Ultimate Fighting champion Mac Danzig, best known as the winner of Spike TV’s Ultimate Fighter 6, devours fighters not flesh. At 155 pounds of pure fighting fury, Danzig is tough enough in the ring, but when it comes to animal abuse, the 27-year-old Danzig—who is vegan—takes no prisoners.

Back before joining in the UFC, Mac did a Q&A with PETA. Now that he’s a household name, Mac’s back and we’re pleased to announce that he’s starring in two hard-hitting public service announcements for peta2’s veggie testimonial series (view some others in the series here, here, and here).

In the print version of the ad (click the thumbnail to see a full-size version) we see Mac with gloved fists raised and standing next to the tagline "I Am a Fighter in the Best Shape of My Life. I Am Mac Danzig, and I Am a Vegetarian." I hope all you guys who think you need to eat meat to be a “real man” are you catching this.

If you’re still not convinced that vegans can be tough as nails watch Mac’s video below.

So why is a vegan diet the diet of champions? Consumption of meat and other animal products has been conclusively linked to heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and obesity. Meat production is also a leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution, and land degradation. And, of course, the best way to fight the cruelty of factory farms and slaughterhouses is to kick the meat habit.

Order a free Vegetarian Starter Kit today so you too can be an Ultimate Fighting champion. Or at least a healthy and compassionate individual.

I love it! This one is a real winner. It’s got the Trollsens and it’s New Years relevant!
Click for a larger versionTo check out the archives of past strips, click here. - Joel

Did we need more evidence to know that no-kill shelters are not the solution? According to news reports two members of a no-kill animal rescue group will serve time behind bars for keeping nearly 300 dogs and cats in squalid conditions. Former Noah’s Ark Animal Rescue, CA owner Alexiea Tiraki-Kyrklund was sentenced to 16 months in prison, and Gloria Yvette Ramos, head volunteer at the shelter, was sentenced to a year in jail and five years probation for felony animal cruelty.According to prosecutors, animal control officers found 152 dogs and 147 cats inside the building, and a state-licensed veterinarian determined that the conditions were detrimental to the animals' health and safety.The defense attorney argued that most of the animals had been in poor health when they were rescued from other facilities and that his clients "didn't do anything wrong." It’s that last quote about not doing anything wrong that bothers me. The police only found out about this because the stench was so overwhelming. If humans were overpowered by a smell beyond closed doors, imagine what the animals, with their sensitive noses, were subjected to inside! Good intentions can cause as much harm to animals as the worst abusers sometimes. - Joel

Animals are pretty impressive. Most of them are faster than us humans. Many of them are stronger. And now we see that some are even smarter than some of us.This isn’t a new story, but it just keeps floating around and has finally made its way to my inbox. Researchers in Japan have showed that chimpanzees can outdo college kids with some counting and memory games. Watch some of the videos below (and then scour YouTube for more). Along a related note here’s a nice clip of a crow using a tool. Chimpanzee
vs.HumanFor those who like to reader in the audience, here’s a great piece from the Sunday New York Times Magazine about “the two greatest nonhuman linguists of our day: Washoe, the sign-language-wielding chimpanzee with an intense footwear fetish; and Alex, the wildly outspoken parrot.” It all begs the question, what are we going to do in 2008 knowing now without question how smart animals are?- Joel