The animal protection movement must be part of that conversation. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” We must speak out for the 99% of animals who are threatened with human imposed suffering due to cruelty, exploitation, habitat loss and environmental devastation.

Take action! IDA has created a card called Occupy Compassion. If you are involved with a local Occupy movement, or know of one in your area, please send us your address and we will provide you with the Occupy Compassion card to hand out at your local Occupy protest. Introduce the progressive people in your community to animal rights issues and ask them to take action for animals.

For more information or if you would like Occupy Compassion cards, please contact hope@idausa.org.

To support our work please click here.

Ricardo Moreira doesn’t worry about not getting enough protein. This vegan cage fighter is solid as steel, but with a heart of gold. Moreira will be donating a portion of his winnings from his upcoming fight on February 11 to In Defense of Animals. If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, be sure to check out Ricardo’s adrenaline-pumping cage fight and support the animals at the same time! IDA interviewed Moreira about his veganism and unique profession.

IDA: Why did you become vegan?

Ricardo Moreira: I’ve always loved animals, and I am a lifelong martial artist. Within the martial arts, there are many codes of conduct, one of which is to respect all forms of life. Veganism goes hand in hand with my martial arts training and philosophy.

IDA: When did you go vegan?

Moreira: I went vegan in 2006. I was lacto/ovo vegetarian prior to the transition. I was initially a bit hesitant to go full-blown vegan due to all the misinformation I had come across concerning athletic performance on a vegan diet. Luckily I was put in touch with two vegan bodybuilders, Kenneth Williams and Robert Cheeke, who helped me develop a high-protein vegan diet to fit my sport’s needs.

IDA: What is your martial arts/fighting background?

Moreira: I grew up studying martial arts, starting with Kenpo Karate. I simply fell in love with the virtues and lifestyle. I quickly realized that teaching was going to be my life’s aspiration, and that competitive fighting was intricate to that goal. I started competing in professional kickboxing over ten years ago, and in 2007, I made the transition to mixed martial arts. With a 2nd degree black belt in Kenpo Karate and a competition background in Muay Thai, I am best described as a “stand up” fighter within my current sport.

IDA: Are fellow fighters supportive or critical of your diet?

Moreira: At the professional level, the other fighters are both respectful and supportive of my veganism. Initially I stood alone but, since 2006, there have been a few high level MMA fighters that adopted the diet, including top-ranked UFC fighter Jake Shields. There are also a lot of vegetarians in the sport; in fact, mixed martial arts has the most vegetarians of any contact sport.

IDA: What are your plans for the future?

Moreira: When the time comes for me to walk away from the cage altogether, I intend to open a martial arts gym. I’m looking forward to producing an environment where the athleticism of today’s fighters meets the discipline and virtues of the traditional arts. I will also continue to spread awareness and fight my most important fights… the ones outside the cage.

For more information and to buy tickets,

http://www.facebook.com/events/279809845410731/

Or e-mail: kickboxer415@live.com

IDA neither endorses nor opposes any sport with all willing participants. What we do support is compassionate athletes speaking for the animals through their sport.

New to veganism? Click here to order a free Vegan Starter Kit.

To support our work please click here.

Using this law, we can prevent the sale of thousands of animals every year in California and make business difficult for animal abusers and breeders. Enforcement is going to be difficult, so we need you to help monitor enforcement of this important new law.

IDA is calling on animal advocates across California to be vigilant and do some investigating in your community. Is there a flea market or carnival that sells live animals in your area? How about a parking lot or outside a grocery store? If you find animals being sold outdoors, take a photo of the animals and the area and contact us. We can assist you in assessing if the seller is in violation of the law (there are some exceptions) and contacting your local law enforcement and getting the sales stopped.

If you can help monitor enforcement of Section 597.4, or if you have questions, please contact Hope@idausa.org or 415-448-0058.

To support our work please click here.

