Sanctuary Founder Arraigned on Hit-and-Run Death

As this article notes, as sad as this is, it's only going to spur accusations that animal lovers are also unfeeling human haters. In other words, we are abominations within our species.

It's a load of BS though. But most of us are used to it and can take it. But, again, it's a sad story for the victim and the accused. Even worse, the accused appears to have tried to cover up the hit-and-run.

I hope the sanctuary animals find good homes. They shouldn't be made to suffer for all this.

New Podcast for Week Ending February 13, 2009

In this week’s podcast ending February 13, 2010:

**Britain’s Ministry of Defense defends its use of pigs as subjects in explosives testing;

**an elephant expert argues for the closing of the elephant exhibit at the Toronto Zoo;

**the State of Hawaii seeks to toughen penalties for dog fighting;

**Animal rights groups protest the Canadian seal hunt in the shadow of the 2010 Olympics.

Awww

PETA Sets Up Web Site for Olympics

Go to OlympicShame2010.com see PETA's seal hunt site.

Texas Father & Son Sentenced for Wildlife Trafficking

They were illegally bringing in deer from Arkansas. (Texas restricts deer importing.) Plus a little matter with stolen property.

Pigs Used in Explosives Tests in Britain

I wish we could stop killing animals for reasons related to killing humans.

From the BBC News...

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has defended its use of more than 100 pigs in explosive tests in Wiltshire.

Some 119 pigs were used in the research at the Government's military research laboratory Porton Down, near Salisbury, between 2006 and 2009.

The tests "saved many lives" in Iraq and Afghanistan due to improvements in post-traumatic techniques, junior defence minister Quentin Davies said.

He said 25 pigs were used in 2006, 19 in 2007, 40 in 2008, and 35 in 2009.

Busy Day - Have a Cat...or Two

Sea Shepherd "Escorts" Japanese Whaling Fleet From Sanctuary

Or they just decided to leave.

“We did not actually expect them to follow our orders to quit the Whale Sanctuary but they have indeed exited and are now running outside the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.” Said Captain Paul Watson. “They have not killed a single whale since February 5th. We intend to turn four whaling free days into weeks.”

It's certainly been an eventful season.

Irish Travel Agency Removes Matador from Advertising

The move was in response from pressure from an animal rights group. It's a small step, but every one counts.

From the Irish Times...

THE MATADOR – one of the most abiding and traditional images of Spain – has been removed from advertising by a leading Irish travel company following a protest by animal rights activists.

The Travel Department confirmed that it had used a photograph of a bullfighter in a newspaper advertisement for a holiday in Spain. The ad was seen by the Irish Council Against Blood Sports which contacted the company to object and the company agreed to withdraw the image from its marketing material.

A spokesman for the tour operator said that the image was “part of a library of stock images” of Spain that were used for print and online media advertising. He said it had not “consciously” used “the iconic image” and stressed that visits to bullfights were not included in its itineraries.

Dane County Debates Wisconsin Animal Research

Not sure anything will come of this, but Dane County is turning its attention to the primate research going on at University of Madison-Wisconsin.

From Channel3000.com...

Twenty county board supervisors have sent a letter to UW-Madison's Chancellor Biddy Martin, asking her to get directly involved in the ethics of monkey experimentation.

WISC-TV has learned that a public debate on the ethics of monkey research will be held on campus in March, keeping alive a touchy campus debate that's been brewing for years.

PETA Sues the University of South Dakota

They're trying to get records released on animal experiments.

Japanese Article on Paul Watson of Sea Shepherd

A surprisingly uncritical look at Paul Watson by a Japanese writer for the Japan Times.

Alistair Darling Refuses to Eat Seal Meat at G7 Meeting

Alistair Darling, the UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer, is in Canada for a G-7 meeting. He refused to eat the seal meat that the local Inuit community offered to the meeting participants, instead eating Arctic char. Good for him!

Real emotional blackmail on the part of the Canadians. They're basically making participants choose between eating seal meat or pissing off the Inuits and risk being called racists. The Canadians are just using its native peoples as a guilt rod.

Stay classy Canada!

Podcast Uploaded for Week Ending 02/06/10

In this week's podcast ending February 6, 2010:

**Willet Dairy the subject of a Mercy for Animals undercover investigation suspends a worker shown abusing cows;

**The Humane Society applauds the Allergan Corporation for progress on the replacement of animal subjects in Botox testing;

**PETA files a lawsuit to free Lucy the elephant from the Edmonton Zoo;

**Mexican activists protest bullfights;

**Canada steps up its support of seal hunting while hosting a G7 meeting.

Mexican Activists Protest Bullfighting

Good.