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Posts Tagged ‘Farm Animals’

2 Words – Vegan Treats. vegantreats.com Photo Credit : MeetTheShannons.com

This is it folks, vegan is headed for the big-time! Just in the last five years, the vegan diet is being recognized more and more in the mainstream. Famous celebrities and politicians have gone vegan like Emily Deschanel, James Cromwell, Bill Clinton, and Ellen DeGeneres, who recently “veganised” an average American family on her show. Dr. Oz got an overweight, diabetic cowboy to adopt a vegan diet to save his life and Oparh and Martha Stewart have each dedicated an entire show to the vegan lifestyle.

Even millionaire moguls are embracing the plant-based diet like Biz Stone, the founder of Twitter (recently a guest on Martha Stewart’s vegan show), Steve Wynn, Las Vegas casino tycoon and Hip-Hop music producer Russell Simmons whose new book is titled Super Rich: A Guide to Having It All. We know that vegans are smart, but some vegans are geniuses. Like George Church, a molecular biologist who helped map the human genome at Harvard and Stanford Biochemist Patrick Brown, who transformed genetic research with his invention of micro-array DNA.

Mega food retailers like 7-Eleven sell vegan options in six of their New York locations and Disney World kicked out McDonalds to make room for the all vegan bakery, Babycakes. Speaking of vegan baking, Animal Planet is rolling out a new reality TV show about Vegan Treats owner and founder, Danielle Konya delving into her animal activism.

Meatless Monday is taking hold across the nation with Baltimore and New York City schools adopting meat-free meals in their cafeterias on Mondays. Sodexo implemented Meatless Monday in its 900 hospital accounts and Oprah Winfrey’s company cafeterias are meat-free on Mondays. Celebrity chefs like Wolfgang Puck and Mario Batali have gotten on board offering a Meatless Monday menu in their restaurants. And San Francisco and Washington DC have Meat-Free Monday Resolutions signed by their board of supervisors.

All this awesome news is incredibly inspirational and I hope makes it even easier for people to adopt a compassionate diet. I also hope that it inspires activists to work even harder to help reduce farm animal suffering. We are winning, but we have to keep the pressure on and the energy up in this critical time.

Do you know of a new way vegan is going mainstream? Add it to the comments!

The plight of horses is worsening. Some blame the economy; others say banning horse slaughter in the U.S. meant “owners” who couldn’t sell their horses let them starve. I say it’s both selfishness and ignorance. Horses are being overbred just like other companion animals. Those who think they can make a buck breed and then find out there are no buyers, at least at the prices they want, and they don’t want to feed what they can’t make money off of and certainly don’t want to give away what they might someday sell. The glut of horses means you can buy a horse for $50, or get one from someone who wants to “unload.”  It’s cool to have a horse and to tell folks you have a horse. Horses are like “trophy brides”: they express status, and, of course, there are some who actually think they’ll ride. The question is how many of these people are caught up in a whim with no thought of how to actually care for horses.

Read the rest of this entry »

Earth Day is a great day to get the veg message out! Events will be happening on and around April 22 all over the world as we honor the Earth and learn about ways to reduce our impact on the environment. One of the best ways we can reduce our carbon footprint is by choosing to eat a plant-based diet. The United Nations, the EPA, environmental organizations, and countless scientific studies all worn of the detrimental environmental impact of animal agribusiness. In fact, meat and other animal by-products are responsible for 51% of the total human caused greenhouse gas emissions worldwide according to a study by two prominent World Bank environmental advisers. Learn more about the environmental impact of animal agriculture by clinking here.

Take Action for the Animals and the Earth-

Want an easy way to help animals and the environment? Find out where your local Earth Day event is being held, grab some brochures, and leaflet the crowds at the event. Get some friends together for support or just go solo and help educate your community on eating green. IDA can provide you with leaflets that explain the connection between animal products and global warming, water waste and pollution, deforestation, and more. We also have posters linking climate change with animals raised for food.

lf you would like any flyers, brochures and/or posters, or have any questions about leafleting please contact Hope at Hope@idausa.org or 415-448-0058 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 415-448-0058 end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 415-448-0058 end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 415-448-0058 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Ideas for Earth Day Activism:

• Apply for a table or leaflet at an Earth Day event.
• Leaflet on your local college or high school campus, or on the main street near the campus.
• Pass out flyers in front of a grocery store.
• Pass out flyers at concerts.
• Pass out flyers at your church.
• Distribute flyers to your friends and family.

