Animal Heroes -
More Human than Human



You might have stumbled upon some of these clips already...
They tell the stories of animals that follow their natural protective instincts, and end up helping their fellow pals.. animal and human alike.
Courageous acts that put the very own life of these creatures at stake, but nevertheless, their own fears were erased and wholeheartedly they run to the rescue of others.
Once again we should look at our fellow companion animals --- and all animals in general, and observe how differences can be put aside without a regret or a doubt, just because - most of all - we are all - in this - together. Surviving and peacefully co-existing it's a natural way of things when 'profits and selfishness' are not in the way... that is.




This entry is a little homage to all of the Animals that have shown what real love and selflessness can accomplish, no matter what.
There is to add, that in the same courageous fashion that animals have helped others, also some humans have ripped and gone through the blinding veil of ignorance and separation, and rescued their helpless brothers and sisters cats, dogs, monkeys, rabbits, ferrets, mice, seals, foxes etc.
We'll talk about these 'human heroes' next time, now lets look at them animals - the Non Discriminatory Heroes.


- Hero dog


- Dog stops bull from killing man


- Hippo tries to save impala


- Animal Heros 2006


- Dog saves kittens from fire


- Dogs donating blood


- Hero dog protects his injured mum on the highway


- Dog saves newborn


- Dog saves dog in pool




In the following links you'll find more Animal Heroes stories:


- 'Animal Heroes' by Constance Young @ www.all-creatures.org
- 'Scarlett the Cat' @ Wikipedia
- 'Heroic Animals' @ www.squidoo.com
- Heroic Animals Stories

Oxford:
House of Horrors

Lets have a look at what happens behind the doors at Oxford University:




Boycott Oxford!!!


‘Felix’ was a macaque monkey who was tortured for one entire year by vivisector Tipu Aziz. While excellent alternative research methods exist, Felix was but one of countless numbers of sentient beings that continue to suffer and die inside Oxford laboratories every year for no reason other than greed.

Felix was subjected to the standard method employed to coerce a monkey into compliance: starvation. He had the top of his skull sliced off, an extremely painful procedure. Electrodes were forced into his brain and then he was fitted with a cranial chamber. He suffered alone in his barren cage until the day his torturers had finished with him; the day they put him to death.

From SPEAK Campaigns "Boycott Oxford" and the "Felix Campaign"


But Felix unfortunately hasn't been the only victim at Oxford testing facilities.
Lets remember George - kidnapped, abusued, tortured and blinded, JEZ and Bjee - just a few examples amongst many of the abuse taking place behind the closed doors of the university's labs. It now appears that Oxford University, with the backing of the Labour Government have become a law unto themselves and the university now believe they are untouchable.



Do you really call this science? It looks more like a horror house to me.....












The following are just some of the pointless and cruel tests taking place at Oxford University:

- Brain damage in monkeys increases their fear of toy snakes;
- Researchers debilitate 16 year old monkey;
- Monkey brains damaged to make them indecisive;
- Brain damaged monkeys set thousands of tests;
- Brain damage tests last 9 years... !

read more HERE


Please visit the official site of "SPEAK Campaigns" , these people are certainly on the front line to help the voices of all primates and other animals at Oxford reach all of us.

You will also find a 'Resources' page where to get material such as leaflets, posters, petitions and sponsor forms for helping out with the campaign - very useful stuff if you want to get busy with it, alone or by joining forces with more people.

SPEAK is present also at Myspace, read the story of the building of Oxford laboratory:
http://www.myspace.com/speakcampaigns




Check the articles in the following link for more info on vivisection/animal testing:
Animal Voice - Vivisection

and here you'll find a collection of places online where to obtain more insights:
Animal Voice - Links Archive on Animal Testings/Vivisection


In Memory of Jill Phipps





















Jill Phipps was a British animal rights activist. She lived in Coventry, England. On 1 February 1995, Jill was crushed to death under the wheels of a lorry carrying live baby veal calves into Coventry Airport in Baginton, England, to be flown to Amsterdam for distribution across Europe. 10 of the 33 protesters present had broken through police lines and were trying to bring the lorry to a halt by sitting in the road or chaining themselves to it. Jill was crushed beneath the lorry's wheels and her fatal injuries included a broken spine. Phipps' brother Zab commented: "Jill was crushed and died on the way to hospital. Our mother, Nancy, was with her. The lorry driver has not been charged, not even with driving without due care and attention."

