Two former trainers at SeaWorld have released a report that includes firsthand information about the stress that killer whales endure in captivity—stress that the ex-trainers feel led to the deaths of at least two SeaWorld employees. Jeff Ventre (now a doctor) and John Jett (now a biology professor) worked at SeaWorld Orlando and knew trainer … Read more »
nathan cremisino/cc by 2.0 As a nutrition and fitness expert for almost 80 years, Jack LaLanne dedicated his life to inspiring people to eat properly and exercise. So it’s no wonder that the nonagenarian was still remarkably spry when he passed away on Sunday at the age of 96. For LaLanne, eating properly meant avoiding … Read more »
Prevention magazine is the latest publication to jump on the vegetable cart, extolling the benefits of swapping meat for vegetables. “Eating less meat is a proven way to lighten up on the scale. Research shows that vegetarians weigh an average 20% less than nonvegetarians,” Prevention reports. Ditching meat is an even more effective way to … Read more »
A meat processing plant in British Columbia found itself in deep doo-doo after a whistleblower let it slip that the company had covered up test results that found dangerous E. coli in a product sample. E. coli resides in animals’ intestinal tracts and ends up in meat when—and there’s no nice way to put this—their … Read more »
Although consumers don’t necessarily see “Made in China” on honey labels, a new exposé published in the UK’s Globe and Mail tells of the almost spy-thriller-like process in which honey produced in China travels through southeast Asia and onto millions of tables—and into millions of stomachs—around the world. don hankins/cc by 2.0 In China, … Read more »
This week, the City Council in Arcadia, California, voted to suspend its cruel coyote trapping program. The victory for animals comes after supporters of humane coyote control, including San Gabriel Valley Friends of Wildlife, worked tirelessly for months e-mailing council members, packing City Council meetings, organizing an education session about living with coyotes, and collecting … Read more »
The website TheDailyMeal has just released its list of the 50 Most Powerful People in Food, and appearing on that list is (drumroll, please) PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk. TheDailyMeal is positioning itself to be the end-all be-all of food resources, and for this list, it chose people who “directly or have the ability to … Read more »
ViNull/CC by 2.0 One zoo employee has been killed and another maimed in incidents at two separate zoos on the same day. At Riverside Discovery Center in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, a chimpanzee bit a worker on the hand, severing two of her fingers and injuring a third. At the Knoxville Zoo in Tennessee, elephant handler Stephanie … Read more »
New undercover footage from our friends at Mercy for Animals shows how fish in a Texas slaughterhouse meet their end. The investigator documented workers using knives to slice off fins and pliers to peel away strips of skin from fully-conscious, struggling animals. According to the USDA, the amount of farm-raised catfish—like those at Catfish Corner—processed … Read more »
On Tuesday, the New York City Council passed two vital bills—one that bans the chaining of dogs for longer than three hours and another that nearly triples the licensing fees for unaltered animals. Both these measures will undoubtedly spare countless dogs and cats an enormous amount of suffering. Project Runway‘s Tim Gunn and comedian Joan … Read more »
Jennifer Aniston is proving that dogs may very well be the best dates. Much like her character in Marley and Me, Jen is a devoted guardian. Her four-legged love bugs, Norman and Dolly, are a constant presence on her movie sets and are often seen taking walks with her on the beach. Both rescues, Norman is a … Read more »
If declawing were more accurately referred to as “amputation,” would people still declaw their cats? The Paw Project doesn’t think so. In this provocative new public service announcement, the group shows exactly what the procedure would look like on a human. Its website explains that “[t]o declaw a cat, the veterinarian cuts off the last … Read more »
The year has not started well for South Africa’s rhinos. Five of the animals have already been killed since New Year’s Day, and if the recent past is any indication, many more victims will follow. Overall, it has been an atrocious few years for South Africa’s rhinos. Poachers in the country continue to illegally slaughter … Read more »
beth rankin/CC by 2.0 Besides being cruel, using poison to control wildlife is dangerous because children and animal companions can easily ingest it—and this can have fatal consequences. Recently, seven children in San Francisco ate rat poison that they found at their middle school, mistaking the blue cubes for candy. The children were taken to … Read more »
Because the University of Utah (the U) still doesn’t want to ‘fess up about exactly how experimenters are tormenting and killing dogs, cats, monkeys, and other animals behind the doors of its laboratories, PETA has filed a lawsuit against the U for withholding records. We originally requested the records—which the school is required to release … Read more »
