Wake Bali Captive Dolphins

Four dolphins are being kept in a 10mx20m chlorinated pool at the Wake Bali resort. In the exhibit, tourists are allowed to pet and hug the dolphins, which have gone nearly blind from the chlorine. On top of that, the pool in which they are kept overlooks the ocean, as if the conditions were not cruel enough.

Dolphins are highly intelligent and sentient creatures that have the ability to form complex family ties and a language outside of our comprehension. To keep them confined and drenched in chemicals is inhumane and wrong.

I don't feel that this post needs to be extremely long because the photos and logic speak for themselves.

Please sign the Change.org petition here to make sure our voices are heard.

Daily Mail article

Triumph of Trunks

In the beginning of March the Ringling Bros., a very popular traveling circus, announced they would be retiring all circus elephants by 2018. Other large circus groups such as Barnum & Bailey Circus have followed suit, also announcing the end of the use of elephants for performances. By 2018, many major performers will no longer be using elephants in their shows, instead the gentle giants will be sent to reservations to live out their days in safety and comfort.
India, who has lead the way on several other animal rights moves, has also made progress in the circus elephant department, in fact, the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has outright banned the use of pachyderms for entertainment. 67 elephants were released from neglected and abused captors when this ban was put in place, all retired to a safer habitat.
As many people know, elephants are extremely intelligent creatures and they suffer greatly psychologically and physically in many of the enclosures they're kept in for human purposes (see Chai and Bamboo). It is so relieving to see major entertainers and even governments are beginning to recognize that animals are not objects but earthlings and are actually taking action for it. This was a major move on the part of the circuses and I am proud of them for doing it.

Photo from NPR

Photo by KirschnerKorner

NPR Article
India release

SeaWorld Stops Dolphin Feeding

Now, as many of us know, SeaWorld has a pretty dark reputation when it comes to how they treat their sea creatures. Recently, the SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida, has ended it's guest dolphin feeding program. The consistent offerings of food were causing obese, lethargic, aggressive, and underweight dolphins. With such a constant stream of food being offered, the dolphins grew more competitive, resulting in the weaker/lesser dolphins receiving very little food as they were constantly being bullied away by the larger, stronger dolphins. In light of the trainer deaths at SeaWorld (I recommend watching Blackfish to learn more) the dolphin feeding program had been facing a lot of criticism. When it became apparent the program was negatively affecting the dolphins in the exhibit, the program was cut.

SeaWorld has been disintegrating slowly for a long time now, and this degenerating has been seen as beneficial to the animal rights movement. The conditions the SeaWorld animals live in are in no way conducive to the well being of the animals themselves or the environment. Sea parks use up millions of gallons of water daily and in no way benefit the creatures housed in them. In a time where both life and water are so precious, the personal economy of tourist industries seems rather small doesn't it?

Photo from South Villa Orlando

To read the full Guardian article, click here.

The Chipotle Pork Shortage: A Prelude

I don't feel that I have yet acquired enough information to write a comprehensive post about activism in larger chain restaurants, but I did want to bring the Chipotle pork shortage into the spotlight. I've never been a huge fan of Chipotle (I just never really liked their food even when I ate meat), but this article did earn them some of my respect. I learned that Chipotle greatly values the treatment of the livestock they sell to their customers, especially the pigs that go into their pork. When the company discovered that some of the facilities they were receiving pork from had fallen behind the curve, they stopped selling meat from those providers. This has caused a number of Chipotle locations to stop offering pork options on their menus. Chipotle also prides themselves on using organic and non-GMO products, another discovery I made while researching this article. I definitley like where they're headed with their ethics, though of course there is always room for improvement (meant in the least sassy way possible).
Adele Douglass, the executive director of Humane Farm Animal Care (and she has my vote on this one), still holds hope that the government will provide loans to farmers in order to better maintain "sustainable" conditions for the animals.

Chipotle also tries to use humane beef, but finds themselves slipping up on that front more often than pork. I think this is a step forward for consumer-centered society. How big that step is is yet to be determined but I'm very proud of Chipotle for how their holding up.

Photo from One Green Planet

I will start that information accumulation for a larger article though (fingers crossed), however I may not get around to it until closer to the summer time (AP's, Finals, College Prep, etc).

