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.

Time.com Article on the Morals of Eating Meat

Gene Bauer from Farm Sanctuary appears in this article. Pretty intense, but I hope people read it. There is a disturbing hedonism to eating. I went to a restaurant for a work lunch and everyone ate meat but me, even the animal lovers. We just don't think about where that flesh came from....and most of us don't care.

Excellent Group for Animal Rights in Asia

I love this organization and have supported them for a few years now. Please consider Animals Asia for your future donations. They do important work.

Do Chickens Feel Empathy?

Here's an article from the Telegraph regarding chickens feeling empathy. The research is from the School of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Bristol.

I used to hate chickens as a child and thought they were irritating. Now, I think they're wonderful and we sponsor Camilla the Chicken through Farm Sanctuary's animal sponsorship program.

Please Continue to Donate for Japanese Relief Effort

We donated to Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support.

From their web site....HEART-Tokushima, Animal Friends Niigata and Japan Cat Network have combined forces to focus information, rescue and support for animals in crisis due to the March 11 Earthquake and Tsunami in northern Japan.

They were mentioned on CNN, they have a Facebook page to which they consistently post, and they are three Japanese groups already on the ground.

Resources for Japanese Animal Rescue

Here's a good link to rescue efforts.

Monitoring Japanese Earthquake

Waiting to see when animal rescue efforts start. I'm sure they're waiting until conditions are a little more under control, but I hope it starts soon.

Plea to Help Downed Farm Animals

Hard to read emotionally, but short and informative. Written by Gene Bauer and appearing in the Huffington Post.

Chimpanzees Laugh Even When Something's NOT Funny

Apparently, they laugh to encourage social bonding. It's particularly poignant considering the earlier article we posted about how their meat is showing up in Britain.

Humans eating chimpanzees is akin to cannibalism, as far as I'm concerned.