Fly active with a Raven

Fur Farming

2009-12-28T21:10:00.003+08:00

Millions of fur-bearing animals including foxes, raccoons, minks, beavers, otters, and others suffer and die on fur farms each year.

85% of the fur industry’s skins come from animals living captive in fur factory farms.

The other 15% percent of the fur sold comes from animals caught in the wild.

If you stop and think about it for a second, you will quickly realise that traps are indiscriminate: they catch anything that stumbles upon them. Every year many unsuspecting animals – like dogs, cats, birds, and other animals, including endangered species, are 'accidentally' crippled or killed by traps. The trappers call these animals 'trash kills' because they have no market value, and most are simply just thrown away. Any animals who manage to survive the ordeal are released and often die later from their injuries.

You wouldn’t wear your dog or cat’s fur would you?

More than fifty percent of the finished fur garments imported for sale across the world are from China. A lot of fur from China comes from cats and dogs and is often deliberately mislabeled as mink or fox to be sold to unsuspecting customers. So think about this the next time you consider a coat with a fur trim... there's no way to tell whose skin you're wearing!

Animals raised for their fur live in shocking conditions, not much different to caged chickens. Rabbits only have the floor space of two shoeboxes!

Species like the mink would usually occupy 2,500 acres in the wild, not far from riverbanks or wetlands, and spend up to 70% of their life in the water. On fur farms they are forced to live in cages which don’t allow them to take more than 5 paces forward or back, and obviously no where near the water they love. They live a solitary life, therefore when living in crowded cages it causes them undue stress, which can often lead to self mutilation.

Foxes may also lead a solitary life, only meeting up for breeding season. Some do live in family groups, but keep away from other packs. In confinement they have been found to cannibalize each other as a reaction to their crowded living space. They live in cages about 40cm square… with another fox! It is estimated that fox farmers lose 20% of their animals prematurely – half of those deaths result from cannibalism.

Chinchillas are another favourite to the fashion industry due to their thick coats. As many as 60 hairs sprout out of one follicle. They are very social little animals, living in colonies among rocks or living deep burrows. They are quite partial to a dust bath! Therefore they don’t live very well in an open mesh cage – nowhere to hide, nowhere to bathe.

Chinchilla farmers proudly admit that most of their chinchillas are killed by breaking their necks or by electrocution. The chinchilla is a small animal (slightly larger than a squirrel), and it can take as many as up to 150 of them to die in order to make a single full-length fur coat! Although it is illegal to hunt wild chinchillas, the wild animals are now on the verge of becoming extinct because of the illegal hunting that continues.

In China, there are no regulations governing fur farms - farmers can keep and slaughter the animals however they see fit – which means usually skinning the animals alive to keep costs low. The animals get thrown onto a pile on other dead animals, often with their hearts still beating, their eyes still blinking.

In other countries death usually comes by anal or vaginal electrocution. Many chinchilla farmers hook one metal clamp to the ear, and another to her genitalia to implement the electrocution. Being electrocuted causes the animal to have an excruciating heart attack. Other cruel methods include gassing, being poisoned with strychnine injections, or breaking their neck.

None of the above methods are always 100% effective and some animals "wake up" while being skinned.

So don't buy fur. Animals grow it keep themselves warm, not us.

Got Milk?

2009-12-07T21:16:00.001+08:00

As I sit here chowing down on my dairy free chocolate (God bless Sweet Williams) and realise how SLACK I have been with my blog (ok not so much slack, but more so busy) I thought I would do a write up on the dairy industry - for those of you who don't understand why vegans are against milk.

For starters.... think about why mothers produce milk. You don't need much time to think about this one do ya? Duh it's for their children. So why is that humans drink the milk that is made for a baby calf? Hmmm good question. Why do we? Is it because someone thought one day "that calf seems to enjoying that... maybe I will too?"...

Lets look at it another way. What does the baby calf drink if we take away their milk? Nothing. Why's that? Because you don't need nutrition when you're dead. That's right - they die. And not because they aren't fed - it's because they are killed. Veal is the by-product of the dairy industry. So if you drink milk - you support the annual slaughter of 1 million, 5 day old calves.

Dairy cows are constantly impregnated. Once they have their calf they are lucky to spend 24hrs with it before it is taken away. Cows are very social creatures and mourn the loss of their child, calling out for it. I'm sure it would sound very distressing! During their mourning period they are milked for everything they got - literally - only to be impregnated again in 6-9 weeks. And starts again the vicious cycle that is their life...until of course they are too old to produce decent yields of milk anymore and then they become the cheap steak you buy in Woolies & Coles.