In recent years, undercover investigators have successfully exposed horrific cruelty in the animal agriculture industry, documenting abuse on video and in photos. Mainstream news outlets have aired the footage of graphic violence and miserable conditions farm animals endure daily in commercial animal agriculture. Viewing this appalling treatment of farm animals can make even a strong stomach turn and with each new investigation it becomes clear that the callousness is widespread; misery is the industry standard, not just a few rotten egg facilities. Yet, instead of improving conditions for animals and workers, big agribusiness is trying to draw a curtain to shield their inhumane operations from public accountability.

So-called “ag-gag” or whistleblower suppression bills are a violation of free speech rights and an attack on the freedom of the press. For democracy to function properly, the public must be well informed. Whistleblowers exposing the wrongdoing in this or in any other industry should be protected, not victimized.

“Big Ag” has a reason to be concerned. These videos are instrumental in furthering laws to protect farm animals from cruel and unnecessary suffering. By informing consumers about the wretched conditions of these facilities, the public may choose to reduce the amount of animal products consumed and create consumer demand for alternatives and more humane production. Humane standards may detract from the inflated revenue streams of industry moguls, so the industry has elected to keep the pubic ignorant.

It is imperative that people continue to have access to factory farming operations to witness and expose their abusive activity. The abuse that years of undercover video has revealed should prompt the USDA and other oversight committees– and, frankly, any farming operation that claims to care about welfare– to mount video cameras themselves throughout animal agriculture facilities, to oversee employees and keep a watchful eye for further abuse, rather than keeping the public in the dark.

These so called “ag-gag” bills are being condemned as unconstitutional by civil liberties, public health, food safety, veterinarian, environmental, food justice, and workers’ rights organizations. They are excessive and unnecessary as there are already extensive trespassing and slander laws that protect private property owners. The public has the right to know about illegal and unethical practices on farms such as food safety issues, working conditions and blatant animal abuse.

IDA has joined a coalition of powerful animal organizations including HSUS, ASPCA, Mercy for Animals, Compassion Over Killing, Farm Sanctuary and more to combine our efforts and defeat these bills. IDA will be sending alerts to states where bills are appearing, asking our members in those states to contact their legislators and tell them that lawmakers should be holding animal agribusiness accountable for cruelty, instead of falling under the influence of industry that seeks to censor whistleblowers and keep the public uninformed for their own financial motives. Be on the lookout for those alerts and please take action against these dangerous and unethical bills.

For more information on the ag-gag bills, contact hope@idausa.org

To support our work please click here.

If this rate continues, vegans will be 10% of the U.S. population in 2015, 40% in 2019, and in 80 % in 2050! This would mean an end to the exploitation and suffering of billions of farmed animals. The study also revealed that 33% of U.S. citizens are eating vegetarian meals a significant amount of the time and ordering vegetarian meals at restaurants, though they are not vegetarians. That is over 100 million people, one third of the country!

Interestingly, the demographic breakdown of the study discovered that it was equal percentages of Democrats and Republicans eating vegetarian. Perhaps these two parties CAN agree on something- the vegan lifestyle is healthy and compassionate. Conscientious eating is going mainstream so if you haven’t already, reduce or eliminate your consumption of animal products- everyone’s doing it!

New to veganism? Click here to order a free Vegan Starter Kit.

To support our work please click here.

Please make this your profile main picture

This year, everyone can help fur-bearing animals no matter where you live, and you don’t even have to leave your house (or get out of your pajamas!). Simply participate in IDA’s Fur Free Friday Virtual Demonstration on Facebook and Twitter. Help us to blast the Internet with our compassionate message; it’s easy to do and a great way to spread the word that it’s time to stop the animals’ suffering.

TAKE ACTION

Facebook Instructions – Speak up for 50 MILLION fur-bearing animals in 3 easy steps!

1. Make sure you have your protest image up. All you have to do is right click on the “You Don’t Have To Wear Fur To Be Foxy” image and choose “Save Image As” to get the image. Replace your profile photo with it and keep it up all weekend!  (The image will look best if you “Edit Thumbnail”.)

