Michigan Bans Crates and Cages! October 13, 2009

Posted by Rachel-O at October 13, 2009 1:54 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 6 ) | TrackBack

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Mother pigs don't want to be confined in crates so small they can't turn around or lie down comfortably, and chickens don't want to be forced into cages so tiny that they can never spread a single wing—and now in Michigan, they won't be. Governor Jennifer Granholm has just signed a bill into law that phases out veal crates, battery cages, and gestation crates on farms across the state!

Of course, we all know that animals aren't here to be abused, slaughtered and eaten. They have feelings, have families, and feel fear before they feel the blade, and we all know that no animal should be born only to be killed at all—so why are we celebrating this victory for animals?

I was born and raised in the city limits of Detroit, Michigan, one of the coldest, harshest cities in the country, where both compassion for animals and people can sometimes be hard to find. It is truly amazing to see these laws for animals spreading in all parts of the country, from California to Michigan. I am vegan, and I believe in animal rights, and I also believe that if the fight for animal rights is all or nothing, it will simply be nothing.

There are millions of animals in cages right now, and in crates or chains, waiting for freedom. We cannot only answer to those who we want to never suffer, but those who are suffering right now. Eliminating veal crates—the crates that baby cows are chained to by the neck for most of their lives before slaughter, and battery cages—the tiny cages chickens are crammed into that are too small for them to even spread a wing, will not be the end of the fight, nor is it the beginning of the fight—it is progress in the fight.

We are making a difference, but as much as we'd like it to, the whole world won't go vegan overnight, it's going to take time. For the millions of animals who are suffering in these devices of torture right now, the elimination of these cages and crates means less pain, and less suffering—how can anyone who cares about animals not support that?

Congratulations on helping to show people—including lawmakers—everywhere that animals matter. Keep up the good fight!

Ground Beef October 5, 2009

Posted by Rachel-O at October 5, 2009 3:47 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 10 ) | TrackBack

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One of the first things that made me happy to go vegetarian, was learning that one single hamburger can be made up of over 100 different cows. I'm not sure what grossed me out about that specific fact more than anything else, but even now, thinking about that makes my stomach turn. That thought—combined with the one time I bit into a hamburger from some fast food place that was almost entirely raw in the middle—made me give up ground beef for good when I was 10.

When people learn I'm vegan, the first thing they often say is, "I could never give up my hamburger!". Gag. Hamburger? Really? That's what's so important to you? A writer from The New York Times recently wrote an article on exactly what's behind that gross blob of animal parts known as ground beef, and here's what he found:

"Ground beef is usually not simply a chunk of meat run through a grinder. Instead, records and interviews show, a single portion of hamburger meat is often an amalgam of various grades of meat from different parts of cows and even from different slaughterhouses. These cuts of meat are particularly vulnerable to E. coli contamination, food experts and officials say. Despite this, there is no federal requirement for grinders to test their ingredients for the pathogen."

Yeah, no thanks. The article focuses on a 22 year old woman—a former dance teacher—who ate a hamburger, went into a coma for 9 weeks, and almost died. She's now paralyzed because of the E.coli from a hamburger her mom made for her on the family grill.

Wow, is anyone else completely at a loss for how anyone can still eat this crap? Cows killed to end up ground up for someone's burger live their sad lives standing in their own urine and feces—and E.coli bacteria happens when feces from cattle comes into contact with their flesh during the slaughter process. Yum?

I am so happy that I don't have to worry about bacteria from someone's colon being in my veggie burger, because really, that shit's nasty. Is there one moment that made you realize that meat was just, well, vile?


P.S. Still looking for that last reason to give up milk? Many cows killed for ground beef are "spent" dairy cows, sent to slaughter because their flesh is too bruised and weak to be sold for anything else. Just go vegan already.

Land O'Lakes Supplier's Owners Charged With Cruelty September 29, 2009

Posted by Marta at September 29, 2009 7:27 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 9 ) | TrackBack

The following is a guest blog from PETA's Alisa Mullins. Please take a look and then make the pledge to try veganism.
-Marta

At a news conference in St. Paul, Minnesota, today, PETA unveiled footage from our five-month undercover investigation of a filthy factory dairy farm in Pennsylvania that supplies milk to St. Paul-based Land O'Lakes, the largest seller of branded butter in the U.S.

Undercover Footage Shot Inside a Land O' Lakes Supplier

<embed src="https://www.mediapeta.com/videoplayer/video.swf?v=dairy_factory_farm_pa_p2_high" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="240" height="180" allowScriptAccess="always"</embed> <BR> <a href="https://secure.peta.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2521&s_src=plolec09"> Downed Cows Left to Suffer <BR> for Land O' Lakes.</a>.

Our investigator documented abuse and neglect of cows and calves at the facility, including that cows who were in terrible pain and resisted standing were electro-shocked and jabbed with the blade of a pocket knife in an effort to force them to move and that sick and injured cows were left to languish—often so weak that they couldn't even get out of their own waste—for days and even weeks without veterinary care. In one case, workers were told to wrap an elastic band around a cow's gangrenous, infected teat in order to "amputate" it. The cow's condition deteriorated for 11 days before she finally died.

It's a violation of Pennsylvania law to neglect animals, deprive sick and injured animals of veterinary care, and deny animals clean and sanitary shelter. Charges against the farm's owners have been approved and filed by a local magisterial district judge. The factory farmers are innocent until proven guilty, of course, but they would face up to 90 days in jail and $750 in fines if convicted.

We have also called on Land O'Lakes to buy milk only from farms that meet our 12-point animal welfare plan, which would prevent much of the suffering we documented at this farm.

