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Introducing the Whale Sanctuary Project
This blog is taking a break for the next few months so that I can devote my energies to the Whale Sanctuary Project. Here's why.
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Is the Sloth Sanctuary a Zoo?
The Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica was the first of its kind for these wonderfully engaging animals, and it was a model for others that followed. But questions have arisen. And…
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Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary
Tafi Atome looks like a typical forest in Ghana. The monkeys have been revered in this village for two centuries. But being “sacred” is no guarantee of survival.
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The Great Irony of Animal “Rights”
The great irony of the animal rights movement is there is still only one species that has any rights at all: humans. But the Nonhuman Rights Project is setting out to change that.
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Why Mass Extinction Is Part of Human Nature
Why would a supposedly “intelligent” species behave in a way that’s bringing about a mass extinction – one that will likely take us down along with so many other animals?
Is the Stock Market a Global Ponzi Scheme?
Sacred Activism in the Service of Animals
Of Humans and Persons
Capturing Belugas to “Save” Them
The Georgia Aquarium is planning to capture 18 beluga whales from where they live in the Sea of Okhotsk in eastern Russia, and fly them halfway around the world to put them on display in Atlanta. Their explanation for doing this would be hilarious if it were not so sad and not such an unconscionable abuse of highly intelligent animals.
Do Chimpanzees Hate Us?
By any standard, the story of a young graduate student being torn up by chimpanzees at a South Africa sanctuary that bears the name of Jane Goodall is shocking. But, like the news of a woman in New York City having her face torn off by a “pet” chimpanzee, we are singularly upset to hear of our own kind being treated this way by one of our closest cousins. Why does it get to us more than any other savage interactions with wildlife?
Dolphins May Be the Smartest of Us All
It’s all in the genes. And a bottlenose dolphin’s genes tell the story of just how smart these distant cousins of ours may be – smarter…
The Not-Very-Ugliest Dog
Mugly took home top honors in this Ugliest Dog Contest in Petaluma, Calif., this year. But frankly he just wasn’t that ugly. I mean, check out…
Could Lonesome George Come Back?
Lonesome George, the centenarian Galapagos Island turtle was found dead one morning last weekend in his corral. He was the last of his kind. George was…
The Trial of Billy the Elephant
It could be enormously significant for elephants in captivity in Los Angeles, in all of California, and possibly even for elephants all across the country. Whichever way…
About Earth in Transition
In a world that’s under serious and increasing stress, the mission of Earth in Transition is to transform the way we relate to our fellow animals,…
Reader’s Digest: Whales Are People Too
For the cover story of the Canadian edition of Reader’s Digest for July, Jeff Warren heads out onto the ocean to discover what we’re learning about…
What Do You Call a Veterinarian Who …?
What do you call a veterinarian who only treats a single species? Answer: a physician. That’s a joke among many veterinarians, who understand very well that…
When Religion Means Cruelty to Animals
What are the proper limits of religious freedom? Marianne Thieme, leader of the Party for the Animals in the Netherlands, offers this answer: “Religious freedom stops…
Out of Africa
“The elephant helped us walk out of Africa perhaps 60,000 years ago. We learned from tribal elders in east Africa that elephants, because they knew where…
Skip Tom Cruise in ‘Rock of Ages’
Tom Cruise tells Ryan Seacrest he couldn’t do real comedy in his new movie without having a baboon brought onto the set: “I wanted to play…
Seals on Trial
Scientists plan to glue submersible cameras onto the seals’ backs, using the footage to prove to fishermen the animals are not harming their way of life.…
Bonobo Genome Revelation
Scientists have completed the mapping of the bonobo genome. This means that all five great ape species – chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, orangutans and humans – have now had their genomes mapped.
Olympic Opening Called Cruel to Animals
British animal protection organization Viva says the opening ceremony at the Olympic Games will be “wrong on so many levels.” The theme of the show is…
U.K. High Court Votes to Kill Family Dog
Two years ago, animal control officials in Northern Ireland, seized a family pet from the home of Caroline Barnes, a former veterinary nurse whose 11-year-old daughter…
No Zombie Apocalypse, says CDC
In the TV show The Walking Dead, the Centers for Disease Control blows itself sky high in the knowledge that all of humanity is infected with…
Where Horse Racing Meets Drug Trafficking
We already know that it’s time to bring an end to horse racing. It’s just another of those so-called traditions like rodeo that are cruel and…
When Turtles Divorce
Bibi and Poldi in more romantic times It may have been one of the longest relationships on record. But two Giant Turtles at the Austrian Zoo…