors of slaughterhouses and farms in the hidden places of their own towns, but to see a full view of slaughtering for pleasure is somehow thought to be moral and just. It is public torture for entertainment's sake. The idea of crowds whooping and hollering, urging on death and delighting in it, under the umbrella of legitimacy, seems to take us back to a primitive beginning that most of us would like to this that we have transcended. Bullfighting provides nothing more than pure enjoyment for sadistic people who thrive on the torturing of helpless animals, and needs to come to an end.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Iams: Not Lover of Animals
One of the most famous pet foods that we all know is Iams. People buy Iams dog or cat for for their pets all the time. I bet most of my readers might have bought a bag of Iams for their pet at least once before. What you didn't know is that Iams contributes to horrible animal cruelty in their laboratories. For a company that prides itself to be a product aimed toward the satisfaction of pets, they really have no heart.
Here are just some of the things that Iams does in their lavatories:
-Iams ignores the pain and suffering experience by their dogs and cats in their lab.
-Iams does not provide veterinary care for any of their animals.
-They do not ensure that the people who perform experiments on the animals are even trained.
-The animals’ cages are horrible kept up. They do not give cats’ letterboxes or a resting surface. They keep the animal cages dirty and not in good shape. The dogs and cats stand on slanted, sharp, slabs of metal which sometimes can be a trap to them. Many of the legs of these animals get stuck between these slabs and cut them deep.
-The temperatures in the housing facilities are not maintained. In the heat of summer, the animals are subjected to be extremely hot in a humid room, or in the winter they freeze in metal cages with not even a blanket to lie on.
-The animals don’t even have enough space. Many of the dogs run around yelping trying to get out. Some even become crazy. They are crammed into a small cage to stay there up to weeks until they are needed for a painful experiment.
-Iams does not provide pain relief when the animals are used in experiments.
Iams has also been known to slit the vocal cords of dogs. The dogs in their cages bark so much because of either pain or loneliness and some of the workers cannot stand it. They have slit the throats of dogs cutting their vocal cords, just do they cannot bark anymore.
If a dog or cat gets sick, Iams does not provide them with treatment from a veterinarian, instead it is killed and gets ripped apart so its pieces can be sold to other companies for experiments.
On February 20, 2007, Iams found out that some of its dry dog and cat food might of been poisonous. Iams did not tell the public about this, and instead lead to the death of many pets in people’s homes. Iams waited a whole months before actually recalling the mass amount of pet food. But sadly, many homes lost their pets during that month because Iams didn't care enough for the health of the animals they sold to. After this they locked up animals in their cages and deliberately forced healthy animals to eat contaminated and lethal food to test what was wrong killing them slowly and painfully.
Iams has also been known to cut the chunks of muscle from dogs' thighs and hanging mice by their hind legs for muscle-atrophy experiments.
In June 2002, Iams promised that it would “not contract for, nor conduct, any study involving surgeries to create or mimic diseases …; nor would the company use non-surgical methods to induce or simulate diseases that are not acceptable in nutritional or medical research on humans; nor would the company fund any university positions that may be involved in such activities for the study of cat and dog nutrition.” But sadly, Iams LIED.
In the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Iams had been involved with an experiment from November 2002 through October 2005 conducted by Dr. Roger B. Johnson. This experiment involves inducing gingivitis in 21 beagles by cutting their gums open. Gingivitis is a painful disease for dogs, and yet they purposely gave this disease to 21 poor beagles after they stated they never would.
To make things worse, Dr. Johnson stated in item 19 of his "Animal Activity Protocol" said that "at the end of the experiments, the animals will be sold and transferred to another research facility.” This is what Iams does. They keep their animals creamed in cages conducting painful tests on them for years, and then they send them straight out to other testing laboratories rather to a loving home. Iams has never revealed the location of the other "research facility".
What Iams could do is instead of breeding these animals and subjecting them to a life in a libratory, they could rely on humane feeding test conducted in homes or in veterinary offices using animals volunteered by their owner.
