The Odds for Racehorses
A survey of racing statistics from 29 states shows that more than 3,000 horses died during racing or training from 2009 to 2011. Every one of those horses showed drugs – often multiple drugs – in their bodies.
Gray Whale Says Thank You
“He came right up to our boat and almost mouthed, like, a thank you,” Dave Anderson said . “It was pretty awesome.” Anderson was one of a team of rescuers from the whale-watching group DolphinSafari.com who had just spent seven hours rescuing a California gray whale from 50 feet of wire fishing net.
Bob Barker Rents Jumbo Jet!
The irrepressible Bob Barker has offered pay $880,000 for the three elephants at the Toronto Zoo to be flown to the PAWS sanctuary in California.
Will Mexico City Ban Bullfights?
Mexico City is close to approving a bill that would ban bullfights. Three of the members of a legislative panel voted to endorse the measure, two others abstained, and a sixth member walked out before the vote.
Those Bad Badgers!
Just like the residents of The Haven, a community for seniors in England’s West Midlands, the local badgers like big houses. The trouble is: they like their houses to be right under the human houses.
Snails Join the War Effort
The ever-bizarre government agency DARPA, or Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, has launched another would-be-funny-if-it-weren’t-sad research project. This one involves turning snails into hybrid robots for use in war.
Japanese Whalers Retreat Again
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has declared victory for the whales of the Southern Ocean. Once again, Japan’s whaling fleet has left the Antarctic after collecting just one third of its planned catch for the year.
Missouri Law Would Ensure No Rights to Nonhumans
A bill working its way through the Missouri legislature would prevent any future legislation in the state from granting “human-like” rights to animals. State representative Ward Franz said his bill is prompted by “outside animal-rights organizations coming into the state trying to impose their will on Missouri’s people and businesses.”
War and the No-Kill Movement
The no-kill philosophy extends way beyond homeless pets. It’s a way of living that takes killing off the table – in every area once and for all. You can’t be no-kill and go hunting. You can’t be no-kill and be pro-abortion, pro-capital punishment or pro-vivisection. And you certainly can’t be no-kill and support going to war.
Do Dogs and Cats Like (Human) Music?
Animal psychologist Charles Snowdon explains that while nonhumans do experience and enjoy music, it’s of a very different kind, depending on the species.
My Last Day with the Lions
Scottish bank worker and singer Douglas Hamilton has become something of an Internet sensation after posting a video of himself with lion cubs on his last day volunteering at a wildlife sanctuary in South Africa.
Latest Reports on Bird Flu
happened upon a website called The Poultry Site, which describes itself as a “portal for the global poultry industry.” Its news section includes a Guide to Avian Flu, where you can “catch up with the latest bird flu news from across the globe.”
The Rights of a Nonhuman Person
What rights might a chimpanzee or a dolphin have when we consider these nonhumans as persons with the capacity for legal rights. Eric Michael Johnson writes about this in his “Primate Blogs” at Scientific American:
Which of the Following Is a Person?
John Rennie, former editor-in-chief of Scientific American, looks at each of these species and wonders which of them might qualify for recognition as legal persons as opposed to legal things.
‘I Went Undercover at Factory Farms’
As an investigator for the Humane Society of the U.S., Cody Carlson got a job last year at four Iowa egg farms. Today, in the wake of the new law in Iowa that bans undercover investigations, Carlson writes about his experience in The Atlantic.
How Green Is the Millennial Generation?
Today’s young Americans are less interested in the environment and in conserving resources — and often less civic-minded overall — than their elders were when they were young.
Bonobos Help a Friend in Need
As soon as other members of the group realized that one of their own was trapped, they gathered around him. One of them untangled the snare from vines, enabling him to move. But they still couldn’t free him from the wire.
U.K. Activist Takes on the Big Vivisectionists
Steele makes the vivisection industry very nervous. He has almost single-handedly brought to a halt the trafficking of animals from abroad who are bound for laboratories in the U.K. His strategy has involved little more than encouraging people to flood the directors of the transportation companies’ with e-mails and letters.
Major Sponsor Drops Trump’s ‘Apprentice’
In the face of continuing outrage from viewers of Donald Trump’s Apprentice show, as well as from people who care about animals just generally, a major sponsor of the show is pulling its advertising.
More Grim Horseracing Stats
In California alone, 261 thoroughbreds died in track-related injuries in 2007. And between 2003 and 2008, more than 5,000 horses died at American racetracks — nearly three animals per day. In short, the deaths of horses on the HBO set were not just predictable, they were inevitable.