To read the whole Huffington Post article, click here

Corey Knowlton and the Black Rhino

Photo provided by NBC

A story has been in progress since Sunday, January 12, 2014, about a the Dallas Safari Club's auction in which they were selling the license to hunt a single black rhino. If the fault in this sale item doesn't strike you right away, here are a few facts to add some weight to the purchase:

• The African Black Rhino is extremely endangered (only 5,055 left in the wild)
• Females are pregnant for 15-17 months and calves stay with their mothers for 2-4 years (This means less babies less often)
• Black Rhinos live up to 30-35 years in the wild (35-45 in captivity)
• More male calves are born than female calves (less babies again)- however males tend to have a higher mortality rate (still not good)



Photo from Wikipedia

• Poachers are the biggest threat to the rhino population

Corey Knowlton paid $350,000 at the Dallas Safari Club auction for the license to kill a single black rhino. Knowlton is now receiving death threats from many activists for his intent to lessen the already declining participation that much more. However Knowlton shows no intention of backing down. In no way to I condone or justify the threats targeting the hunter's life, I disagree with the situation entirely. The Safari club should not have the right to sell the life of another creature, especially not one so rare and endangered. There is already a major fine in place for poaching the rhinos, so why should a recreational group from another country be allowed to waive that fee?

Ben Carter, the director of the Safari Club, argues the rhino being targeted is "old, male and non-breeding and is likely to be targeted for removal anyway because it [is] becoming aggressive and threatening other wildlife." Does this impact the value of the rhino's life? Are we the ones to judge the male's practicality in the population? Perhaps we have the data, but we do not possess the empathy.

I do not believe Knowlton is the enemy, I believe he is the embodiment of a larger problem; the lack of value that humans hold for other earthlings. Knowlton, who is scheduled to rob the life of this rare beast, stated that he "deeply care[s] about all of the inhabitants of this planet and [he] is looking forward to more educated discussion regarding the ongoing conservation effort for the Black Rhino." Knowlton has also acknowledged that he sees both sides of the argument, and holds to his reasoning as the fact that he "want[s] to experience a black rhino. [Knowlton] want[s] to be intimately involved with a black rhino." This man does not deserve to die for his actions. Reprimanded? Yes. Fined for the catch if he does harm the animal? Definitely. But death is not the answer.

Knowlton with a recent kill (Photo from Independent.co.uk)

After all, one of the reasons the message for animal rights is often misconstrued or pushed aside is because all the public is shown is radical and violent displays of the cause. I believe Knowlton's license for the rhino hunt should be immediately revoked, no matter how much he spent on it. There are peaceful ways to share experiences with the other beings of this earth, a (peaceful) safari trip to and African country that the rhino inhabits (Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Africa) could provide a similar connection without the premature loss of energy in that ecosystem. Do not blame Knowlton, but do prevent him, for the sake of a disappearing species.

 The Independent Articles Following Knowlton's Purchase:
Big-game hunters in Texas bid for licence to kill one of Africa’s rare black rhinos 

Hunter who paid $350,000 to kill a black rhino defends his actions in face of backlash

Black rhino hunter Corey Knowlton receives death threats after winning license to shoot endangered animal

Rhino Facts:

Black Rhino Profile 

Rhino Population Figures 

National Geographic

 

 

Apes Are People Too

 And no, I don't mean in the Planet of the Apes fashion.

Animals, in a lot of nations in the world, are considered "things" not beings and are therefore deprived of rights and just treatment. However, in December of 2014, an orangutan named Sandra residing the Buenos Aires Zoo in Argetina was granted the legal standing of "nonhuman person." By granting Sandra legal personhood, the court acknowledged that the ape was in psychological pain and required her treatment to improve. She is now on her way to a reserve in Brazil where she can live peacefully. The Baleric Islands of Spain granted personhood to all great apes in 2007, and the Spanish parliament decided that apes should be treated like unaccountable humans (such as children or the mentally incapacitated) and receive the same rights. Swiss law also recognizes all animals as beings and not things, thus providing them with more protection.

Having animals, not just apes (though that is wonderful), recognized as beings is a major step forward on a global scale. Sadly the creatures inhabiting the United States have yet to achieve this status, but  I believe as other nations lead by example, the rest will soon follow. Sandra's story is beautiful in that she can now live out her days without the emotional and psychological stress of being a display piece for the masses. I am truly glad that Argentina has allowed her this chance, and that nations like Spain, Switzerland, and India are taking similar steps. Animals are creatures that can experience fear, pain, love, and content; just like humans can. If we ourselves would not want to live in a cage, why should we force others to endure such conditions?

Sandra waving from her zoo habitat in 2010 (Photo by TIME)

Huffington Post : Legal Personhood for Apes
TIME: In Argentina, a Court Grants Sandra the Orangutan Basic Rights
BBC: Court in Argentina Grants Basic Rights to Orangutan