They are milked so often and so hard their udders get swollen and infected. The cows are then pumped with antibiotics... which, along with the pus, end up in your milk. I'm not saying this to gross you out - well maybe I am - but it's also the truth. The sad sad sick truth.

Breeding and genetic manipulations mean that a dairy cow can produce up to 50L of milk per day. That’s 10 times the milk that any calf would need!!

Do you need anymore reason to consider picking up a carton of Soy Milk and giving it a go? It may take getting used too... but knowing there is no cruelty, or pus, involved - that's gotta be a good feeling right?

Help End Factory Farming

2009-11-13T20:13:00.000+08:00

Help End Factory-Farming at AnimalsAustralia.org

Kisschasy!

2009-10-20T22:46:00.001+08:00

Wow how slack have I been?!?! Don't answer that... I apologise but I've been sorting stuffs out for the Kisschasy gig which was last Sat night.

Basically myself and 2 other wonderful people volunteered our time for Animals Australia Unleashed... totally worth it! Not only were we getting the facts out there & getting petitions signed, but we also got to meet and talk to Darren (lead singer) and watch them do their sound check (really loud in an empty night club!!)

Not only is Darren a fellow vegan, but he is also an ambassador for Animals Australia Unleashed. Basically he asked us to be there Saturday night and thanked US. Pfft puh-lease you let me come and see you gig, watch you set up, chat to you afterwards for FREE! I am thanking YOU!

Darren is a really nice down to earth rocker who hates disco music and drinks Jack Daniels. Add the fact that he loves animals to that and taa-dah a wonderful bloke.

Darren is the only vegan in the band, 2 others are vegetarians and the drummer is an omni O_o but I'm sure the other 3 will rub off on him eventually!!

Seeing these guys live in action has given me a new appreciation for their music.

It has also proved that hard rockers can still love fluffy animals to the point they refuse to eat anything to do with them!

If anyone is interested I have some left over little stickers that I got to hand out on Sat night. I have one that states "I love Animals", "Meat Stinks", "Fur Hurts", "Circus: Crying Shame" & "Why love one but eat the other?". If you want one or two drop me a line =) display them proudly on your school books, your lockers, your wallet, your diary, where ever one can stick them!! Or for $2 I have sticker sheets! 12 gorgeous stickers to stick everywhere!!!

Also in my left over goody bag from Sat night I have some wrist bands saying : "Cruelty Free" (in green) "Meat Free" (in blue) or "Stop Animal Testing" (in black)

I also have 3 shirts like the one I am wearing in the above photo for $25 (Men's S & L and a Ladies 12 -- I'm wearing a 14) I'm sure Unleashed won't mind if I sell these on :) If you are interested let me know and I will gladly pass these on and forward your mulahs back to Animals Australia. Every dollar raised goes back into the work they do for helping the animals!

Sorry this post wasn't an IN YOUR FACE one... but I thought I had better post something and what's a better topic than a vegan rocker?!

Cruelty Free Luxury

2009-10-09T20:53:00.001+08:00

Pure Gaisha

Basically I wanted to share this as I have been lazy on the blog front :P

Lucy the Pig

2009-10-05T23:07:00.000+08:00

This clip makes me sad every time I watch it... but I thought it was an appropriate clip to follow on with from my last blog.

Save Babe

2009-10-01T23:21:00.001+08:00

So I found myself this evening with 2 petitions in my hands in the middle of a shopping center asking people for a moment of their precious time. I am so thankful for the 200 odd people I managed to get to stop to sign both my petitions... and up yours to the assholes who "were too busy" walking to the food court to gorge themselves with crap food.

I was acting on behalf of Animals Australia tonight. It was myself and a few others. One petition was to urge Hungry Jacks to go Free Range with their pork. The other will be sent to the House of Ministers urging them to ban sow stalls and crates immediately and to bring in a code of practice that protects these animals.

Did you know - if the harm you can cause a dog/cat and be sent to jail over was done on a pig in a factory farm, no one would bat an eyelid?! This is what is sooooo very wrong. This is what needs to change.

Pregnant pigs are kept in stalls not much bigger than their bodies for pretty much most of their pregnancy of 16wks. See exhibit A to your right.

Once they have their babies they get put into an even smaller area. See exhibit B to your left.

This is so they don't roll onto their babies apparently. If they weren't in such stressful situations they most likely wouldn't do this in the first place. Did you know pigs make nests for their newborns?! They can't do this in a factory farm... they spend their lives laying on a concrete floor... no straw, no bedding, just concrete. Mmmm comfy. Why haven't 40 Winks bought out an equivalent mattress for us humans yet?!

Once mumma pig has had her piglets and they are 4wks old she is then impregnated again. Her hell cycle starts again. Did you know pigs can suffer from depression. If I lived like 87% of Australia's pig I'd be depressed too!

