January 13th, 2012 by Kezia

Can you stand another year-end list?

Below are what we believe were the ten biggest news stories of 2011 for animal rights initiatives. While some of these generated massive amounts of ink and airtime, a few were important stories that flew under the radar. A few have importance to the animal rights community, while others are more notable for their impact on the animal-eating/using/wearing public.

(Yes I know that top 10 lists are generally in “countdown” form from tenth place to first place. However, I’ve started with number one, in case readers get bored before they get to the end.)

1. Mercy For Animals’ undercover investigation into E6 Cattle Co. in Hart, Texas, received so much press and public attention it actually impacted the market price of cattle futures. One of the nation’s best investigators gained employment at E6, where he observed and recorded workers bashing in the skulls of calves with hammers and pickaxes, among other horrors. (The facility specializes in raising female calves until they are old enough to be impregnated and turned into milk machines.) The American Veterinary Medical Association, not known for opposing agribusiness, even issued a statement condemning E6’s behavior. For a short time, the undercover video was banned by YouTube – a bad PR move on their part – and news of the ban reached the sizable audience of consumer tech websites, so the video received even more views. For many Americans, watching this footage was the first time they had ever considered the cruelty inherent in dairy products.

Calf rescued from E6 Cattle Co./Photo by Susan Weingartner

2. West Hollywood became the first fur-free city in the U.S. and one of only a handful in the world. This small independent city, surrounded on all sides by Los Angeles like Vatican City is by Rome, voted in September to ban the sale of fur apparel after a time interval to allow retailers to phase out inventory. “Fur Free WeHo” received national media attention. Although largely a symbolic gesture in terms of its impact on fur-bearing animals, the legislation drafted will serve as a model for other communities. Similar campaigns in other cities are already underway.

3. Congress introduced the Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act (TEAPA), now HR 3359, which would effectively shut down traveling circuses such as Ringling Bros. in the U.S. Animal Defenders International led the charge after successful circus bans in other countries, with assistance from experts from the Performing Animal Welfare Society, exotic animal veterinarian Dr. Mel Richardson, philanthropist Bob Barker, and actress/activist Jorja Fox, all of whom testified before Capitol Hill staffers in early November. The announcement of the bill received huge media coverage and offered a platform for ADI to discuss the ethics of animal circuses.

4. Beagle Freedom Project’s rescue of 40 beagles from an animal testing laboratory in Spain (soon joined by three more) was the third rescue by the group. Coverage on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams two nights in a row, as well as the Today Show, catapulted the group to national and international attention. In the process, people worldwide learned for the first time about the horrors of animal testing, and were motivated to shop cruelty-free. The video of BFP’s second rescue in June of this year racked up over three million YouTube views because of the interest in the rescue.

5. Another investigation by Mercy For Animals into Sparboe Egg, the fourth largest egg producer and a key supplier to McDonald’s, resulted in what was undoubtedly the biggest economic hit to a factory farm in history when the fast-food chain, and several other major retail customers, cut ties with Sparboe. To add insult to injury, MFA filed a complaint with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission for Sparboe’s false and misleading claims about its animal care standards.

6. Stop Animal Exploitation Now released a comprehensive report on the use of non-human primates in federally regulated animal testing labs in October. The report, based on USDA documentation, included the little-known “exemptions” to welfare laws that mean animals can be deprived of enrichment, food, and water; that permit severe confinement; that deny anesthesia for procedures; and that even allow cages to go weeks without cleaning. Although this story did not receive nearly enough attention from news media, SAEN’s research into the issue was validated when in December the National Institutes of Health announced that it would temporarily stop funding chimpanzee research, and Harvard University’s primate lab was found committing five violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

7. Compassion Over Killing announced a class-action lawsuit on behalf of consumers alleging a price-fixing scheme by dairy industry trade groups representing 70 percent of the market. The suit relies on the common practice of “dairy herd retirement” in which cows are killed, thus reducing dairy supplies and inflating prices. This is another story that received little major media attention, and we hope that developments in the case will allow it to come into the spotlight in 2012.

8. HSUS announced it would end state-based campaigns for egg-laying hens in favor of working with agribusiness trade group United Egg Producers, and UEP agreed to dump battery cages in 18 years and replace them with “enriched colony cages” featuring tiny perches and plastic strips for nesting. The agreement struck a blow to animal rights organizations such as United Poultry Concerns, the leading advocacy group for hens, who said “Unfortunately, victories for organizations do not necessarily translate into victory for animals, and this is how we view the current deal. We dissent from the view that HSUS’s agreement with United Egg Producers is ‘a step in the right direction.’ We will continue to educate our members and the public to understand that the only true way to animal welfare – to animals faring well – lies in eliminating the demand for animal products in favor of vegan food.”

