Sunday, September 29, 2013

NBC Sports show Host Guns Down Elephant for TV ratings and Ivory

In a recent episode of "Under Wild Skies," an NBC Sports show about big game hunting, the host (an NRA lobbyist) and his guide gun down a helpless bull elephant and take the ivory with them.



As if big game hunting wasn't disgusting enough on its own, it's horror is compounded when a national sports channel broadcasts the entire thing, and when the animal being hunted is under constant threat from cruel and relentless poachers. Sign and share the petition below and tell NBC Sports that you won't stand for this inhumane treatment of these majestic, intelligent animals.

In a recent episode of this show, the host and his guide stalk and shoot a bull elephant, who trumpets and writhes in pain, even charging after the two men. The host then shoots it again between the eyes. After the elephant falls, the two men stand next to the dead elephant to gloat about their "achievement." Upon returning to their camp, they discuss how "special" it is to bring back an elephant's ivory.

This show demonstrates an absolutely horrific lack of respect for wild animals in their own habitat, a lack of any kind of empathy for the suffering of these animals, and a complete ignorance of the problems facing these animals every day.

Please join the thousands of people who are voicing their outrage at this episode and this show. Tell NBC Sports to remove the show from their programming immediately! Please sign and share this petition.




Help stop the cruelty that is Live Animal Export

With a new Australian Prime Minister in office, now is the best time to convince Australia to permanently ban all live animal exports. For that to happen, we must show the new government that there is strong public support for ending this cruelty.

Former Australian Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig defended live animal exports, calling shocking footage from Egypt an "anomaly". It's been seven years since the government first issued an identical statement, yet evidence of cruel and malicious export practice still surfaces regularly.

We watched shocking videos of terrified Australian cattle who were shipped to Egypt, having their eyes stabbed, tendons slashed, throats cut open, and bodies otherwise tortured while they were still alive!

This is not a practice Australia should be associated with and cattle are not the only species that suffer. Australian livestock groups have called on the government to exclude Egypt from our live export trade agreements, and even that doesn't quite tackle the principle of the issue.

Tell the Ministry of Agriculture that we need to forego live exports for their viable alternatives, and we must act immediately before our country's credibility is tarnished even further.

Please sign and share this important petition.

Saturday, September 21, 2013

The Koala's Cry for Help - Koala's in urgent need of protection

Every day enormous tree harvesters are cutting down around a thousand eucalyptus trees in Australia. Each tree is cut down within seconds, trimmed and then piled up. No plant biodiversity can be found in the monocultures of the Australian eucalyptus plantations. Please sign the petition here and share.

The natural habitats of the koalas are vanishing which forces many koalas to live on eucalyptus plantations. The endangered animals are slow and cannot escape the approaching harvesters. They hold on to the trees until their painful death.


Loggers have recently informed Australian television broadcasting services about the slow and horrible deaths of the innocent koalas. If the animals are badly injured, they will just be left on the plantations until they die.

“How often does it happen?” the journalist asks the logger. “Sometimes two koalas per hour are killed, sometimes it’s only one koala a day. And the injured animals are left out here to die”, the man answers.

“We have found the animals in horrible condition. Broken limbs, impact wounds, broken backs, dead mothers with babies that are still alive and trying to survive”, says animal rights activist Tracey Wilson. Animal rescue centres are treating some of the injured koalas, but it is very rare for a company to call for help for injured animals. They do not want to be associated with dying koalas.

Instead, they refer to the certification label of the ‘Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)’. In 2006 the plantations were recognised as ‘responsible forest management’. The painful death of large numbers of koalas does not seem to be as important as the profits the industry makes, says the journalist.

The logs are chipped and exported to China and Japan, where they are processed in pulp and paper mills.

Please help to protect the beautiful koalas with your signature.

Start of campaign: Sep 13, 2013

Petition provided by The Rainforest Rescue

Tiger Protection Petition - Tigers threatened by Deutsche Bank

Only 1.800 Bengal tigers can be found in India today. Their last habitats are threatened by Coal India. The biggest coal miner in the world plans the establishment of new coal mines right next to the last tiger reserves. - Sign petition here and please share.

Deutsche Bank is helping Coal India to finance the construction of these coal mines. Please sign our letter of protest and ask Deutsche Bank to cut ties with Coal India.

Petition shared by Klaus Schenck - Rainforest Rescue (Rettet den Regenwald e.V.