As for the piglets, they have their tails cut off and teeth ground down - all without pain killers. Oww you say? Damn right oww!

Pigs are only "appreciated" (if you will call it that) while they are producing good litters. When this starts going down hill off to slaughter they go. This will most likely be the only time in her life she will feel the warm sun on her back (if it's not raining of course). This will be her only happy moment in her life before she becomes second grade bacon.

So please think twice before purchasing your pork, and other meat products... either A) Don't buy them at all! Pledge to be Veg! Or B) Don't buy factory farmed meat.

Check out Save Babe for more details.

"Middle Ground"

2009-09-29T20:10:00.005+08:00

After my first blog I have had a few comments... one of which was "confronting" and that was from a fellow vegan haha. Also one of my friends read my blog and said it was "interesting". I questioned him further on this and a reply was "you have no middle ground to your argument".

I will now explain said suggested middle ground.

Middle ground is basically "free range".

Some might say free range is great for the animals. But did you know they are still killed the same horrific way? Their last moments in life are still as stressful as any other animal. Sure their life may be a little better... they get sun on their backs, they get to walk around and use their legs... but this is all taken away once they get bought, put on a truck and taken to slaughter.

Free range is just an excuse to help omnis eat more meat and eggs and to feel some what better about what they are eating... just the same way you feel better about eating "97% fat free ice cream" you know it's still bad but it's only got 3% fat so you don't worry about it. Kind of like free range animals. 97% of their life is spent living pretty ok, and 3% spent living in a hell. And it's the 3% that we as people don't worry about, because we know they had a pretty good life.

This is the view that needs to change. We need to stop seeing animals as food and as human belongings to which we own and can do what we want.

People need to start to understand exactly what happens to produce their lamb chops, rump steak and breakfast bacon. From start to finish. Example - did you know pigs spend most of their life stuck in cages in which they can't move. They can't turn around, they can't itch a scratch, and if they fall they have a hard time getting back up. They get nasty wounds and infections. They aren't given adequate vet care. And then you eat these animals.

I am not a preaching vegan. I hate people preaching to me and I will not do the same. This blog is to open your eyes to what really happens out there, and if it stops you eating meat once a week, twice a week, only eat meat every now and then or never again - I have done something. I will admit my first blog was a bit "RAH!!" but it did get your attention right? Even if you thought I was a crazy hippy (I am one of those anyway).

This is why we need to ban live export

2009-09-23T20:36:00.002+08:00

Let's get things started.. and quickly!

2009-09-22T20:13:00.000+08:00

Hi there!

My name is Cass and I am a vegan animal rights activist.

I love animals. There's no more to add to that story. I love them so much I won't eat their flesh or by-products (milk, eggs, cheese, cream, etc etc). I will not wear them (leather, wool, suede). I will not purchase products that test on them. I do not take advantage of them. I think you get the point.

Many of you out there may say - "Well, I love animals too!" - and that's great! But do you finish your day with a chunk of decomposing cow on your plate, oh I mean steak... or Kentucky Fried Carcass... ooops! My bad! I mean chicken. These were once animals too. But people see these sorts of animals as food and nothing else. And this is where the problem lays.

Also people don't see what's so bad about eating eggs or drinking milk. Let me explain...

EGGS: If you knew what the poor battery chickens go through to produce those eggs you'd understand what's so bad. Imagine living in a space that's big enough for you to sit cross-legged. The cage touches your knees, the top of your head. You can't stretch out, you can't stand up. Your leg muscles over time deteriorate as you don't use them. And on top of this hell you are expected to squeeze out an egg every day - but this still doesn't guarantee you your life. After a year or so you don't produce as many anymore and you get slaughtered. Thanks so much for your eggs but you're life isn't worth anything now - goodbye. The end. THAT'S what is wrong with eggs.
And here's food for thought - do males lay eggs? No. Do they use roosters for meat? No. Well what do they do to the 10 MILLION male chicks born each year in Australia? Grind them up... alive...

MILK: Why do mothers create milk? Duh to feed their babies! So for us to have milk in our coffees and on our cereal every morning a baby calf is missing out. But this lack of mother's milk doesn't last long... where do you think veal comes from? For the luxury of milk - a baby calf gets slaughtered. Think of that when you chug down your glass of milk before bed. And then think about the puss that you are also consuming. Puss you say? Yes that's right. You try being milked every day by a machine that doesn't have a loving touch. Infections happen. Infections cause puss. Mmmm tasty.

How do we stop this? Simple. Stop eating eggs and stop drinking milk. Pretty black and white to me. There is soy milk for your coffee. And there is no real need for eggs.

I think this is enough for our first session. Be sure to come back for more!