9. The 11-minute video “Farm to Fridge,” narrated by actor James Cromwell, hit with a bang in Spring 2011. The compilation of footage included pigs, egg-laying hens, chickens, turkeys, dairy cows, beef cows, and fish. It was a wake-up call for omnivores all over the world, and was viewed online by millions. Mercy For Animals also sponsored a 42-city, 12,000-mile tour where “Farm to Fridge” was shown on giant TV screens on a specially designed truck that parked in conspicuous areas like shopping and dining districts. The tour earned massive press coverage in each city, from TV news to college papers and everything in between. The success of the tour and of “Farm to Fridge” has inspired numerous “pay per view” events where people are offered a few dollars to watch a video about where their food comes from.

10. Humane Research Council released its research report Humane Trends, after compiling years of data across 25 different categories to evaluate the status of animal protection in the U.S. Although not a top public or media story by any means, the information, like all HRC’s work, is illuminating and of value to activists. Incidentally, the U.S. received a score of 34 out of a possible 100 for its treatment of animals based on data on companion animals, farm animals, wildlife, and animals used in science and entertainment. HRC also released an illuminating report on all USDA food recalls of animal products from 2006-2010 that should be of great interest to food safety advocates.

Evolotus was proud to play a role in earning media coverage for clients such as Mercy For Animals, Animal Defenders International, Beagle Freedom Project and Fur-Free West Hollywood in 2011.

agribusiness, animal rights, animal testing, Beagle Freedom Project, beagles, Farm to Fridge, fur, Mercy for Animals, Michael Budkie, SAEN, vivisection

July 30th, 2011 by Kezia

Because of our work, we’ve had a number of opportunities to interact with animal exploiters. Recently we reached out to a vivisection lab on behalf of Beagle Freedom Project to see if they were able to release any dogs to us. The following is adapted from the reply email we received. It maintains the spirit of the original although some details have been changed.

To underscore the disregard that researchers have for their non-human “subjects,” we made a few more changes.

Plus, we were tired of picking on the Sri Lankans.

Thank you for your email concerning our hominid animal models.

Our institution maintains purpose-bred Jamaicans which are genetically structured such that they are susceptible to developing Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) when exposed to excess stomach acid. We have bred them to have exceptionally large esophagi, and as such they do not appear to even be aware that they are having an acid reflux attack.

These humans are content and extremely well cared for. They are utilized repeatedly for the purpose of developing new acid reflux drugs. 20 million Americans suffer from this debilitating and sometimes fatal disease. Our work here is vital to the eradication of GERD, so, needless to say these Jamaicans are extremely valuable and we do not euthanize them nor give them away unless there is some compelling reason.

We have found other institutions from time to time that have accepted some of these humans when they have become too old for study or are no longer of use for other reasons. Although sick or infirm Jamaicans may be unsuitable for your organization, and would not make appropriate household pets, we will add you to this list and will contact you when there is a need to find homes for such humans. Thank you for your concern and interest.

This purpose-bred Jamaican has an exceptionally large esophagus

animal testing, beagles, communication, speciesism, vivisection

June 27th, 2011 by Kezia

Earlier this month, L.A.-based Beagle Freedom Project, part of ARME (Animal Rescue, Media & Education), spearheaded the rescue of beagles used in animal testing labs. Founder Shannon Keith and fellow animal rights attorney Jill Ryther, along with activist Ady Gil and Gary The Thinking Vegan himself, rose early in the morning to drive a significant distance, pick up and transport nine beagles (and four bunnies).

Watch the heart-twisting video:

Six girls (Addie, Frida, Jordan, Trixie, Clover and Liberation aka Libby) and three boys (Roger, Malcolm and Sherlock) were released from their cages and handed over to the waiting arms of fosters on June 8. A few days later thanks to the above-and-beyond work of Pilots N Paws we welcomed three more boys (Oliver, Ryder and Barney), bringing the total number of Beagle Freedom Project’s freegles to 14.

I highly recommend taking a look at Gary’s article about the subject of animal testing, and about the first two freegles, Bigsby and Freedom, here on this site.