The Indian state-controlled coal mining company Coal India needs money to persue the construction of new coal mines. The company has mandated Deutsche Bank to organise the increase of capital in return for stock worth a total of US $ 1 billion. Coal India is not only the largest company in the world in terms of coal production, it is also one of the worst. It has forcibly displaced forest communities, destroyed critical tiger habitat and even used child labour.

In Central India, thirteen new coal mines and numerous coal-fired power plants are about to be constructed. Greenpeace India has researched the effects of these construction projects on the tigers. About 1.1 million hectares of tropical rainforest and at least ten tiger sanctuaries are at stake.

The environmental officer of a subsidiary of Coal India, Mr. Shinde, makes it simple: “We have to choose if we want electricity or we want tigers.” Environmentalists and locals strongly oppose the project due to its negative impact on the tigers.

Deutsche Bank, however, has made a decision against the tigers. They have hoped that helping to finance environmental destruction would go unnoticed. The bank’s support for Coal India can only be stopped by public backlash.

Please help us to change Deutsche Bank’s view on this issue. Sign our letter of protest and force Deutsche Bank to rethink their decision and to cut ties with Coal India.

Start of campaign: Sep 20, 2013

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Australian Greens promise to halt Live Animal Export if elected.

The Green Party's promise to halt Live Animal Export and set up an Independent Office of Animal Welfare if elected, is attracting attention of Aussie voters who care about animal welfare.
Animals Australia
GREAT NEWS! The Australian Greens today announced that if re-elected they will reintroduce legislation to end live export AND establish an Independent Office of Animal Welfare!(www.bit.ly/1fnvjtp) These two key policies have the potential to impact the lives of millions of animals – and with political support, could spell a revolutionary change (for the better!) in the way animals are treated in Australia. The Greens’ promise today will ensure that animal welfare becomes one of the first issues a new or re-elected government will be forced to consider. Find out what other parties are standing up for animals this election: www.AnimalsAustralia.org/election #BanLiveExport #AusPol


More here - www.AnimalsAustralia.org/election #BanLiveExport #AusPol

Aussie TV Networks Refuse to Run Anti-Murdoch ads by Get Up

"TV networks are refusing to put GetUp members' ad on the air. Channel 7 refused outright on the grounds that it was "distasteful", while Channel Ten and Channel Nine have told us directly that they won't continue running the ad because it criticises Rupert Murdoch. Channel 9 withdrew the approved ad from broadcast after having accepted payment for the ad spots, and haven't confirmed they'll refund the money."
To support this campaign go to: http://www.getup.org.au/you-decide-th...

Murdoch may have given up his right to vote in Australia's election, but he hasn't given up using his power to influence yours.

The Gosford Anglican Church's sign perhaps said it best: "Thanks Rupert, but we'll choose our own Government."

They're supported by the Australian Press Council who issued a warning to newspapers this week, saying "a paper's editorial viewpoints and its advocacy of them must be kept separate from its news columns."*

News Corp employs some of the best journalists in the country, and until recently, The Courier-Mail in particular has been a reasonably balanced newspaper. But during this election campaign, News Corp Australia have consistently used the front pages of The Courier-Mail and The Daily Telegraph to launch aggressive political campaigns against one side of politics**, while failing to scrutinise the other.

The Murdoch-owned News Corp publications account for 65% of national and metropolitan daily newspaper circulation***. In Brisbane, home to more marginal seats than anywhere in the country, The Courier-Mail is the only state-wide daily newspaper available. What's more, News Corp have been turning their front pages into huge political ads, installing them as bus-shelter and outdoor advertisements in key electorates.

We expect news from our newspapers. We expect to hear from journalists reporting the facts fearlessly, not from editors who have been flown in to run an attack-dog political campaign.

Let's send a message loud and clear: Australian voters decide this election, not Mr Murdoch: www.getup.org.au/you-decide-this-electio­n

[1] Australian press watchdog chides Murdoch media, Reuters. 27th August 2013.
[2] Murdoch's election coverage 'insult to Australians', SMH. 26th August 2013.
[3] FactCheck: does Murdoch own 70% of newspapers in Australia? 8th August 2013.



Information and video above provided by Get Up Australia.

US Cop commits terrible atrocities towards family dog

then tries to hide the evidence by throwing the dog in the rubbish. Read more below from Huffington Post (follow link)

Cop Spike Project
I didn't actually believe this story until I read it in the news. Here's the link to the story & the facebook page to help this family. (See shaded box at the bottom of the article) www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/12/la-deputies-shot-dog_n_3586993.html

www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/12/la-deputies-shot-dog_n_3586993.html

A US Community shows how we can beat climate change (video)

A bunch of young geniuses show us how it's done...