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.

CoCo was rescued from a "Dog Meat Farm" in 2010 & now has a loving home!

Every dog is a story. In South Korea, millions of dogs are subjected to the most unimaginable agony until their last breath, at grim and squalid dog meat farms and meat markets—the very bowels of existence—with their pitiless smell of human injustice and cruelty. They come to sorrow in these hellish places, imprisoned in filthy and desolate cages, where puppies are usually separated from their mothers, all awaiting their fate. According to a persistent and mystifying belief, the greater the terror and pain a dog experiences while dying—the more he suffers—the more intense the boost in adrenaline in the flesh for a tastier meat, as well as a real boon for a man’s virility. A life snuffed out. Everyday cruelties perpetrated casually and without remorse.

As every dog is a story, every rescue is a story—jubilation-bringing rescues that are rays of light in a realm of darkness.

Happy Angels Dog Rescue, in Los Angeles, California, not only rescues dogs from high-kill shelters and off the streets of L.A., but also funds, transports, and places dogs from South Korea. Working with various South Korean animal organizations, including IDA’s partner Coexistence for Animal Rights on Earth (CARE) and Young-Jin Kwon of the newly formed People Defending Animals, dogs are saved from dog meat slaughterhouses, dog meat farms, restaurants that serve dog meat, S. Korean shelters, and individual abuse cases. Because many South Korean dog lovers clamor for purebreds, especially puppies, adult dogs of mixed breeds find it much more difficult to find homes there. After rescue, the South Korean organizations foster and assist in the transportation of the dogs.

Founded in June, 2008, by Stephanie Jeong, Happy Angels has transported about 150 S. Korean dogs to be placed in permanent homes in Los Angeles. The following stories highlight an odyssey of unremittingly bleak lives, and miraculous endings.

Click ‘Read More’ to read these amazing and heartwarming stories!

Click Here to learn more about what IDA is doing to help animals in live markets in Korea.

Please click here for more info and to donate.

Koa is loved in his new home.

KOA
Koa (formerly Ku-Won) was born and raised on a dog farm that breeds and sells dogs for their meat in Po-Chon, S. Korea. At only two months old, another dog attacked him in his cage, which resulted in the amputation of a leg. Ku-Won could no longer be sold as “healthy” dog meat, so in June of 2008 the dog farmer voluntarily turned the ‘damaged goods’ over to CARE. Happy Angels raised enough money for Ku-Won’s flight to L.A., where he received immediate special attention and much-needed re-amputation surgery. Because of his disability, he was seen as unadoptable in S. Korea. Ku-Won healed and was adopted by a loving family in Orange County who call him Koa. He now lives blissfully on three legs.

Charlie in his new life.

CHARLIE
Charlie (formerly Chun-Ha) was rescued from South Korea just before somebody was preparing to eat him. Fortunately, a passerby witnessed Chun-Ha being tortured. A man was forcefully putting him in a pot of boiling water. After convincing the man to stop what he was doing, Chun-Ha was rescued by CARE. After all he’d been through, he was expected to be fearful and traumatized, but Chun-Ha possesses the spirit of a lion; he is brave of heart, happy, energetic, and loves being held. He excels at playing fetch. Still carrying a permanent scar that covers more than 50 percent of his back from being scolded with boiling water, Chun-Ha may possibly have been torched as well. He was about one when he endured his nightmarish torture and, for five years following his rescue, he never found a home in South Korea because, being scarred, he was seen as unadoptable. Chun-Ha was transported to Los Angeles on June 13th, 2008, and was adopted to a family that delights in outdoor activities with their Charlie.

ToTo

TOTO and COCO

CARE rescued Toto and Coco, formerly Sae-Byok, from a meat farm in 2010. It was believed they were siblings since they are similar in age and in appearance. Toto and Coco flew to L.A. in search of finding their forever homes. Coco was adopted through Happy Angels Dog Rescue in September, 2010. Toto is still searching for his family.