The San Francisco Chronicle, among other media outlets, produced an excellent story on the rescue that generated enormous response, and here is one of the local TV stories. One newspaper reporter was so touched by the story she’d been sent to cover that she adopted two of the newly rescued bunnies on the spot. The other two are enjoying life at the nonprofit Blue Skies Animal Sanctuary while they wait to be adopted.

Although we didn’t plan to, we ended up taking in Malcolm the day after his rescue since things didn’t work out in his original foster. Gary hasn’t had a dog since his youth, and I’ve never had a dog, putting Malcolm at a serious disadvantage. Unfortunately there are no other dogs here to teach him about toys, climbing stairs, or where to potty, so we do the best we can with those. But he’s been a trooper, making progress almost every day and coming out of his shell slowly. He smiles at us now and shows his naughty side. If he were a Playboy centerfold his ‘likes’ would be V-dog kibble, resting, exploring the back yard, piles of leaves, and walks (most of the time). His dislikes include helicopters, motorcycles, leaf blowers, the TV show Whale Wars (too noisy), baths, and bandannas.

We don’t know yet if Malcolm will be a foster fail or not. It’s so hard for us to determine what’s best for him. He has a family waiting for him, people who by all reports would give him a wonderful home, people who already have a beagle (major plus) and children (not such a plus, per Malcolm). But few people would be as dedicated as we are about making sure the story of Malcolm, and all other lab animals, gets told. But that has nothing to do with him having the best home.

Everyone with laboratory rescues should feel a special responsibility to talk about our pet’s origins and educate others about animal testing. Our dogs, rabbits, etc. are “ambassadors,” a living representation of the cruelty of laboratories.

I make a point of telling his story to everyone I can. I take advantage of every opportunity to talk to people about animal testing. People admire him on walks and we stop to chat. More likely people giggle at us, since we alternate between him pulling me at a fast clip, and me urging him on when something spooks him (or giving up and carrying him like a baby). He isn’t exactly “Mr. Leashability” yet, so I tell them why. I explain he was surgically de-barked by the breeder so he wouldn’t “disturb” lab personnel with cries of pain and loneliness. I say he is one of the lucky ones, since about 75,000 dogs are used by the research industry in the U.S. each year. I tell them the majority of animal testing is done for consumer products (cosmetics, detergents, lawn chemicals, etc.), for the sickening greed of corporations, or simply for the curiosity of people in white coats, serving no socially beneficial purpose at all.

When people understand the issues, they realize that it is unethical, cruel, and must be stopped. A few days ago Malcolm met a neighbor walking her two rescued mutts. She had no idea dogs were used in animal testing. By the end of our conversation, she was not only ready to throw away all her makeup, she was ready to break into a lab and set the animals free.

I’ve had several successful conversations with people who have tattoos. I tell them “Malcolm has a tattoo too. He got it in prison.” Then I show the inside of his right ear, where his federal ID number marks him permanently as a lab animal. They have no idea what his tattoo means, so I explain where he came from.

Once on a “walk” we stopped to speak to two young men going door-to-door for something. One of them was very taken with Malcolm and knelt down to pet him. I noticed the tattoos peeking out of the man’s shirt so I used the prison tattoo line, showed Malcolm’s ear, and told him where Malcolm came from.

“He’s only been on the outside for two weeks,” I said, trying to explain his lack of leash skills and his skittishness. The man held back tears.

“I’ve been out for 90 days, little guy. It gets better, I promise you.”

A few days later we were in a neighborhood pet store. After we explained how he came to us, the store staff made a fuss over him, giving him treats and love. I showed them his number and said “it’s not that attractive, but prison tattoos rarely are.”

“No, but they usually have a lot of meaning,” the manager said, in a way that let me know he understood something about the life.

Unfortunately we understand very little about Malcolm’s existence before a few weeks ago. We assume it was a horror movie. He still suffers daily from the stress of the first 21 months of his life.

In an essay about his time in prison, an ex-con wrote:

“I watched my back everywhere I went. I would sit in the shadows and study the guards and convicts. Nobody really knew me, I was a silent presence. That’s the way to go when surrounded in a world of insane people.”

I imagine Malcolm could have written this exact sentiment.

Portions of this blog appear courtesy of Beagle Freedom Project. Please support this work if you are financially able. All contributions are tax deductible and no amount is too small.

animal rights, animal testing, Beagle Freedom Project, beagles, communication, liberation, suffering, vivisection

June 27th, 2011 by Gary Smith

They had no names, only an ID number tattooed on their ears.