The Crown Prosecution Service decided there was not enough evidence to bring charges against the driver, Stephen Yates. Jill's family believe that the police were to blame for her death, because the police appeared determined to keep the convoy of lorries moving despite the protest.

Veal calf exports from Coventry Airport ended months later, when the aviation firm belonging to the pilot responsible for the veal flights, Christopher Barrett-Jolley, went bankrupt following accusations of running guns from Slovakia to Sudan in breach of EU rules. In 2006 he was charged with smuggling 271 kg of cocaine from Jamaica into Southend airport. The continuing level of protest was such that several local councils and a harbour board banned live exports from their localities. All live exports of calves later stopped due to fears of BSE infection. In 2006 this ban was lifted, but Coventry Airport pledged that it would refuse requests to fly veal calves.
(from Remember Jill Phipps Myspace Page)



From a Tribute to Jill:


"Jill's peaceful protests took many forms, from providing a home to a stray dog, to handing out leaflets, to sabbing a hunt, to standing in front of a lorry load of young calves destined for a short hellish life in veal crates. When Jill stood in front of the lorry that killed her, she understood the risks but typically for her she assumed that the police and the lorry driver would respect life as much as she did, unfortunately this was not true and in the end Jill gave her life for her beliefs and for others who could not defend themselves - this is the greatest act of bravery that is possible by a human being. Jill is not a martyr, she is a hero and her actions will inspire and give courage to everyone who knew her and to many thousands of people who never met her. Jill`s bravery and compassion will go down in history and she will never be forgotten."


JILL's STORY




LINKS


http://www.jillphipps.org.uk/jillsFilm.htm
http://www.myspace.com/rememberjillphipps
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Phipps
http://www.animalliberationfront.com/Saints/ARHallOfFame/JillPhipps.htm
http://www.animalethics.org.uk/i-ch6-7-phipps.html



have you ever asked yourself how far are you willing to go to honour your values and beliefs?
are you willing to talk for your brothers when they might need your help?

were you brought up into this world only for passing by like a leaf in the wind, or are your actions going to make a difference for some fellow earthlings?

it is through a conscious and meaningful life that we will make the most out of this passage on Earth, and through a life that matters not only for us.



ACTION ALERT
Dogs stranded on island


Exactly like man does with garbage, in the same way the residents of the malaysian island Pulau Ketam have decided to take care of the 'dogs surplus' problem.


"What to do with them?"

"Uhm" - the smart one of the village answered - "I think i have a great idea! You remember that isolated and unlivable island we saw the other day?

Well, lets just gather all the dogs and dump them there! Sure they cannot swim all the way back here, and they will most probably die of starvation, injuries and what else... so we have it sorted this way!

Lets do a happy dance now...."



... and this is the way another group of heartless (and brainless) humans decided to show compassion towards our fellow earthlings.

At the same time.. action causes reaction, so there are already people trying to help and rescue the abandoned dogs. Please read the following appeal for the dogs:


"About 300 stray dogs were rounded up by Pulau Ketam residents and deported to an isolated island to fend for themselves.
Over half of them are already dead and the remaining ones may not live long. A rescue mission is being mounted and your help is needed.
Please read the full story here.

The residents of Pulau Ketam sent some 300 stray dogs to exile on a remote island where the harsh conditions almost certainly guarantee a horrible death.
Of the 300 dogs sent there, more than three-quarters are presumed to be already dead. I traveled to the island with Sabrina Yeap of Furry Friends Farm and managed to save only one dog on this reconnaissance trip.
We did see several other starving and dying dogs along the mangrove shore. I am mounting an urgent rescue mission to capture and transport the remaining survivors back to Sabrina's Furry Friends Farm animal shelter.

But time is running out and there might be only skeletons and carcasses left to collect on our next trip. Boat hire is expensive there. It is a tourist area and it has already cost me a few hundred ringgit for boat hire alone, so far. The rescued dogs cannot be transported on the regular ferries.
Almost nobody will lift a finger to help without a fee. This is understandable. The locals are already shaking their heads in disbelief that there are outsiders who want to save the animals they so casually discarded."