Kong-Tok

KONG-TOK
CARE rescued Kong-Tok, along with 18 other dogs, from a meat farm in In-Cheon, S. Korea, in October, 2006. She was only about six months at the time. She flew to Los Angeles in November, 2010, hoping to find a loving family. She is a very outgoing and affectionate girl who will blossom if she is the only dog in the home.

Click here for additional photos of Toto and Kong-Tok.

Hye-Sook Kim, a pug rescuer in S. Korea, has rescued about 50 Pugs and Happy Angels transported them to L.A., and found homes for all of them.

Semmy is a lover.

SEMMY

A newly rescued Cocker Spaniel, Semmy, was saved from a dog meat restaurant in the outskirts of Seoul. She was tied outside on a very short chain, and beaten frequently by the restaurant owners. She was rescued just before she was to be killed. She flew into L.A. on Sept 24th, 2011, and is currently available for adoption. She is estimated to be a year old and is pure joy. She is being fostered in Fullerton, CA.

Alex

ALEX

Alex, a Miniature Dachshund, was abandoned at a gas station in Dong-Hae City, S. Korea. His original family left him there in the middle of the night and fled the scene. A gas station employee found him in the morning and brought him to Dong-Hae City Shelter. He is about five to six years old and is a very charming fellow. He flew into L.A. on Sept 3rd, 2011.  He is available for adoption and is currently being fostered in Marina del Rey, CA.

Click here for more information.

South Korean Dog and Cat Campaign

IDA’s South Korean Dog and Cat Campaign, in concert with our partners Coexistence for Animal Rights on Earth (CARE) and Korean Animal Rights Advocates (KARA), is working to rid South Korea of the old way of thinking—the myths and prejudices about dogs (companion and edible) and cats (reviled) and their monstrous consequences, as well as the hollow and contradictory laws regarding dog meat and the officials who unashamedly sanction them. Our hope is to inspire thinking anew, a deepening of consciousness about the anguish and cruelty that animals suffer daily through undercover investigations, lawsuits, protests, outreach, and reform proposals to establish the illegitimacy of dog meat. As Bertrand Russell said,” Moral progress has consisted in the main of protest against cruel customs, and of attempts to enlarge human sympathy.”

Activists at last year's Fur Free Friday!

Last night the City Council of West Hollywood passed a historic ordinance unanimously prohibiting the sale of fur apparel products within the city!  This great success culminated after months of canvassing and rallies spearheaded by the Fur-Free West Hollywood Campaign made up of activists from In Defense of Animals, Last Chance for Animals, Animal Alliance, PETA, OCPA, ARME, APRL and many hard-working individuals, most notably Ellen Lavinthal, Ed Bucks, Shannon Keith and Bryan Monell. Several stores in West Hollywood had voluntarily removed fur items from their stores prior to the City Council’s actions.

In 1989, West Hollywood passed resolution number 558 proclaiming West Hollywood a “cruelty free zone for animals”.   Since that time West Hollywood has passed legislation banning the declawing of cats, prohibiting pet stores from selling puppy mill animals and resolutions banning cosmetic testing on animals and steel-jaw leg hold traps.  In February of 2001 they adopted IDA’s guardian language which substitutes the word “guardian” for “owner“ in all discourse.

West Hollywood is the first city in the United States banning the cruel commerce of fur.  It is a remarkable historic  victory.

Want to help animals killed for their fur in your city? Click here for some ideas on what you can do!

This year’s Fur Free Friday is right around the corner. Click here to see what activists from around the world did last year and start planning your own events soon… more details on that coming soon!

The IDA Team & Table!

The Animal Rights 2011 National Conference, the world’s largest and oldest animal rights gathering, was held July 21 – 25 in Los Angeles, California at the Westin LAX Hotel. This annual conference sponsored by Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM) and co-sponsored by In Defense of Animals (IDA) offered sessions on combating animal abuse, organizing, tactics, animal protection issues, and key campaigns. IDA enlightened newcomers and seasoned activists about our programs through extensive participation on panels. Our table in the main hall was brimming with information on IDA campaigns, plus fun t-shirts, buttons, travel mugs, and other animal-related merchandise.

