Daniel: The Beagle who Survived the Gas Chamber

Written by Grace Brosofsky

Gas chambers are often associated with the terrors of war, but few realize that they are also used in shelters across America to kill animals who simply have no home. Daniel, a beagle in an Alabama shelter, would have been one of the millions to die by gassing, but unlike the other eighteen dogs in his gas chamber, he somehow came out alive. Unable to make the beagle undergo gassing again after his miraculous survival, the animal control officer in charge gave Daniel a chance at adoption, and the survivor found a loving home in New Jersey. Daniel's survival not only offered him a new beginning but also sparked change, raising awareness of the fate his companions suffered. Although some state laws have been passed against gassing such as "Daniel's Law" in Pennsylvania, gas chambers continue to be used in many other states despite being condemned by the American Humane Association for causing animals to suffer a long, stressful death. Help further "The Miracle Beagle"'s legacy and spread his story of hope by casting a vote for him for the Hero Dog Awards at http://www.herodogawards.org/vote/?nominee=29998526#, and, please, if you or someone you know is considering buying a new pet, help give a dog or cat at a local shelter a happy ending like Daniel's. You can make a difference.




For more information on gassing in animal shelters:
http://www.americanhumane.org/animals/stop-animal-abuse/advocacy/campaigns/stop-gassing-campaign.html

The Inside Story on Ringling Bros.- Torture or Entertainment?

Written by Grace Brosofsky for the sake of animals

Most people likely recall a visit to the circus as a fun childhood experience filled with memorable sights and spectacular performances, but I have discovered that lighthearted circus shows often have a much darker side marked by animal cruelty. After years of working behind-the-scenes at Ringling Bros., elephant trainer Sam Haddock became ashamed of the torture he helped inflict upon animals at Ringling's "Center for Elephant Conservation" and decided to do the right thing and reveal the disturbing truths of his career. The trainer gave a firsthand account of what he witnessed and partook in on a day-to-day basis, revealing that the methods Ringling uses to train elephants are not based on rewards and motivation but on pain and punishment. According to Haddock, "...violent training methods are the only way an elephant can be trained to perform certain tricks required for a circus act. It's bunk when the circus says that it's showcasing an elephant's natural behavior." While it may seem ideal to believe circus elephants are enjoying the performance as much as the audience, the cold truth is that the "fun" stunts are not possible without the animals experiencing harsh treatment, and the tricks that seem delightful are an expression of misery, not pleasure.

Here are the facts.

After being roughly dragged away from their mothers at only 18-24 months of age, baby elephants at Ringling Bros. are constrained by all four legs and often become afflicted with lesions through their struggles to gain free movement. Even during walks, the animals' freedom is severely limited. The babies are tied to anchor elephants and restrained by ropes around their legs and bullhooks on their trunks- hooks resembling fireplace pokers that Haddock, as a former bullhook-maker, admitted have the sole purpose of hurting the elephant.



Bullhooks are not the only painful aspect of Ringling's method. Preparing a baby elephant for its destiny in the circus is characterized by "a lot of manpower, brute force, electricity, and a savage disposition...like raising a kid in jail." Photographs reveal the degree of cruelty that characterizes Ringling's attempts to mold elephants into circus performers during training sessions.

Trainers use ropes to force the elephant pictured above into positions it will need to learn for its circus career, paying little mind to its screaming- a very commonplace noise in the training center according to Haddock.

In this image, bullhooks are used so that elephants can be forced into learning tricks out of fear.

These hard facts and shocking images are only the beginning of the world Ringling's elephants must live in outside of the crowd's eye. When animals suffering a life of hardship is an integral part of Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus, can big-top performances really be called entertainment? Or is Ringling's "Greatest Show on Earth" really the "Saddest Show on Earth"? Next time the circus comes to town, remember the story behind the show, and before buying tickets take a moment to consider whether Ringling Bros. is torture or entertainment.

For more information and ways you can make a statement against circus cruelty, visit http://www.ringlingbeatsanimals.com.

Australian Live Exports: Terror Beyond Belief

I was horrified to discover the appalling facts of the Australian live export industry- an industry that not only takes the lives of millions of animals but uses extreme cruelty to do so. Every step of the journey the exported animals make to their death is a step of terror. They are roughly handled, whipped, tied, dragged, and even forced into car trunks without any consideration of their pain. Much of their long journey takes place in crammed ships where many die from starvation and disease. The plight of the sheep and cows victim to live export only worsens when the animals reach their final destination. They are killed- murdered- in ways even slaughter experts view as terrible, ways that defy international legislation. Their eyes are gouged out, their throats are sliced again and again, and in short they consciously undergo extensive torture until death. In Indonesia, the final destination of many Australian live exports where world standards of humane slaughter are ignored, throat-slicing occurs an average of eleven times, and animals are sometimes subjected to rites of torture each night prior to their death.