They had never seen the sun or smelled the fresh air. They had never felt grass under their feet, only the cold steel wire of their cages. They had never slept in a soft bed or tasted a treat. They were laboratory beagles, bred by a kennel, sold to a scientific research institution and used for animal experimentation. Until a Christmas miracle happened: they were freed.

Just a few days before Christmas, Shannon Keith, an animal rights attorney and filmmaker who runs the non-profit Animal Rescue, Media & Education (ARME ) was notified that a research facility planned to release a small number of beagles used in their lab. She immediately offered to rescue and place any dogs they were able to give her.

A few hours later, I had the chance to meet the two most effective ambassadors against animal testing – one now named Bigsby, about two and a half years old, and one about a year and a half old who couldn’t be named anything other than Freedom.

I could tell you all about this amazing rescue, but for the details, please see the video below.

By nature, beagles are sweet, gentle, forgiving and trusting. The same qualities that make them desirable pets make them the ideal lab animals: they are people-pleasers. They will endure being abused without putting up as much of a fight as other breeds.

Freedom and Bigsby can never tell us what they’ve suffered, even if they could speak English. Like other lab beagles, Freedom and Bigsby were surgically debarked by the breeder so there would be no barking, screaming in pain, or crying in loneliness to bother the scientists performing experiments on them. Their paws were inflamed and swollen from living their lives on a wire-floored cage, and the veins in their left arms are collapsed, like heroin addicts, from being stuck with needles.

Despite the fact that today there are more sophisticated alternatives to animal testing, what we allow in the name of “science” is sheer torture for animals in labs. Putting the ethical issues aside for a moment, there are vast differences in anatomy, physiology and biochemistry between humans and animals, which makes animals terrible models for humans. Results from research on animals are inaccurate when extrapolated to humans and, in most cases, animals are not good predictors for how humans will respond to drugs, treatments, or diseases. Yet by law all prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, and vaccines must be tested on animals. 92 out of 100 drugs that are considered successful in animal testing fail in human clinical trials.

The testing industry brings in billions of dollars, much of which comes from our tax dollars. The U.S. government funds vivisection to the tune of $12 billion-with-a-b annually. The military alone spends over $100 million a year torturing animals. A lot of people are profiting heavily from vivisection – universities, contract labs, health charities and individual researchers, on down the line to breeders, animal food companies, security and more. These industries are not going to give up easily.

The good news is that we as consumers have some power in this equation. We can avoid buying household cleaners, pesticides, cosmetics and personal care products that are tested on animals. There are literally thousands of products on the market that are cruelty free. More than 90 percent of cosmetics and personal products companies worldwide do not test ingredients or products on animals according to PCRM.

Stopping animal testing for the pharmaceutical and medical industry is more tricky than boycotting medications. If you have the ability to do so, then by all means. Dietary and lifestyle changes are highly successful in treating many common diseases, including diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease, depression and auto-immune diseases. The most effective way to create change for animals is to go vegan, since a vegan diet will help prevent the need for most pharmaceuticals and will allow you to not participate directly in animal testing. (Abstaining from using animals for food, clothing, entertainment and scientific research is the most ethical choice that you can make.)

Going vegan is not enough, though. When I spend time with Freedom and Bigsby, my heart is opened wide and reminds me that I have to fight harder to stop the torture and exploitation of animals.

In order to rescue more beagles from laboratories, place them in loving forever homes and educate the public about vivisection, ARME has created the Beagle Freedom Project. All contributions are tax-deductible and no amount is too small.

Freedom and Bigsby are ambassadors for this cause. When they are taken for walks, people always engage their caretakers and are told that they came from laboratories. Every single person who learns that these sweet dogs are used for animal testing is shocked and horrified. Most people still assume that testing is limited to rats and mice (as if that makes it ethical). In addition to beagles, labs use pigs and other farm animals, birds, fish, rabbits, cats and non-human primates.

Considering that Freedom and Bigsby did not know how to be dogs until a few weeks ago, they are doing very well. Bigsby caught on very quickly to potty training and is now learning what “down” means. Freedom loves cats and is learning how to play with toys. Despite their histories, they seem to have forgiven us humans for what we have done to them, which is more than I can say for myself.

For more information please see:

The Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics

Companies that still test on animals

Humane Consumer

In Defense of Animals Cruelty-free Companies

Charities that don’t fund vivisection

Cruelty-free product database

PCRM – what you can do

All you need to know about animal testing – PCRM

animal rights, animal testing, Beagle Freedom Project, beagles, vivisection