IDA Staffer Hope Bohanec at MeatOut 2011

In Defense of Animals teamed up with Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM) for this year’s MeatOut to feed 1,000 people vegan Tofurky sandwiches! On Saturday, March 19th, we had a fun vegan feed-in at the annual San Francisco peace rally calling for an end to the wars. We served yummy, vegan sandwiches, leaflet IDA vegan brochures, and spread the message that peace begins on your plate!

The San Francisco event featured sandwiches made with Tofurky slices, lettuce, tomato, and a non-dairy cheese spread. With every sandwich, rally-goers received a brochure explaining how a vegan diet can reduce heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes, save animals from suffering on factory farms and in slaughterhouses, and conserve precious environmental resources. We got reports that the sandwiches were tasty and very appreciated.

Last year, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors signed a ground-breaking resolution and officially named every Monday to be Veg Day and encourage all San Francisco residents to consider cutting the meat habit one day a week. In this spirit, rally-goers got a taste of vegan versions of meat and cheese to reduce animal products in their diet.

By the amazing Dan Piraro

Of all the useless arguments I’ve heard to defend the carriage horse industry, none is more maddening than the argument of “tradition.” How can anyone think that honoring a tradition can be more important than basic compassion?

Don’t get me wrong. Traditions are important. They give us a feeling of security and connect us to our heritage. But blind adherence to tradition is a dangerous thing, and there are too many examples of traditions that perpetrated great suffering and oppression. These practices continued in the face of much criticism, shielded only by the argument of “tradition.”

For centuries girls in China endured a foot-binding ritual that literally broke their toes and crippled their bodies, but the practice was so ingrained that it continued. It was said that a woman with bound feet was more civilized, disciplined, and dutiful. This abomination continued for 1,000 years, affecting a billion women, before being banned in the 1900s.

In Europe, for over three centuries, hundreds of boys were castrated, many of them by the Catholic Church, so they could sing soprano as adults.  Efforts to ban this practice took 150 years because of concern by the Church that it would seriously harm attendance if there were no castrati in the choir.

Such examples are not just historical. In 2004, the British government banned the cruel practice of fox-hunting, even with loud opposition that it was an essential icon of British culture and must continue.

One only need look at those poor horses who are forced to pull carriages day-in, day-out, to see the deep despair in their eyes. What kind of existence is it for a horse to spend his days on the clogged streets of NYC pulling a carriage, followed by nights in a dark stall in a warehouse? Where is the chance to frolic, roll in the grass, or nuzzle another fellow horse?

The truth is, while traditions can be quaint, or comforting, or links to bygone era, there are probably many of them that belong in the dustbin of history. And that’s certainly where horse drawn carriages belong.

Today we celebrate the Irish, guzzle a green beer, and wear a shamrock pin. But this year instead of just wearing green, why not go green! Animal agriculture is responsible for more than half the total human-caused greenhouse gas emissions and numerous other environmental impacts water waste and pollution, overgrazing, deforestation, loss of habitat and species, wasting of resources and energy, and overfishing. These dramatic and impactful problems are manageable and reversible with a global shift to a vegan diet. Eating a plant-based diet is one of the most powerful things you can do to reduce your own carbon footprint. Here’s some traditional Irish recipes, like Corned Beef-Less Tips & Cabbage and Irish Coffee Cupcakes – minus the animal products, to help you go green and celebrate St. Paddy’s Day

This time of year is also for the annual Meatout and the goal for 2011 is to serve vegan food to 20,000 people in the month of March. Be part of this historic effort and learn more here. IDA will be joining forces with FARM for this year’s Meatout to feed 1300 people vegan Tofurky sandwiches at a peace rally in San Francisco showing that peace begins on your plate!

A vegan diet is your lucky pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that will help preserve your health and the health of the planet. Happy St. Patty’s Day!

(See Part Two from yesterday for introduction to the folks mentioned below!)

Early Monday morning we began loading the animals for transport to our adoption partners. Arlin and Mr. Weed, a member of Winona Animal Advocacy Group (WAAG), brought their dogs, Mike came back with the dogs they fostered and helped load and check supplies for the journey. Deedra and Brice, her son, arrived with their fosters and others followed. We rearranged some crates, added 2 large crates and we were ready to head for Vet. Assoc. We had 4 dogs waiting for us there and Deedra’s friend, Patricia and her darling daughter, Griffe, were waiting with the pups they fostered.

Weather has been a huge issue this winter. We’ve had 6 snows here. Keep this in mind.

We were well into Oklahoma when we needed to stop. We spotted a large dog in the parking lot, emaciated and looking for food. She’d had many pups but wasn’t nursing. We set out to help her. She clearly wanted help, but just wasn’t sure of our reaching hands. I ran back to get a leash while Sarah kept up with her. It took about an hour, but we had Esmeralda safely on board. What a dog. She was soooo sweet and easy-going. She joined our little group we allowed to bed down between the seats. Elizabeth was our baby for several years. Cupcake is so well behaved and doesn’t like being crated. Their pleasure and calm demeanor actually help us make the grueling 24 hour trip.