Catherine Doyle, IDA’s Elephant Campaign Director, spoke on three panels, including Animals in Entertainment. She gave an overview of IDA’s work for elephants in zoos and circuses and described the welfare problems associations with each, and showed footage of abuse in circuses and a video about elephants in zoos. Catherine also spoke on the panel Animal Rescues about the unique nature of the elephant rescues IDA has facilitated.

At the Saturday night banquet, Catherine introduced the winner of the Young Animal Rights Activist Award, Juliette West, a “youth ambassador” for elephants in captivity and in the wild. She is featured in the documentary How I Became An Elephant, which tells the story of her efforts to rescue an elephant from the streets of Thailand. She uses the film to reach young audiences around the country and teach them about elephants in captivity.

Hope Animal Sanctuary's Doll Stanley

Our Hope Animal Sanctuary’s Director Doll Stanley introduced IDA at the opening plenary session. Doll also spoke on four panels: Vivisection, Companion Animal Campaigns, Running a Sanctuary, and Enforcing Protective Laws.

Hope Bohanec, IDA’s Grassroots Campaigns Director, offered her power point presentation Eco-Eating: A Cool Diet for a Hot Planet about environmental impacts of animal agriculture. She also spoke on the panel International Activism about IDA Africa, our chimpanzee sanctuary in Cameroon; IDA India, where we spay, neuter and offer emergency medical care for street animals in Mumbai; and our South Korean Dog and Cat campaign, exposing the horrors of dogs tortured and slaughtered for their meat and cats boiled for “medicinal elixirs” in South Korea. Hope also spoke on Language and Labels, introducing people to IDA’s unique Guardian Campaign, which encourages the use of non-objectifying and more accurate words when we discuss animals, such as “guardian” instead of “owner” and “he” or “she” instead of “it.”

We were even able to participate in the world’s biggest circus demo ever with 500 hundred protesters educating Ringling Bros. circus goers about the cruel and sad life of circus animals. We had a great time and I hope you can join us in Washington DC next July for the AR 2012 National Conference!

This year’s International Day of Action for Elephants in Zoos (IDAEZ) on June 11^th was an outstanding success, featuring events in 27 cities and a virtual protest that used social networking technology to circulate more than 9,000 messages about the suffering and premature deaths of elephants in zoos. Thanks to everyone for your involvement!

Elephant advocates held demonstrations from the U.S. to Canada to the UK and Spain, educating thousands of people attending their local zoos. Media reports on IDAEZ events carried our message to even more of the public. Scores of colorful banners and posters, and the 30,000 informative flyers that were handed out, opened people’s eyes to the lifetime of misery elephants endure in inadequate zoo displays.

We welcome the many IDAEZ events in new cities this year, including the Houston Zoo, Fresno Zoo, Honolulu Zoo, Rosamond Gifford Zoo, Birmingham Zoo, Milwaukee Zoo and Ft. Worth Zoo.

We’re also pleased to report that events could not be held at the Central Florida Zoo and the Brookfield Zoo near Chicago because those zoos no longer have elephants! And it looks like there will be even fewer zoos holding elephants in the years to come.

The virtual protest, also held on Saturday, was a great success. This special cyber-demo allowed everyone to participate in IDAEZ by Tweeting zoos and posting enlightening messages on zoos’ Facebook pages about the physical and psychological suffering that Earth’s largest land mammals endure in cramped zoo enclosures. Rather than allow their members to read the truth, at least seven zoos shut down their Facebook pages in different ways.

IDA thanks everyone who participated in IDAEZ in person and on-line. You helped educate people around the world about the terrible plight of elephants in zoos, bringing us a step closer to ending their suffering. And we also thank this year’s celebrity supporters, Lily Tomlin, Jorja Fox and Mariana Tosca, for their commitment to helping the elephants.

You can visit www.HelpElephants.com to read more about IDAEZ and our campaigns for elephants in zoos and circuses.