2. Go through the list below and “Like” the promotional pages (links included). This will allow you to post comments on their pages:

• Nordstrom
• Saks Fifth Avenue
• Neiman Marcus
• Kohl’s
• Macy’s
• BCBG (please also send a quick email to BCBG by clicking here)

3. Starting on Friday, November 25th, start posting your POLITE comments! (Choose from our quotes below or write your own.) Remember that your comments will be seen by followers of all ages and comments that include profanity or can be interpreted as “abusive” will probably be removed before the general public gets a chance to read them and may result in your profile being reported and/or deleted by Facebook. IDA is not responsible for any comments you may leave or resulting actions.

Twitter Instructions:

1. Make sure you have your protest image up. All you have to do is right click on the “You Don’t Have To Wear Fur To Be Foxy” image and choose “Save Image As” to get the image. Replace your profile photo with it and keep it up all weekend!  (The image will look best if you “Edit Thumbnail”.)

2. Go through the list below and “Follow” these pages. This will allow you to send them direct messages and Tweets.

3. Encourage your friends to join your Twitter Demo! Tweet to them to also change their profile image to their “sign.”

4. You can run your Twitter Demo all day – Rain or Shine! But remember messages and Tweets that include profanity or can be interpreted as “abusive” may result in your profile being reported and/or deleted by Twitter. IDA is not responsible for any messages or Tweets sent or resulting actions.

• Nordstrom
• Saks Fifth Avenue
• Neiman Marcus
• Kohl’s
• Macy’s
• BCBG (please also send a quick email to BCBG by clicking here)

 

Twitter (Under 140):

 

An incredible amount of suffering is represented in each piece of fur: full coats, lining, or fur trim. Please show compassion and don’t sell fur.

 

Over 50 million animals–including millions of dogs & cats–are killed for their fur worldwide (not including the unknown number of rabbits). Please don’t sell fur.

 

Animals are killed for fur in horrific ways incl. bludgeoning, neck braking, anal & genital electrocution & many are skinned alive. Choose compassion & go fur-free.

 

In the US, there are no federal laws providing protection for the millions of animals who suffer and die on fur farms. Please stop selling fur.

 

Fur trim is not a by-product. Many, perhaps more than half, of all animals killed for their fur are killed specifically for fur trim. Please don’t sell fur.

Facebook Only:

 

Each year, over 50 million animals–including millions of dogs and cats–are killed for their fur worldwide. This number does not include rabbits as that number is unknown. Please don’t sell fur.

 

Animals are killed for fur in horrific ways including bludgeoning, neck braking and anal and genital electrocution and many are skinned alive. Please make the compassionate choice and go fur-free.

 

Over 50 million animals, including raccoon dogs, rabbits, foxes, mink, and chinchillas, spend their short lives in filthy, tiny wire cages until they are killed by ruthless methods on fur farms around the world. Please don’t support this suffering and go fur-free.

 

In the U.S., there are no federal laws providing protection for the millions of animals who suffer and die on fur farms. The fur industry remains completely self-regulated. Please stop selling fur.

 

Fur trim is not a by-product. Many, perhaps more than half, of all animals killed for their fur are killed specifically for fur trim. The number of animals killed for fur trim is expected to exceed the number of animals killed for full-fur garments. Please don’t sell fur.

 

There is no such thing as “green” or “eco-friendly” fur. It takes more than 15 times as much energy to produce a fur coat than it does to produce a fake fur. Furs are loaded with chemicals to keep them from decomposing, and fur production pollutes the environment, wastes precious resources, and poisons our waterways. Please don’t sell fur.

To help fur bearing animals year round please go to our Fur Campaign.

These beautiful birds have been genetically manipulated over the years to grow rapidly and have enlarged and unnaturally exaggerated breasts. The result is a multitude of health and mobility issues including inability to fly or to breed (they must be artificially inseminated, or the males would crush the females) and, in some cases, to even walk. Turkeys are raised in high-density, indoor confinement containing thousands of birds to a building and often have their toes cut off to prevent injury if there is fighting in the tight overcrowding. These windowless warehouses where the birds must live in day in and day out have poor sanitation and can have an overwhelming stench of ammonia.

