Pale Male Has New Chicks

I've been following Pale Male (the red-tailed hawk that lives in Central Park) since over 5 years ago when his nest was destroyed by ritzy apartment dwellers and it created a major international outcry. The nest was rebuilt, but Pale Male and his mate Lola never had another successful nesting.

Sadly, Lola disappeared a while ago, but Pale Male has a new mate named Lima. And they have had a successful nesting.

Here is his website with photos updated daily.

Here's a video of the chicks' feeding. Cute!

Vegan Diets Becoming More High Profile

According to this article in the CBC News, they are growing in popularity.

Woman Leads Fight Against Circuses in Portugal

I like this story because I can only imagine the conditions of circus animals in Portugal. When I was in the Azores, there was a circus called Atlas I think and there were horrible, gaudy posters. I just had a sick feeling about the possible treatment of those animals. Being of Azorean heritage, and, therefore, Portuguese, I know personally that animal welfare is not a cultural value.

Anyway, here's a German woman who lives in the Algarve and is appalled at a particular circus' treatment of its animals. The EU apparently wants to "regulate" instead of banning circuses. Are they that much of an economic powerhouse?!

Sea Shepherd Busts Whale Meat Importer

From examiner.com....

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is just about ready to chalk up a win against a California seafood dealer who imported endangered whale meat from Tokyo and sold it to Califorian restaurants. Today, according to Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Ginichi Y Ohira was charged in Los Angeles federal court with selling whale meat in violation of the Federal Marine Mammal Protection Act. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society had run a sting operation to collect evidence related to the serving of whale meat.

Sea Shepherd activists Zoli Teglas and Crystal Galbraith and Charles Hambleton (producer of The Cove) visited The Hump resaurant in Santa Monica and pocketed pieces of suspect meat for formal testing.

Quebec is the Best Province to be an Animal Abuser

Wow. That sucks. From the Montreal Gazette...

An animal rights group based in the United States has ranked Quebec “the best province to be an animal abuser” in a report on Canada’s animal welfare record.

The Animal Legal Defence Fund says in its fourth annual report ranking Canada’s 13 provinces and territories on their animal protection laws that only Nunavut ranks worse than Quebec.

Alabama Greyhound Track to End Races

Excellent news!

From Forbes.com....

The financially troubled VictoryLand in Shorter is ending live dog racing, officials said Tuesday.

Chief Operating Officer Lewis Benefield said electronic bingo games subsidized live greyhound racing for many years, and live races are no longer feasible now that bingo is shut down.

Mexican Senators Look at Banning Bullfights

I'm very, very surprised. And not very optimistic. Mexico is notorious for its bullfights and lack of animal rights. But, still, I can't dismiss it.

From Fox News (blech)...

Senators from the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, are working on legislation to ban bullfights and guarantee animal rights in Mexico, a lawmaker said.

The legislation, which will be introduced in the next session, would impose fines and jail time on violators, Sen. Maria de los Angeles Moreno, who is sponsoring the bill, said.

"Bullfights seem really thoughtless and savage to me," the senator said in a press conference on Monday.

Several groups, including Spain's Plataforma Prou, the Mexican Association for Animal Rights, or Amedea, and the Proyecto Proteccion Animal, have been consulted on the bill, Moreno said.

The legislation provides for the punishment of those who abuse animals, including pets, and it would create incentives for people to adopt pets instead of purchasing them.

Animal Research Scientists Sponsor Billboards

Well, you know how they are....going for the emotion and oversimplifying the issue. Certainly not showing what they do, how they are funded and how the licensing of their "altruistic" work nets them a tidy sum.

This billboard poses the issue as an either/or...save the child or the rat. Bullshit. It's not that simple. How many of these experiments are even necessary? How many of them are of the quality of checking to see whether junk food makes someone fat?

Please.

Japan Set for Whale Hunt Despite Earthquake and Tsunami

Nothing stops the Japanese whalers!

From Radio New Zealand....

The ABC reports five crews from the town of Ayukawa have joined the hunt, even though the tsunami destroyed Ayukawa Whaing's storage facility and carried its fleet of three whaling vessels hundreds of metres inland, where they remain.

The disaster came shortly after Japan recalled its Antarctic whaling fleet a month early, citing the threat posed by the environmentalist group Sea Shepherd.

A fisheries officials says two whaling vessels have left Kushiro on the east coast of the northern island of Hokkaido and are expected to catch up to 60 minke whales until June.

Cute Pictures from Mountain Gorilla Births in February

Twins born in February, a rare event! Here's the link to some cute pictures! Eerie how similar to humans they appear....

Action Alert to Help Louisiana Tiger

This is an awful story of a tiger kept captive at a horrible truck stop in Louisiana. The Animal Legal Defense League is trying to save it. Please visit this link and respond.

Missouri Lawmakers Repealing Puppy Mill Measure Approved by Voters

This is infuriating. Here's a link to the full story...

Months after Missouri voters approved a measure that cracks down on what animal advocates say are some of the nation’s most notorious puppy mills, lawmakers are poised to repeal much of the law, saying the rules are too costly and punish legitimate dog-breeders who generate an estimated $1 billion annually in the state.

Animal advocates complain that elected officials essentially have overruled the will of the people, and they are prepared to put the issue on the ballot again next year.

Ohio to Phase Out Veal Crates

Good news....although there had to be pressure exerted from advocates.

From the Farm Sanctuary...

Despite last year’s agreement with agribusiness interests in Ohio to ban and phase out certain cruel factory farming practices, the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board (OLCSB) voted in favor of veal crate confinement. The board was supposed to end this inhumane practice in Ohio for good; however, during a March 1 meeting, they voted to remove the provision requiring that calves have enough room to move, proposing to allow their confinement in tiny crates for the first 10 weeks of their lives and violating the agreement.

But while the OLCSB tried to go back on their word, animal advocates across the state banded together to say, “no way!” United against cruelty, we joined together to let the OLCSB know that all calves, regardless of their age, deserve the right to turn around and lie down comfortably. With more than 4,000 public comments decrying the board’s decision, and more than 100 advocates showing up at the next meeting, the board was compelled to reconsider.

Today, we are happy to report that, thanks to the hard work and dedication of Farm Sanctuary members like you, on April 5, the OLCSB voted unanimously to reverse their decision, and to phase out the use of veal crates in Ohio. This couldn’t have been done without you. Together, we are making a difference!

Petition to Urge Japanese Government to Require Registration of Zoo Animal Handlers

From the Petition Site....please visit and sign.

The Ministry of the Environment is in the process of amending the Japanese animal protection law. The Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums (JAZA) has proposed that the Ministry exempt JAZA's members from the current requirement to register as animal handlers with local authorities.

If JAZA member zoos and aquariums (89 zoos and 67 aquariums) are not registered as animal handlers under the Act, there is no other Japanese law that would oversee the operation of JAZA member institutions .The regulation of zoos would be the responsibility of JAZA itself. JAZA does not have the resources necessary to properly monitor their member institutions and they do not have the authority to ensure member compliance with their own guidelines and standards.

New Rat Dissection App for iPad

Anything to help stop the dissection of real mice in schools.