For more info on how you can help, please READ HERE - Thank You!


LINKS


- Please Help This Puppy - Dogs Rescue Mission
- ! UPDATES ! on the Pulau Ketam Rescue Mission
- PIXX and details of Rescue Mission on Island
- Furry Friends Farm
- ABC News

The Exploitation of Galgos


"The galgo, a breed of dog native to Spain, is similar to a greyhound. Because they have particular stamina, galgos are used to hunt rabbits and boars on the Spanish plains. The abuse that many Spanish galgos experience revolves around two main issues: unsanitary and inhumane breeding in puppy mills, and the abandonment or killing of the dogs by hunters."

from "The Abuse and Abandonment of Spanish Galgos - HSUS"


"Galgos, or Spanish Greyhounds, are similar in appearance to their larger American cousins, but are used to hunt small game in Spain. The horrors inflicted upon these beautiful dogs is unimaginable! Often they are crammed together in dark sheds and malnourished, but the way they are killed is even more gruesome. Finding them hung from trees around the Spanish countryside when hunting season ends is common. Since there are no restrictions on breeding Galgos, many are killed at the age of two."

from Galgo Rescue International Network (G.R.I.N.)



"Already used to maltreatment by the age of 12 months, deprived of food and care, their owners do not hesitate to always inflict more atrocious suffering. In spring hunting season ends…The massacre and abandonment of Galgos reaches its height when the galguero, devoid of all feeling, carries out the final atrocity. The most traditional method remains, to this day, hanging by a method known as ‘the pianist’. The Galgo hangs, its feet just touching the ground, causing it extreme agony for several days. Then, exhausted and suffocated, it collapses, “hanging himself” freeing the Galgueros of any kind of guilt. Whilst out for a walk in the forests of Spain, it is not unusual to make the macabre discovery of one of these unwanted Galgo hanging from a tree."

from Galgo Help





RELATED IMPORTANT LINKS


- "The Abuse and Abandonment of Spanish Galgos - HSUS"
- Scooby Medina
- Greyhounds in Need
- G.R.I.N. - Galgo Rescue International Network
- SOS Galgos
- SOS Galgos (site in Spanish and English)
- Greyhound Compassion
- Greyhounds in Nood (site in Dutch, French and English)
- Le Bulletin des Levriers (site in French)
- Greyhound Action
- Greyhound Action - Spain page
- Galgos 112
- Amigos de los Galgos
- Links @ ScoobyMedina
- Links @ Greyhounds Compassion



PETITIONS


- Petitions @ Galgo Help
- Petitions & Campaigns @ Scooby Medina
- Spanish Greyhounds Petition @ Peta
- Pro Galgo Petition

Wolves in Need


GREATER YELLOWSTONE and the NORTHERN ROCKIES

On March 6th, 2009, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar approved the Bush Administration's discredited plan to eliminate Endangered Species Act protections for wolves in Idaho and Montana -- a decision that could lead to the deaths of more than 1,000 wolves!

Just one year after the famous wolf Limpy was shot and killed just outside Yellowstone National Park -- President Obama’s pick as Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, has taken it upon himself to eliminate Endangered Species Act protections for wolves in Greater Yellowstone, the Northern Rockies and other parts of the American West.
As a result of Salazar’s action, more than 1,000 wolves in Idaho and Montana could be killed by people like Idaho Governor Butch Otter, who recently reaffirmed that he wants to be one of the first to shoot a wolf.

Please watch the new Northern Rockies wolf video below and urge President Obama now to restore life-saving protections for our wolves!



Salazar’s decision is a mistake, and we have to let the Obama Administration know it. To send a strong message, we need to generate at least 100,000 messages in support of protections for our wolves before May 4th, when the federal protections are lifted and the wolf killing can resume (please add your signature to the petitions in the "Take Action" spot below).