Don’t forget to join IDA’s Elephant Task Force to learn what you can do to help elephants year round!

Shark fining is a process where the fins and tails of sharks are cut off and the remainder of the often still living fish is thrown back into the ocean. Sharks then sink to the bottom, unable to swim and die a slow, agonizing death. Every year, tens of millions of sharks are killed in this manner for shark fin soup, a tasteless, Asian delicacy. This unnecessary dish has been a major contributor to the near collapse of many shark species world-wide as well as in California. Sharks maintain the natural balance in our oceans marine food web. Scientists are warning that the massive decline of sharks is having a devastating effect on the marine ecosystem.

At the heart of the debate is “culture”. Assemblyman Fong, an Asian-American, supports the bill and is fighting for the preservation of the oceans and the sharks. Senator Leland Yee, also an Asian-American, feels that the ban is an attack on the Asian culture as shark fin soup is a traditional Asian delicacy. It is true that cultures and traditions should be respected and preserved, but not if that tradition is causing suffering or environmental destruction. If sentient beings are being exploited, coerced, or are victims of genocide, the global community must step in and aid the oppressed. If a tradition is causing unbalance in the ecosystem, international intervention is needed and necessary- for the ultimate survival of the culture effected. Sharks are being hunted to extinction, and what befalls the oceans, affects us all. The health of the ecosystem is not confined by cultural boundaries and the planet must be protected by the international community.

There is also the culture of the shark to consider. Sharks are amazing creatures in their own right and deserve to live free of human imposed suffering. There are more than 350 different kinds of sharks and most sharks as we know them today developed about 64 million years ago during the age of the dinosaurs. After mating, some female sharks can retain the male’s sperm in their bodies for use when she is ready to reproduce, even if that does not happen until next season. Lantern sharks can glow in the dark. Sharks have a unique culture all to themselves that deserves to be preserved for future generations.

AB 376 will give important protection to sharks to help preserve the ecosystem and biodiversity of the California coast and the world’s oceans. Please support this important legislation and if you are a California resident, click here for more  information on how to help .

There were 68 of us at the BarkWorks pet store in Thousand Oaks on Saturday, February 13. We marched back and forth directly in front of the store, inside the mall. BarkWorks has six of the 100 stores in Los Angeles that sell dogs and cats from puppy mills.

IDA, the Companion Animal Protection Society and other groups in Los Angeles are working on legislation with local officials to ban this inhumane animal commerce. This legislation would require that pet stores only show animals from the city’s six animal shelters and rescue organizations, not puppy mills.

During the march a woman approached me and told me about a friend of hers who had purchased a dog from BarkWorks. Shortly thereafter the puppy became ill. She wouldn’t return the dog to the store because by then she had falling in love with the puppy.  So she paid out $4,500.00 to save the puppy’s life. Of course, most puppies in the same situation would not have had such wonderful (and able) guardians to pay for their treatment.

If you live in (or are visiting) Southern California and would like to help with pet store demos, please e-mail Bill Dyer: bill@idausa.org.

IDA has released the 2010 list of the Ten Worst Zoos for Elephants, exposing the hidden suffering of elephants in zoos, where lack of space, unsuitably cold climates and impoverished social groupings condemn Earth’s largest land mammals to lifetimes of deprivation, disease and early death. The list is an SOS for suffering elephants and a call for mammoth change.

Visit www.HelpElephants.com for detailed entries, photos, videos and links to documents with information on IDA actions for zoos on the list, including: San Antonio Zoo (Texas), Edmonton Valley Zoo (Canada), Buttonwood Park Zoo (Mass.), Central Florida Zoo (Fla.), Niabi Zoo (Ill.), Topeka Zoo (Kan.), Honolulu Zoo (Hawaii), Wildlife Safari (Ore.), York’s Wild Kingdom Zoo (Maine) tied with Southwick’s Zoo (Mass.), Pittsburgh Zoo’s ICC (Penn.). San Diego Zoo Safari Park (Calif.) earns a dishonorable mention.

