Prince William: Save Rhinos, Kill Others
Britain’s Prince William, an avid hunter, has sent a video message to the CITES conference (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), saying how upset he…
Couscous and Miss PoPsicle
Why did Couscous, a male lion at the zoo/sanctuary Cat Haven in California, attack and kill young intern Dianna Hanson yesterday? Why did he not just…
Marineland Owner Shot Neighbors’ Dogs, Say Witnesses
Everything you hear about Marineland and its owner, John Holer, just gets more and more bizarre. And horrific. Why is this place still operating? Why is…
Beyonce, Jay-Z’s Elephant-Stingray Shoes
Fresh from their appearance at the President’s Inauguration, where they wore dead minks, Beyoncé and Jay-Z are now showing off their new shoes, made from the…
Morrissey v. Jimmy Kimmel
Singer Morrissey turned down an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” after learning that the stars of “Duck Dynasty”, a hunting show, would be appearing, too. “I…
A Tale of Two Tanks
Candace Calloway Whiting compares how we treat pets like hamsters in our homes to how we treat orcas in captivity at marine circuses like SeaWorld.
Pat Derby, Rest with the Elephants
She began as an animal trainer in Hollywood, but went on to campaign for their freedom from zoos and circuses and to establish one of the…
Zoo Ransoms Lily the Elephant
The Oregon Zoo has agreed to pay $400,000 to an elephant trafficking company in order to keep baby elephant Lily at the zoo.
SeaWorld Discloses ‘Risk Factors’ in IPO
SeaWorld Entertainment, apparently under pressure from the Securities and Exchange Commission, has filed a revised prospectus for its IPO on the New York Stock Exchange. Corporations preparing to go public on the stock market are required to let potential investors know the “risk factors” that may be involved. And SeaWorld wasn’t too keen on letting investors know how public opinion could be starting to turn against these circus shows.
Tiger Kills Trainer at Circus
Tiger handler Alexander Crispin was strutting around the two Bengal tigers on the stage of the Circo Suarez in Sonora, Mexico when one of the big…
The Other Beyoncé Question
I could care less whether Beyonce was singing with a real voice or not at the Presidential Inauguration. I care a lot more about whether or not she was wearing real fur. Apparently, yes, she was wearing not only a real fur coat, but real mink eyelashes.
‘Blackfish’ Orca Movie Is Talk of Sundance
Is the new movie “Blackfish” – a powerful damning indictment of SeaWorld, screened at the Sundance Film Festival last weekend – this year’s answer to the 2009 Oscar-winning “The Cove”?
The critics are giving it rave reviews, calling it “a damning indictment of SeaWorld” and even suggesting that “it stands a good chance of putting the “$2-billion theme park out of business.”
Marineland on the Ropes
Ontario SPCA orders Marineland to clean up its act Ministry of the Environment tells Marineland to stop burying animals on zoo property Marineland sues one of…
Dolphins Painting in Vegas
It’s hard to decide who is more contemptible: the people paying to have a captive dolphin paint a picture for them at the Mirage Hotel, or…
American Humane’s Chairman Resigns
Eric Bruner, chairman of the board of the American Humane Association, has resigned in the wake of questionable financial practices as well as general policies regarding the direction of an organization that seems to have lost its way.
Packing Their Trunks?
In the old and delightfully subversive children’s song, Nellie the elephant “packed her trunk and said goodbye to the circus.” Could this be coming true in…
Shamu Goes on Strike
In this video, taken two months ago at SeaWorld San Antonio, Shamu, the generic name for orcas at SeaWorld shows, decides not to perform one evening…
More Bad ‘Luck’
A senior ex-staffer at American Humane Association is suing AHA for having fired her after she reported abuse of horses on the set of the HBO racehorse drama series Luck.
Barbara Casey, who worked as the director of production in the AHA’s film and television unit, says that abuse was endemic on the set, and that AHA thwarted her efforts to enforce the organization’s own animal safety standards.
Prime Minister’s ‘Favorite’ Fox Hunt Fined
U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron’s former fox hunting buddies have been convicted of breaking the law by riding out on a fox hunt.
Cameron used to ride out on the infamous Heythrop Hunt, but says he has desisted since a ban on fox hunting went into effect in 2005.
The ban is routinely ignored, however, by those whom Oscar Wilde called “the unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable.”
Who ‘Owns’ This Baby Elephant?
It was all smiles last week when the Oregon Zoo announced the birth of Lily, a 300-pound, super-cute, gangly baby elephant. But the smiles started turning sour as soon as the shady business dealings that underlie Lily’s future life came to light.