Last year, when the Bush/Cheney Administration briefly eliminated these vital federal protections for wolves in the Northern Rockies, more than 100 of the region’s estimated 1,500 wolves were killed in just a couple of short months, until Defenders of Wildlife succeeded in convincing a federal judge to stop the killing.
Now Secretary Salazar has approved the exact proposal for which the Bush Administration was roundly criticized. And he did so with no consultation with wildlife advocates and with no warning of what he was thinking.

The following is a statement by Rodger Schlickeisen, president for Defenders of Wildlife:

"We're on the eve of a tragic event in the history of the conservation of endangered species. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's decision to adopt the Bush administration's plan to remove Endangered Species Act protection for wolves in the Northern Rockies is a loss for the wolves, a loss for their ecosystems and a loss for sound science serving as the backbone of the Endangered Species Act.

Wolves will once again be in the crosshairs to be needlessly killed starting May 4. Under the inadequate federal delisting rule, as much as two-thirds of the current Northern Rockies wolf population can be killed. Defenders of Wildlife will not stand by and let this go unchallenged."
(read more HERE)


AERIAL GUNNING in ALASKA

"Aerial gunning" is the cowardly act of shooting animals from aircrafts.
More than 900 wolves in Alaska have been killed by aerial gunning since 2003, and Governor Palin is pushing to kill even more wolves this year using aerial gunning, poison gas and snares.
Alaska's Governor Sarah Palin wants to offer $150 bounties to encourage hunters to kill more wolves. Even worse, Idaho and Wyoming have proposed aerial gunning programs of their own, meaning that soon the wolves of Yellowstone could be gunned down from airplanes if they leave the safety of the park.



Alaskan wolves receive no Endangered Species Act protections, and the species has long been vilified. In the 1940s and 1950s, widespread wolf killings occurred via poisonings, bounties, and aerial shooting by federal agents. After Alaska became a state in 1959, poisoning was prohibited by legislative action and bounties were soon stopped. Aerial shooting of wolves became common in the 1960s. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game ceased issuing aerial permits in 1972 after passage of the federal Airborne Hunting Act. The Act prohibits the shooting of wolves directly from airplanes but left legalize the practice known as "land and shoot" -- where a hunter can land a plane and shoot the animal from the ground.
(read more HERE)



MEXICAN GREY WOLVES

Mexican wolves remain one of the most endangered species in the United States.
But recovery efforts have yet to ensure a lasting future for these animals that play an important role in the culture and the wilderness of the Southwest.
Misinformation and anti-wolf sentiment runs high, with the few remaining wolves in Arizona and New Mexico at risk of extinction.
With ONLY two breeding pairs of Mexican wolves left in the wild and a total of ONLY 52 wild Mexicans grey, we need sensible, science-based wolf management to ensure the “lobo” will survive -- and thrive -- in the wilds of the Southwest.
(more info HERE)




TAKE ACTION


- Urge President Obama to Stand Up for Wolves
- End Aerial Hunting of Alaska's Wolves
- Speak Up for Southwest Wolves

- Heart of the Wolf - Action Alert
- Wolf-Dogs for Adoption
- Adopt a Wolf



LINKS


- Defenders of Wildlife
- Mexican Wolves
- Heart of the Wolf
- End Aerial Gunning of Wildlife
- Timber Wolf Information
- Main Wolf Coalition
- The Wolf Sanctuary
- Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary
- Wolf Education Research Centre
- National Wildlife Federation
- International Wolf Centre Home
- FAQ - Basic Wolves Information
- Wolf Anti-Defamation League


.... and as farewell, "A Man Among Wolves" - A Good Wolf Story to read HERE .. and watch below:

Animal Testing and the European Parliament

Animal Voice received this important comunication from Uncaged, regarding vivisection and the European Parliament.
Please read the letter, watch the videos (warning = they may contain upsetting images for some of you) and check out all the related material.
If you care for the animals, i am sure you'll want to be active in reducing and stopping their pain.


"I'm writing to you at a critical point in a once-in-a-lifetime battle where the lives of millions of innocent animals are at stake. Those animals need you to stand up for them now by writing to Members of the European Parliament.
This battle is over a new law that will govern animal experiments across Europe. The fate of hundreds of millions of monkeys, pigs, dogs, sheep, cats, rabbits, mice, rats, guinea pigs, ferrets, birds and other animals over the next few decades is hanging in the balance.

