I'm going to be frank—after a minute and a half of GAIA's latest undercover video footage from a halal slaughterhouse in Belgium, I had to stop watching. But while I was able to hit a pause button, the more than 250,000 cows, sheep, and goats who are slaughtered while they are still conscious must endure prolonged torment. Animals killed halal (according to Islamic law) cannot be stunned before their throats are cut, which means that many animals—including the cow shown in this video—fight and gasp for their last breath, struggling to stand while the blood drains from their necks.

Belgium forbids slaughter without prior stunning, but the law does not apply to ritual slaughter practices, even though much of the halal meat produced in the country is distributed both to religious and nonreligious markets. Islamic teachings encourage kindness and compassion toward all creatures, which is why many Muslims make the humane decision to go vegan. Visit IslamicConcern.com to learn more about cruelty-free alternatives to halal meat.

Written by Logan Scherer

Ace—a kind, shy pit bull—was chained outside 24/7. The area where he lived was worn, there was not a single blade of grass within sniffing distance, and he was living in a plastic barrel that offered minimal shelter from the elements. After a bloody encounter with another dog, Ace was left with swollen and infected genitals, and his neglectful "owner" let the painful sores go untreated for more than a month.

A concerned complainant first reported Ace's plight to local law-enforcement officials, who refused to help. When we received the initial call about Ace, we got a similar and frustrating run-around from officials, who assured us that the dog was "fine."

By the following morning, our persistent efforts to secure help for Ace resulted in getting a qualified animal control officer dispatched to Ace's Alabama home. Once the officer arrived on the scene, it was obvious that Ace was not "fine," and he was immediately seized. The untreated infection had taken its toll on Ace, and when he arrived at the local animal shelter, he was finally given a humane release from his prolonged suffering.

In addition to suffering through sweltering heat and blistering cold, dogs like Ace, who are forced to spend their lives at the end of a lonely chain, are susceptible to violent encounters with other animals. Chained dogs often become fearful of intruders and overly protective of their tiny patches of ground. This can encourage unnaturally aggressive behavior that often has tragic results for the animals and people who go near them. If you know of or see an injured or neglected chained dog, please take action.

Written by Logan Scherer

What's a person to do when her one-woman demonstration against a traveling exotic animal act brings out a band of bullies? Follow Bridgette Brady's lead: hold her sign—and her head—even higher.

Bridgette, who stays busy helping homeless dogs and cats in Escanaba, Michigan, was determined to educate city residents about Joe "Exotic" Schreibvogal, the man behind GW Exotic Animal Memorial Park. When Schreibvogal brought his menagerie of miserable animals, "Mystical Magic of the Endangered" to her local mall, Bridgette set up a protest outside. The sign she held as she stood there was so simple—"Joe 'Exotic'-fined $25,000 for animal abuse by the USDA!"—but Bridgette claims that it riled up the show's workers and that they surrounded her and tried to intimidate her.

Did she retreat? Nope—quite the opposite. The vegan morning radio show host has stepped up her efforts to ensure that exotic animal acts are forever banned in her town. In addition to writing letters to editors and staging protests, Bridgette, who's also vice president of the City Planning Commission, is now working to pass a local ordinance to ban exotic or endangered animal acts.

For her relentless determination to make a difference for animals, we are delighted to present Bridgette Brady with an Outstanding Activist Award for a job well done!

Written by Karin Bennett