At the very least why not pick up a Vegan cook book, or search the internet for some vegan recipes. Your health, your conscience, the planet and most of all the animals will be better off you did.
Buckwheat & Blueberry Pancakes - Easy Vegan - Sue Quinn
Why not have a vegan night at your house? If Veganism for one night a week is a bit too scary, I would recommend simply going Vegetarian and progressing from there.
The intention of World Animal week (and World Animal Day, 4th October) is to draw attention to how every person can make the lives of animals better.
So lets celebtate by having a look at how you can make the lives of animals better with some current animal welfare issues.
1. Greyhound Racing.
I discussed the issue of greyhound racing earlier.Yes, its actually still a thing that people do. The cruelty is continuing and the industry is still heavily government subsidised. In fact even more cruelty has been exposed and the industry is in even more disgrace.
If you want to do something about this issue check out the bottom of my greyhound racing post for links to petitions, adoptions and more information.
2. Wool Industry
Our wool industry has been shown to be rife with outrageous animal cruelty performed upon sheep, by Australia shearers. For more information or to take action on this issue please follow the link to those who exposed this cruelty.
3. Lion Killer
Remember when that poor excuse for a man, Walter Palmer killed Cecil the lion? Did you know you can "adopt" a lion and help protect it from gun wielding tourists? Do something for Cecil.
4. And Beyond
There are many issues that negatively effect animals. Do some research and find something you can be passionate about, do some good for out animal kin. Here are some examples; Factory farms, live export, puppy farms, hunting in national forests, circus animals, animal testing, pet adoption, the list goes on and on, but every one of these items needs a champion. Even if you are the champion for that one cat that you adopt, your still doing good.
By far the easiest thing you can do for animals is not eat them. Its simple and cruelty free. It will save you money and improve your health. At least go vegetarian for World Animal Day.
PETA launched a campaign showing hidden camera footage of the outrageous animal cruelty performed upon sheep, by Australia shearers.
The reaction on social media was universally moral, most people were shocked and disgusted by the treatment of the animals.
Then there was accusations that PETA had abused the sheep in the photo, to which PETA responded that they had not mutilated a sheep to match the abuse seen in the video but instead used a prop that mimicked the abuse without endangering any animal.
To this amazingly enough some individuals actually found fault with that, saying that PETA should have used a real mutilated sheep!
The disturbing video is here:
For those who do not wish to watch the abuse, know that the video shows Australian shearers beat, punched, stamped on, kicked, mutilated and threw sheep around as they sheared them. At no point does anyone step in and tell the perpetrators to stop, showing it is common practise.
Wool Producers CEO Jo Hall when talking to the ABC said the industry was always improving, than went on about how the industry should use social media to try to 'out media' the negative image caused by the expose. She seems to imply that because PETA used a prop in the media photo, that somehow PETAs refusal to abuse an animal for the photo, negated the footage they had filmed. She claims the industry is really serious about animal welfare. No where in the interview does she speak about stopping abuse like shown in the video.
WoolProducers President Geoff Fisken said in contrast to the CEO that, the behavior shown
in the video was “unacceptable and unsupportable.” “We are shocked and
appalled by the footage,”.
Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce a Nationals party member, came out accusing PETA of lying about and besmirching the industry. He does not address how he come to the conclusion that the video is somehow false, and does not present any evidence to back up his claims. He notes that the sheep used in the photo media campaign was a prop, i am not sure where people are coming from with that, its silly, PETA are hardly going to mutilate an animal for a photo, and there hardly going to steal one from Australia that has been mutilated and keep in suffering until it can get to the photographer for the photo.
He goes on to attack Vegans, Americans, he praises genetically modified plants, seems to say he doesn't want to stop global warming, he goes on to talk about naked press conferences for some unknown reason.
He says:
"These are our animals. If someone plays up in a shed and brutalises an
animal, you just sack them on the spot, it's just not accepted" Now i don't see that in the video, i don't see that in the PETA report, i am sure if that had happened the landowners would have said, the industry would have said. He goes on to again accuse PETA of lying but still does not address the video or offer any evidence.
After many government ministers expressed their disgust at the video and dismay at Joyce s blame shifting, in a remarkable turn around, Barnaby Joyce did come out and say that his government "did not condone the mistreatment of animals" and he "had no doubt the images were disturbing."
Those that are actually appalled by the cruelty and wish it to stop include, The Shearing Contractors’ Association of Australia, Australian Farm Institute, Victorian Farmers Federation, The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Australia (RSPCA), Department of Environment and Primary Industries, Australian Capital Territory Primary Industries Minister.
In conclusion we can see from the response that, certen members of the industry think the problem is that the abuse was reported and not that the abuse occurred. We can also see the political party line of blaming the messenger.It is similar to what happened when the UN asked Australia to stop torturing refuges, and our PMs response was to say Australia was sick of the UN telling Australia what to do...Its blame shifting, its shooting the messenger, its arresting the whistle-blower, it has to stop, as it serves no real good.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
PETA are an organisation that fights for animal rights, through education, investigations, research, rescue,
legislation, special events, celebrity involvement, and protest
campaigns.
The Nationals; I am informed that once upon a time the National party stood for people in rural and bush Australia. Now however they have allied and formed a 'coalition'with the 'Liberal' party, and since then it is believed that they only act as vote revenue and toady's to the 'Liberal' party. The Nationals members have said ridiculous things such as, sodomy causes budget woes for government, legalizing marriage equality would prevent straight women from marrying, women should not be in the workforce, etc, etc. They seem to be a hotbed of homophobic, and racist sentiment. The Liberals; Its hard to know what to say about them, firstly they are not actually liberal and are in fact a far right wing political party. While formerly in government they did implement laws to make gun ownership a little more sensible. However nowadays, it has been said they are for bigots rights, against anti-discrimination, racist, treat refuges appallingly, want nurses out of nursing homes, have broken almost every election promise they made, are incredibly homophobic, have removed the right to marry from some Australians, record every Australians internet history, close down women shelters, are anti-environment, stop funding to feeding the homeless campaigns, are against the internet, are misogynistic, etc, and it would be near impossible to argue against such comments.