For about 10 months a PETA investigator went undercover at an Iams testing laboratory in 2002 and early 2003. What this investigator found were dogs that have gone crazy from the intense confinement in steel cages and cement cells. Dogs were left in piles on a filthy paint-chipped floor after having chunks of their muscles hacked from their thighs. Also dogs were surgically debarked and sick cats and dogs were left in their cages to suffer with no veterinary care.
Here is this exact footage that this PETA investigator shot. It is quite lengthy, about 9 min I believe, but it is something I believe you will want to watch. If you don’t watch the whole video, at least skim through the different scenes because there are some things you won’t want to miss.
Here are just some of the things that Iams does in their lavatories:
-Iams ignores the pain and suffering experience by their dogs and cats in their lab.
-Iams does not provide veterinary care for any of their animals.
-They do not ensure that the people who perform experiments on the animals are even trained.
-The animals’ cages are horrible kept up. They do not give cats’ letterboxes or a resting surface. They keep the animal cages dirty and not in good shape. The dogs and cats stand on slanted, sharp, slabs of metal which sometimes can be a trap to them. Many of the legs of these animals get stuck between these slabs and cut them deep.
-The temperatures in the housing facilities are not maintained. In the heat of summer, the animals are subjected to be extremely hot in a humid room, or in the winter they freeze in metal cages with not even a blanket to lie on.
-The animals don’t even have enough space. Many of the dogs run around yelping trying to get out. Some even become crazy. They are crammed into a small cage to stay there up to weeks until they are needed for a painful experiment.
-Iams does not provide pain relief when the animals are used in experiments.
Iams has also been known to slit the vocal cords of dogs. The dogs in their cages bark so much because of either pain or loneliness and some of the workers cannot stand it. They have slit the throats of dogs cutting their vocal cords, just do they cannot bark anymore.
If a dog or cat gets sick, Iams does not provide them with treatment from a veterinarian, instead it is killed and gets ripped apart so its pieces can be sold to other companies for experiments.
On February 20, 2007, Iams found out that some of its dry dog and cat food might of been poisonous. Iams did not tell the public about this, and instead lead to the death of many pets in people’s homes. Iams waited a whole months before actually recalling the mass amount of pet food. But sadly, many homes lost their pets during that month because Iams didn't care enough for the health of the animals they sold to. After this they locked up animals in their cages and deliberately forced healthy animals to eat contaminated and lethal food to test what was wrong killing them slowly and painfully.
Iams has also been known to cut the chunks of muscle from dogs' thighs and hanging mice by their hind legs for muscle-atrophy experiments.
In June 2002, Iams promised that it would “not contract for, nor conduct, any study involving surgeries to create or mimic diseases …; nor would the company use non-surgical methods to induce or simulate diseases that are not acceptable in nutritional or medical research on humans; nor would the company fund any university positions that may be involved in such activities for the study of cat and dog nutrition.” But sadly, Iams LIED.
In the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Iams had been involved with an experiment from November 2002 through October 2005 conducted by Dr. Roger B. Johnson. This experiment involves inducing gingivitis in 21 beagles by cutting their gums open. Gingivitis is a painful disease for dogs, and yet they purposely gave this disease to 21 poor beagles after they stated they never would.
To make things worse, Dr. Johnson stated in item 19 of his "Animal Activity Protocol" said that "at the end of the experiments, the animals will be sold and transferred to another research facility.” This is what Iams does. They keep their animals creamed in cages conducting painful tests on them for years, and then they send them straight out to other testing laboratories rather to a loving home. Iams has never revealed the location of the other "research facility".
What Iams could do is instead of breeding these animals and subjecting them to a life in a libratory, they could rely on humane feeding test conducted in homes or in veterinary offices using animals volunteered by their owner.
For about 10 months a PETA investigator went undercover at an Iams testing laboratory in 2002 and early 2003. What this investigator found were dogs that have gone crazy from the intense confinement in steel cages and cement cells. Dogs were left in piles on a filthy paint-chipped floor after having chunks of their muscles hacked from their thighs. Also dogs were surgically debarked and sick cats and dogs were left in their cages to suffer with no veterinary care.
Here is this exact footage that this PETA investigator shot. It is quite lengthy, about 9 min I believe, but it is something I believe you will want to watch. If you don’t watch the whole video, at least skim through the different scenes because there are some things you won’t want to miss.
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