And be sure to read the follow-ups on IDA’s Hall of Shame inductees, including the Los Angeles Zoo, Woodland Park Zoo (Seattle, Wash.), St. Louis Zoo, El Paso Zoo and Dickerson Park Zoo (Mo.).

For the first time in the seven years that IDA has been producing the Ten Worst Zoos for Elephants list, IDA is recognizing a zoo – the Dallas Zoo in Texas – for improvements in elephant welfare and policies that help elephants in need.

A special note about IDA’s recognition of the Dallas Zoo: IDA knows that its new exhibit is still not large enough for elephants, but we felt it was important to recognize Dallas Zoo for its improvements in animal welfare and for its beneficial policies that include taking elephants from worse situations such as circuses. For example, Gypsy was was used for rides and performances, and Kamba and Congo were forced to perform in a circus. In fact, in 2009 Kamba escaped the circus and was injured when struck by a SUV. While elephants Mama and Stumpy did not come from a circus, the Dallas Zoo enabled these older females who have lived together for 38 years to remain together, rather than being sent to separate zoos, as was their companion Ladybird in 2006. And Jenny, who is so emotionally fragile, has a companion in Gypsy. It is very important that the zoo has eschewed breeding, meaning that more elephants will not be born into a captive world that cannot meet their complex needs. Finally, the Dallas Zoo practices “protected contact” management, which is more humane for the elephants and safer for keepers.

In a perfect world, all elephants already in captivity would be living in sanctuary-like conditions and zoos would stop breeding and phase out their elephant programs. But until we see that time (and it will happen!), elephants need to be cared for. The truth is that even if all the elephants in the U.S. were suddenly released from their cages, the nation’s two sanctuaries could not accommodate them all. So we need to push hard for changes in zoos and acknowledge those zoos that are trying harder and making changes that improve elephant welfare.

As for those zoos that refuse to do the right thing and continue to provide completely inadequate conditions for elephants, you’ll see them on next year’s list of the Ten Worst Zoos for Elephants!

Activists in Phoenix taking to the street!

This year’s International Day of Action for Elephants in Zoos (IDAEZ) was a huge success, featuring events in 34 cities in 7 countries and our first-ever virtual protest that used social networking technology to circulate nearly 10,000 messages about how elephants suffer and die prematurely in zoos.On Saturday, dedicated activists organized and attended demonstrations that reached thousands of people in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Croatia, France, South Africa and Spain. Elephant advocates held colorful banners and posters and educated the public by handing out more than 30,000 informative flyers, opening people’s eyes to the lifetime of misery elephants endure in inadequate zoo displays. Reports on demos are still coming in, and we’re seeing record numbers of people attending this year’s events. (Stay tuned to this blog and our IDAEZ information page for event reports and photos.)

IDAEZ’s first virtual protest, also held on Saturday, was an outstanding success. This special cyber-demo allowed everyone to participate in IDAEZ by Tweeting zoos and posting informative messages on zoos’ Facebook pages describing how Earth’s largest land mammals physically and psychologically suffer in small, unnatural exhibits. Participants replaced their Facebook images with eye-catching IDAEZ protest “signs,” drawing even more attention to their messages. Rather than allow their members to read the truth, Brookfield Zoo (Chicago), Toledo Zoo and the Bronx Zoo shut down their Facebook pages for comments for four hours and blocked new fans from joining.
IDA thanks all the committed and compassionate advocates who participated in IDAEZ in person and on-line. You helped educate people worldwide about the terrible plight of elephants in zoos and brought us a step closer to ending their suffering.

We also thank our IDAEZ celebrity supporters for their words of encouragement and belief in this very special event: Lily Tomlin, Steve Guttenberg, Jorja Fox, Elaine Hendrix, Dick Donner and Kathy Joosten.

The success of IDAEZ proves what we’ve been saying all along: United we can end the elephants’ suffering!

Please visit www.HelpElephants.com for more information on our campaigns for elephants in zoos and circuses.