Next Tuesday, 31st March, will see an absolutely crucial vote at the European Parliament. MEPs on the Agriculture Committee will be voting on a set of proposals produced by an English MEP for the South West England region called Neil Parish.
My colleagues and I across the European animal protection movement have been horrified by many of Parish's proposals, which actually severely weaken the original draft produced by the European Commission last November. It would mean that animals will be even more vulnerable to the kind of horrific abuse exposed by Uncaged in cross-species organ transplant experiments.

In 2003 we won a historic legal victory that allowed us to publish the ‘Diaries of Despair’ – daily records of dying monkeys who had been transplanted with pig organs. They provide unique, damning evidence of why it is imperative we act now on behalf of animals. This was the harrowing demise of just two of the monkeys who had already suffered a dangerous, agonising journey half way round the word and lengthy confinement in a bleak wire cage:

X536f was observed: "looking very weak with head in hands... vomiting profusely”

On X528f’s final day of life she was “Lying on floor, bruising on face and arms, weak, subdued, inactive, in a crouched position showing limited response to touch.”

These animals were suffering the devastating effects of vital organ failure and drug cocktails so toxic that they caused internal haemorrhaging. Their pain and suffering was unimaginable. We can’t stand by while such atrocities are inflicted on the innocent – we need your help to save them from this wretched fate.


Please send an email TODAY or ASAP to members of the Agriculture Committee from your country. Click HERE for a list of the members and links to their contact details.


These are some of the key points to mention:

(1) You are alarmed by attempts to weaken animal protection measures that the European Commission wishes to see introduced.

(2) The Commission wants to phase out the use of wild-caught primates. Amendments that conflict with this goal must be opposed. Despite scaremongering by pro-animal research industry groups, there is no evidence that such a phase-out would damage medical research.

(3) You oppose proposals that would allow any animal to be subjected to 'prolonged, severe' suffering.

(4) Reducing animal use will improve the quality of science, as well as preventing animal suffering. This will make European laboratories attractive to business and academic researchers rather than – as has been threatened – lead to an exodus to parts of the world where standards are lower.

(5) It is vital that all proposed 'projects' using animals are scrutinised rather than being given automatic approval. The Committee is faced with proposals that would allow most research projects to go through on the nod.

(6) You support measures that call for regular thematic reviews of specific areas of animal use and replacement by non-animal systems. Without such a systematic approach, the introduction of non-animal methods will be an unnecessarily protracted process.

(7) Increased accountability, transparency and access to information – as well as data sharing to avoid duplication of experiments – are all vital.

(8) You urge Committee members not to bow to the powerful, self-interested biomedical lobby. They should vote instead for measures that increase animal welfare and which tackle unjustified secrecy and concealment.

Uncaged
http://www.uncaged.co.uk/


RELATED MATERIAL

- Important Articles
- Very Important Links

Cast your vote for promoting the inclusion of animal protection into the European Constitution: Animals Constitution



Bad Medicine



Under Cover Footage taken inside Huntingdon Life Sciences


Cruelty and sadism from people at Covance laboratory

Orangutans Survival Threatened by Palm Oil



Consumption of palm oil, a vegetable oil found in one in 10 products on supermarket shelves, is driving the orangutan towards extinction, new research shows.
The "Oil for Ape Scandal", a report published by Friends of the Earth and orangutan conservation groups, concludes that without urgent intervention the palm oil trade could cause the extinction of the orangutan, Asia's only great ape, within 12 years.
Palm oil is found in bread, crackers, chips, margarine and cereals as well as personal care and beauty products such as soap and lipstick.
Ninety percent of the world’s palm oil exports come from the oil palm plantations of Malaysia and Indonesia. Most of these plantations are on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. The same lowland forest that the oil palm industry favors for conversion to palm plantations is the only remaining habitat of the orangutan.
Mother and baby orangutan are both at risk as oil palm plantations take over their habitat. The report finds that almost 90 percent of the orangutan's habitat in Indonesia and Malaysia has now been destroyed. Some experts estimate that 5,000 orangutan perish as a result every year.
(read more)