These millions of animals are not just statistics, they are individual sheep and cattle whose suffering is real as incomprehensible as it seems. They struggle to escape their barbaric punishment but are given no relief and have no hope unless we voice their agony. Please join me in making the voices of live export animals heard by simply signing a letter at http://www.banliveexport.com/1/#takeAction. In the words of slaughter expert Professor Temple Grandin, the Australian live export industry "[breaches] every humane standard all around the world" and is "atrocious and unacceptable". It is an industry that we must take a stand against to preserve the basic principles of humanity.

You be the final judge- can the reality shown in this video be allowed to continue? Can it be called anything but cruelty and inhumanity?  

Mark 1 restraint box - you be the judge from Animals Australia on Vimeo.

Information Sources: http://lcanimal.org/
http://www.banliveexport.com/

Chipotle Exposes the Cruelty of Factory Farming

In a new commercial, Chipotle uses cute animation to reveal the dark, much hidden truth behind the American meat industry- the animals on our dinner plates are often subject to terrible cruelty in factory farms. The commercial not only advertises the company's natural food but also serves as a reminder to consider the torture animals have to undergo before eating them.  

For more information: http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/02/13/chipotle-airs-new-ad-and-steals-grammys-spotlight/?intcmp=features

Horses Don't Deserve Slaughter: Stop an American Tragedy

Written by Grace Brosofsky for the sake of animals

No one can dispute that horses have served as beloved companions to Americans for years. They have performed farm labor, been ridden to victory in races, and even saved human lives. Many people have found emotional connections with horses, animals that have proven to be sentient, intelligent, and loving. Do these animals deserve to die?


When horses have indisputably provided so much for humans, it is impossible to say that disposing of these animals through slaughter is in any way fair or humane. However, horse slaughter is becoming a reality on the home front- in America, a country the horse helped to build. As absurd as this idea seems, Congress has lifted the ban on horse slaughter, a legislative move that can be described as nothing but backwards progress. 

Proponents of horse slaughter have made up many excuses for this absurdity, saying that the prevention of horse agriculture destroyed "an entire sector of animal agriculture for purely sentimental and romantic notions," but is life merely a sentimental or romantic notion? In my opinion, life cannot be said to be less valuable than money, but even from a purely economic standpoint, horse slaughter has many drawbacks. According to the USDA, if horse slaughterhouses open in the United States, Congress will have to allocate money for inspections, and taxpayers' dollars will be wasted on an industry most taxpayers don't support. In addition, horse slaughter will damage rather than aid the horse industry. Horse breeders have been breeding fewer horses due to the economic recession, helping to balance supply and demand, but if slaughterhouses are instituted in America, inhumane breeders will be more likely to breed excess foals with the intention of selling "bad" horses to slaughterhouses.

In addition, horse meat of "unwanted" horses cannot even be said to be fit for human consumption. Proponents of horse slaughter such as Sue Wallis have unwittingly admitted that unsafe drugs are given to horses that could contaminate our food supply. In truth, horses are not meant to be killed, so they are raised without consideration to FDA regulations, making the industry one that is mutually harmful to humans and to horses.  

Furthermore, while horse consumption advocates try to understate the cruelty of the slaughter process by terming it "euthanasia", horses being slaughtered experience everything but a painless death. Reports of U. S. slaughterhouses expose horses being bound by their back legs and undergoing throat-slicing- an end to life that no sentient being should have to experience. In addition, according to the USDA, 92 percent of horses sent to the slaughterhouse are not in a condition where they need to be killed; they would have a good quality life if not slaughtered, further proving that horse slaughter is in no way “beneficial” to the horse. The slaughter of horses damages the environment, and U. S. slaughterhouses have been revealed to disobey environmental regulations. If these animals were allowed to die a natural death, this environmental harm would not be caused.

Lastly, take a moment to consider this issue through the eyes of a horse. Imagine that you have never done anything wrong, and suddenly the people you have served take you to your death, a death that is slow, painful, and gruesome. Although lawmakers have sadly voted to allow this to be the reality for many horses, you can take a stand to stop the cruelty by joining me in signing this petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-usa-horse-slaughter.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/11/30/horses-could-soon-be-slaughtered-for-meat-in-us/?test=latestnews#ixzz1kDOB5Ijx

http://secratariat.webs.com/factsofhorseslaughter.htm


http://stophorseslaughter.com/blog/


You can also sign this petition at http://signon.org/sign/ban-horse-slaughter-now.