For those of you who can't stomach the thought of eating butter after watching that video, take a minute to tell Land O'Lakes to implement our 12-point animal welfare plan. Then check out one of the many vegan butter alternatives that are widely available. My personal favorite is Earth Balance margarine. It's 100 percent vegan and free of trans fat, and it tastes even better than butter, at least to my taste buds. Best of all, it's also 100 percent free of cruelty to cows and calves—as well as pus.

-Alisa

Vote: Cute Pictures Of Amazing Animals September 4, 2009

Posted by Pulin Modi at September 4, 2009 2:01 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 57 ) | TrackBack

A bunch of us went to a sanctuary for rescued animals recently. If you haven't already seen the pictures we've been posting to our individual Facebook profiles, here are some of our favorites.

We're showing you our faves, now comment to tell us which is your favorite!

#1 Regina loves pigs, so this is her favorite.


#2 Jackie had fun hanging out with goats.


#3 Rachel was in awe of this cow.


#4 Marta and Ryan find this amusing. Cows really like apples.


#5 I like cute chickens who eat grapes out of my hand.

So there you have it—animals actually enjoying time with each other and some kind people rather than fearing for their lives at factory farms and slaughterhouses.

Leave a comment below for which is your favorite!

This Video Is Neat July 20, 2009

Posted by Pulin Modi at July 20, 2009 4:04 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 6 ) | TrackBack

Someone sent us this video last week. Looks like it's been around for a while, but it's new to me, and it's so neat that I had to show you, too!

Fits perfectly with our Meat's Not Green campaign!

What do you think of it?

I mean, I like peta2's Meat's Not Green video, but who can resist the combination of cartoons, environmental protection ... and ummmm farts ...

Fear July 1, 2009

Posted by Pulin Modi at July 1, 2009 8:59 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 10 ) | TrackBack We've all heard occasional, dumb comments from people who haven't yet realized the importance of being kind to animals. While we can all agree that the dogs and cats in our homes feel pain, joy, and even get scared, there are still some people who just don't make the connection to other animals they eat! In fact, just like you and I, all animals do feel fear when faced with terrifying situations. After a lifetime of suffering, does anyone really think that animals are unaware of what awaits them at the slaughterhouse?

Well, if anyone you know has any doubts about the fear which animals feel, please take a few minutes to watch this video all the way through. It's not very graphic, honestly, it's just very powerful.

Maine Bans Veal and Gestation Crates! May 14, 2009

Posted by Ryan at May 14, 2009 2:09 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 7 ) | TrackBack

Chalk up another victory against the meat industry!

Maine has become the sixth US state to ban some of the cruelest methods of raising animals killed for food. Governor John Baldacci has signed into law a ban on gestation crates for pigs and veal crates for calves, both of which prevent animals from being able to even turn around.

It goes without saying that even without these crates, animals will still suffer terribly when raised and killed for their flesh. However, any steps that make it more difficult for the meat industry to torture animals is a step in the right direction, eh?

As you may recall, similar bans have passed in California, Florida, and various other states, so greedy meat industry executives are less than pleased, I'm sure. With any luck, these scenes will soon be a thing of the past:

Fun Facts: Maine is also the largest producer of wild blueberries in the world, and the only state in the U.S. whose name has just one syllable. Who knew?

"He Frequently Had to Cut the Legs Off Fully Conscious Cows" February 27, 2009

Posted by Rachel-O at February 27, 2009 3:04 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 11 ) | TrackBack

I once read an article where Ramon Moreno, a slaughterhouse worker, explained that for as long as seven minutes after their throats have been slit, many cows [on the slaughter line] are still alive and fully conscious.

His job was to cut the legs off the animals, and he frequently had to cut the legs off fully conscious cows. He told the Washington Post, "They blink. They make noises. ... The head moves, the eyes are wide and looking around."

I think this piece of artwork, sent in by a Street Teamer, speaks for itself.

"They really do bleed cows out that way, but people still don't seem to be too traumatized by it, so I decided to step it up a notch and see how people would react to a woman suffering the same death." The artist, Sam says, "Three people in my class said that it bothered them so much that they would second guess eating meat that day. Not a huge accomplishment, but it's something anyway."

That is a huge accomplishment! Every person counts and this is a perfect example of a how your school projects can help save animals. Check out peta2's guide to class projects here, and let us know if you need help getting started! And make sure you send us any of your animal rights artwork so we can add it to our DeviantArt page!

10% Wool December 31, 2008

Posted by Pulin Modi at December 31, 2008 6:43 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 10 ) | TrackBack

Awww!

Click for a larger version
To check out past installments of the strips, click here.

The Humane Society's New Undercover Investigation January 31, 2008

Posted by Marta at January 31, 2008 4:19 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 4 ) | TrackBack

The Humane Society of the United States just released a new investigation of a cattle slaughterhouse in California documenting sick and injured cows. This particular "supplier of the year" slaughterhouse actually supplies meat to the national school lunch program. That's right, the same "food" that's being served in school cafeterias across the country was once shocked with electric prods and beaten. Check out the video for yourself below.

It's not just cows that are being horribly abused to become someone's next meal either: PETA undercover investigations have shown horrific abuse of chickens, turkeys, and pigs (among other animals), too. The best way to stop this abuse is to go vegetarian. It's so easy, seriously—just make a few different choices when it's time to eat. Swap a flesh burger with a veggie burger at your next meal. It's as simple as that, really.

I know you've gotta want more vegetarian options in your school cafeteria (because the food that was once a living, breathing, abused animal just isn't cutting it, am I right?). Go here to see what you can do.

I hope you're having a pleasant day, you pleasant people, you.

♥ Marta