There’s a reason I mentioned the weather. Before we left Oklahoma, the storm due in the next day was on us. We were equipped with backup heat and supplies should we have to stop, but surgeries were scheduled at Every Creature Counts (ECC) and holding over with the dogs in crates wasn’t ideal. We pressed on. Snow from Oklahoma to Ft. Lupton. You don’t know what white knuckles are until you’ve seen mine baring down on the wheel and using my years of experience to keep us safe.  I drove a box truck for 11 years when I was a teamster. I’m more at home in a truck than a car. There were few souls on the interstates, mostly UPS and Fed Ex.

When we arrived, the back door to ECC never looked so good. There are times when reason and determination forge events that faint hearts would shy from, some folks would question the wisdom of, and only those participating can truly say it was the right move. Our friends and our determination, and your donations to In Defense of Animals (IDA), made this trip possible. WAAG members, ECC, and friends donated the cost of the transport and preparation. IDA’s Eric Phelps and Matt Rossell organized and participated in a 100 mile bike ride that raised money that built us a stable for our blind and aged horses, their new feeder, and this transport. Funds not spent will carry our next transport. Thanks to everyone who helped. By the way, the dog who was banned from San Mateo, California for “herding joggers” has been adopted by Deedra and Kirk.

We completed our first transport of the new year.  At this moment I can’t recall a more grueling test of my wits, patience, and courage.

The day we returned from our Dec. 15^th transport, 19 puppies showed up as we were unloading crates, towels, and supplies. No problem, Lisa and Mike Martin said yes to one family of pups.  Deedra and Kirk Bookout, were just a phone call away. Challenge handled.  Then there were the hoarder Theresa’s dogs and the stray Enid dogs I told you about yesterday, and Ollie, abandoned at our interstate exit. I rescued Norwood on the side of Hwy 7 as I headed for Yalobusha County to aid with dogs whose guardian passed, and the list goes on. Hope Animal Sanctuary (HAS) and our foster guardians were filled to capacity. There’s nothing new about this, but it just shows how vital the transports are. The new ACO for the city of Winona is awesome and the WAAG team, Winona Animal Advocacy Group, got busy preparing dogs for transport.

PetSmart’s Valentine Adoptathon is a wonderful opportunity for adoptions. We worry that some adoptions are impulsive, but our adoption partner in Colorado, Every Creature Counts, doesn’t fold to impulse adoptions. Our goal was to get 70 dogs to ECC in time for the Adoptathon.

Fewer cats are adopted. Though every cat is tested before being introduced to our cattery, one came in negative for FIV and then became ill and tested positive, along with several other cats.  A mother cat test positive for AIDS, and a cat we’d had for years became ill with FIP.

We decided the cats with us deserve to live their lives. If they become ill, we’ll address their illness, but we do not place for adoption cats who have been exposed to incurable disease, and we do not euthanize cats who are still enjoying their lives. Some spend the rest of their lives with us, some are placed in foster care until we can place them for adoption.

As transport time approached we were faced with seemingly insurmountable hurdles. MSU’s “Fix ‘em” team would not be able to make their appointed surgery day. The mobile clinic generator went out. Rescue friends had steadily aided animals they hoped would make the transport. Half the animals for transport hadn’t had surgeries and the shots and heartworm tests would have to be arranged. Money was now an addition obstacle.

Never fear, Hope Animal Sanctuary is here – along with a team of awesome friends. Debbie Young took our Polly under wing and had her heartworm treatment performed. Our foster guardians and Arlin, our ace ACO in Winona, took dogs for rabies and heartworm tests. Dr. Tim Lloyd of Cleveland, Miss. neutered 10 males for us and gave rabies and heartworm tests.  And Doc came out to help us, saving us the transport of animals to Veterinary Associates.

The day before, I went to Kenner, LA to pick up Velvet, a dog banned from a California county for herding joggers. On the way back I picked up 2 dogs from another group who would join the transport, and got back after midnight.  I took care of our older, younger, and challenged dogs, and hit the sack.

Dr. Tim is fantastic. Surgeries and paperwork were done by 1:00. I headed for Winona, and Arlin unloaded our precious dogs. I headed for supplies from our feed store, came back, unloaded, headed for general supplies and dog food, came back and unloaded, took care of the dogs back at HAS, did laundry, paperwork, and computer work. Simple days here are rare.