Sky World News - Report on Palm Oil and Orangutans


The demand for palm oil is rising in the U.S. and Europe because it is touted as a "clean" alternative to fuel. Indonesia is the world's top producer of palm oil, and prices have jumped by almost 70 percent in the last year.
But palm oil plantations devastate the forest and create a monoculture on the land, in which orangutans cannot survive.
(ABC News "Palm Oil Frenzy Threatens to Wipe Out Orangutans" )


Indonesian and Malayan Wildlife Affected

100 years ago nearly 90% of Indonesia was rainforest. Even 50 years ago, it was still around 77% forested. Today forests have been reduced to less than half largely due to logging and palm oil plantations. Tropical rainforests provide a home for 70% of the world’s plant and animal species. In Indonesia and Malaysia, they are the only home for endemic tigers, rhinos, elephants and orangutan. Because these species require large amounts of un-fragmented rainforest to survive, it will be critical to explore ways of preventing further palm oil plantation development which would further fragment the remaining forests on these islands.
(read more)


But palm oil is not the only danger for the orangutans.

Orangutan babies are cute and social, making them tempting as pets. To get young orangutans for this market, the mother is shot. It is estimated that for every orangutan that makes it into the pet trade 4 or 5 die. Some fall to the forest floor when their mother is killed, others succumb to human disease, malnourishment or maltreatment in the hands of traders.
That number does not take into account the adult females lost to the breeding population, often in their prime reproductive years. As forest is logged for development, other adult orangutans end up near villages, often drawn by cultivated fruit. They are shot as pests or taken for food, especially in years when the rice crops fail.
(read more)

Orangutans are beautiful and kind animals, we all should be aware of the dangers that are threatening their existence and act to preserve it.
Information, action and a more conscious choice of shopping is the least we can do to help save their lives.
Please go through the material offered in this entry, i'm sure you'll be able to find a good starter kit to get to know more about palm oil and what it represents for the lives of thousands of orangutans.





WHAT CAN YOU DO:


- Action 1 & 2
- Action 3
- Buy Palm Oil Free Alternatives
- Australia Palm Oil Campaign
- Adopt an Orangutan
- Learn About the Palm Oil Threat



RELATED LINKS:


- Borneo Orangutan Survival International
- Borneo Orangutan Survival UK
- Organic Consumers Association on Palm Oil
- Orangutan Outreach
- Orangutan Foundation International
- Orangutan Foundation
- FOE - Orangutan Report
- Palm Oil Frenzy Threatens to Wipe Out Orangutans - ABC News
- Palm Oil Risks Orangutans Existence
- Ape Alliance - Action for Apes
- Palm Oil Crisis
- Palm Oil Workers Kill Orangutans
- WildLife @ Animal Voice - Links Archive



CLIPS:


- Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation
- Sky World News - Report on Palm Oil and Orangutans
- ONE - Please Save Our Orangutans
- BOS "People of the Forest"
- Friends of the Earth - Orangutans Clip


Thai elephant Mosha got a new leg!
















"Mosha, now three, was only seven-months-old when she lost her right front leg after stepping on a landmine.
Close to death, she was rescued and brought to the Friends of the Asian Elephant hospital in Lampang, Thailand, where she got her first prosthetic leg in 2007.
Her home in a tropical jungle in the north of the country, near the Cambodian border, is an orphanage for elephants.
Her keeper said that before the first leg was fitted she was "depressed, self-conscious and wouldn't socialise". But now the animal is getting more confident and likes to play with the other elephants

Her keeper Soraida Salwala said: "When Mosha first saw her artificial leg she was scared of it.
"But as soon as the doctors put it on and she felt she could put some weight on it she didn't want to let them take it off."
The prosthesis, made out of plastic, sawdust and metal, helps her keep her balance and is only removed when she sleeps.
"Mosha should live many long, happy elephant years," Ms Soraida added."

... and i certainly hope to read more and more positive stories like this one!

Please read the full story HERE and check out the clip below - Mosha getting ready to walk with her new leg:





RELATED LINKS

- Landmine victim Mosha is back!
- Thai Elephant Conservation Center (Lampang, Thailand)
- The Elephants Umbrella Fund
- Torture in Thailand
- Free Lucky @ Animal Voice