As society is becoming more aware of the plight of factory farmed turkeys, some people are buying “humane” or “organic” turkeys. While this is an honorable pursuit, most people don’t realize that these farms are not much better than a factory farm. The turkeys might have access to the outside, but they are still overcrowded and may also be left outside in extremes of weather with no shelter. They still come from the same inhumane industrial hatchery where they never knew their mothers, and go to the same frightening slaughterhouse for a bloody and brutal death as a factory-farmed turkey. Birds are exempt from the Humane Methods of Livestock Slaughter Act so there are no regulations to ease their suffering.

If we want to truly give thanks, we should thank the earth for the life, resources, and delicious plant food it provides. It takes approximately 10 pounds of vegetables to make 1 pound of turkey, so we are wasting precious water, land, and fossil fuels and creating greenhouse gasses by eating meat. If we are sincerely grateful for the abundant and excessive amount of food available to us, we should eat a plant-based Thanksgiving meal, as a greater number of people could be fed with the grain that we feed the animals. Of course there are numerous faux meat options such as Tofurky and Field Roast. And any customary Thanksgiving dessert recipe can be easily veganized with a few substitutions.

Please show your gratitude to the earth, your health, and the turkeys this year and start a new tradition of compassion with a vegan Thanksgiving.

New to veganism? Click here to order a free Vegan Starter Kit.

To support our work please click here.

Fur Free Friday is the most widely-attended annual demonstration in the history of the animal protection movement. Don’t miss your opportunity to join with thousands of other activists worldwide for this international day of action.

Mark your calendars, contact IDA, and plan now! We must raise our voices in unison to educate shoppers and the media about the real cost of fur – the cold, brutal fact that more than 50 MILLION fur-bearing animals are slaughtered for fashion each year. Whether on fur farms, where these helpless animals go insane from the cramped, filthy conditions, or in the wild where they are trapped and left to suffer, these animals need your help now.

IDA’s last day for shipping materials for your event in the U.S. is Nov. 17, so plan now and register your event.  We have a new poster to make your event stand out. IDA is asking Nordstrom to be the first department store to go fur-free. Please consider targeting Nordstrom if you have one in your area and we can send you specific Nordstrom literature. Click here to see a list of stores.

TAKE ACTION: In 2008, high-end fashion brand BCBG signed a pledge not to sell fur,
but BCBG’s 2011 holiday line has fur! We are disappointed that BCBG is moving in the wrong direction and has gone back on its word. Please join IDA in asking BCBG to honor its original compassionate choice and go fur free … again! Click here now to send an e-mail to BCBG. 

We have lots of events already posted. Please check here to see if there is an event happening in your area.  Contact Hope Bohanec at Hope@idausa.org or 707-540-1760 to find out how you can get signs, literature, and ideas for outreach in your community.

Offering motivation and to make things even more interesting, we had a contest!  Daiya generously offered a month’s supply of its delicious vegan cheese to a random participant who was successful in getting a pizza place to offer a vegan pizza. We are excited to announce that the winner of our contest is Gina Stuessy of Madison, Wisconsin. Gina got two restaurants in Madison to participate, The Glass Nickel and Ian’s Pizza. Let’s hope they will keep the vegan options on the menu beyond World Go Vegan Week.

Congratulations, Gina! We hope you enjoy your month’s supply of Daiya cheese!

Pizza wasn’t the only thing on our minds this World Go Vegan Week. Other volunteers participated in various creative ways beyond the vegan pizza project. At a church in Burnaby, British Columbia, eight families took on the challenge of eating vegan for the entire week of World Go Vegan Week and, in Sri Lanka, activists held an event with a film on veganism, speakers, and vegan food to sample. These are just a few examples of the wide reach of this important week of education. This was truly an international outreach experience!

Thank you for celebrating World Go Vegan Week with us. The animals, the environment, and your health thank you for your compassionate choices. Click here for more information on the vegan lifestyle.

New to veganism? Click here to order a free Vegan Starter Kit.

Dressed in costumes, we handed out the treats and leafleted vegan materials, asking San Franciscans to help end the horrors of factory farming and try a vegan treat for Halloween. The responses were wildly enthusiastic—in fact, people were shocked that vegan treats and chocolate were so scary delicious! It was a gratifying day of outreach with lots of people discovering just how satisfying vegan sweet treats really are.