Transport day neared. The documentation of the animals was put together by each foster guardian and Debbie and Deedra were inputting the data onto our Petpoint site – right up to departure. Yes, there are always last minute changes. There were several adoptions, a couple of dogs just weren’t ready, other friends heard about the transport, and the most challenging factor was carting that many animals humanely. This transport we had so many large and adult dogs going we had to insist that everyone come to the sanctuary to load. I’d gotten the transport truck Friday and Mike and Lisa came Sunday to insulate it, load the crates, insert bedding, and sticker the crates for identifying occupants Monday morning.

Tune in tomorrow to read the rest of the story!

We apologize for the no-news span – there was plenty going on here in Mississippi. A quick recap does little justice to the events of the past 6 weeks, but I’ll fill you in a bit and then get into this week’s news.

So much has happened. Horses Eric and Roscoe were adopted into a wonderful family with lots of animal smarts and compassion. Eric and his 3 companion horses were rescued from a Yalobusha County man who claimed to feed them well with his lawn trimmings. Eric’s companions were adopted soon after their recovery. Eric required a home with greater understanding for his mistrust of humans. Roscoe too was rescued from neglect and indifference, thin with overgrown hoofs and a dull, unhealthy coat.

Six of our emus were adopted by a wonderful man and his family who love to care for and watch over animals. Over the years this man has reported multiple cruelty cases to us and we’ve had the opportunity to know him and become acquainted with his care for his animals.

Theresa, the hoarder who we’ve seized animals from twice before, was back at it. The blessing was there were only 7 dogs with her this time. We seized 28 dogs from her previously in Yalobusha County. We’re confident that this will be our last dealings with Theresa as a hoarder.  Tallahatchie County Deputy Patrick Tribble, who aided us with this seizure, is well-respected and people in the area have vowed to inform him if Theresa gets even one more dog. He is The Man when it comes to animal issues. In December, we placed for adoption nine puppies he rescued and Maury, the Chihuahua.

An Enid, Mississippi family began feeding 6 dogs who wandered to their neighborhood. The dogs took up on the family’s porch furniture for warmth. Nervous neighbors talked of shooting the dogs, fearing posed a danger. We got a call and rescued them. Five were already transported for adoption and Sugar Bear will be heartworm treated next week. Gay and Larry Evaldi, our treasured friends who moved from here to Florida, have paid for her treatment. They fostered or adopted 4 of our dogs, and she aided with animal care and cruelty cases while he babysat and rushed to our aid when needed.

We were so busy during our blog absence that the summary seems trite, but I hit on some important things. Tune in tomorrow for details on our first adoption transport of the year.

Recently, Oprah challenged her staff to join her and voluntarily go vegan for one week. Close to 400 Harpo Production employees agreed to the challenge and Oprah dedicated her show  to the results, so we had an Oprah watching party! About 75 delighted IDA and PETA employees, supporters, and other vegans packed into Harvey’s Bar in San Francisco to watch Oprah on the big screen TVs. Harvey’s recently added a few vegan items to their menu including tofu scramble, vegan chili, and vegan quesadillas, so we were well fed. They are also using vegan mayo for their entire menu. Famous vegan cookbook author, Colleen Patrick Goudreau co-organized the event with IDA and was on hand after for a discussion and Q & A about the show and mainstreaming veganism.

The show focused on a few employees and their adventures and struggles being vegan for a week. One of her staff lost 11 pounds in a week and many others reported feeling better with increased energy. Some said that they would continue the new lifestyle for a month, some said they were hooked!

Oprah’s guests were Kathy Freston, author of the new bestselling book Veganist and Michael Pollen, author and local food activist. There was also never before seen video of a slaughterhouse. They wouldn’t allow the cameras to film the actual killing of the cows, but the gruesome processing and grizzly skinning and dismembering was extremely disturbing. Kathy Freston said that she is vegan because horrors such as this footage didn’t sit right with her soul and she could not be part of it.

There was a segment of the show where one Harpo employee took everything out of her fridge that had animal products and to her surprise, it cleared out her refrigerator completely. So Freston took her to Whole Foods and introduced her to a variety of new vegan products including Tofurky,  Earth Balance, and Daiya Cheese . She said that her family learned a great deal about healthy eating and would continue to lean in this new, compassionate direction.

As for Oprah, she said that she is now “veganish” and will also continue to lean in this direction. She is implementing Meat-Free Mondays in the cafeterias at Harpo Productions as well as having a vegan option always available. IDA would like to thank Oprah for bringing veganism to the mainstream, exposing the graphic cruelty of the slaughterhouse, and showing people that there is a new, healthy and compassionate way to live and eat. Go Oprah!