"I Promise You" - Birth of an Activist

..somebody should do something about that....
..somebody...
..somebody...

HEY..... wait a moment...

that 'somebody'... it's ME!

"I don't know what makes some people 'watchers'.. and some people 'doers'...

..for me it's like a compulsion.. i have no choice in the matter anymore... i was born to do this... to speak out and act for animal rights..."

".. those images of cruelty changed me.. for ever.. spoke to me... and there was no turning back..."



"... that little girl, that wouldn't dare to raise her hand in class...grew up to be somebody that wants to raise the roof for animals.. because i found that i could no longer live in peace while there was a war being waged against animals.. i could no longer feel full while they were being starved... or feel warm knowing that they were being enslaved in cold cages.. i could not feel save while they were being brutalized and i certainly couldn't feel free while they are still oppressed..."

"Activism, destroys me. But it also heals me.

Activism starts as a whisper in our souls... a voice deep inside.. almost like an intuition... that nudges and stares at our conscious dead in the eye and make us ask the tough questions... such as 'can i sleep at night knowing what i know NOW...'

For me , giving these animals a voice.. these choiceless animals...acting on behalf of these animals i would never know... makes me feel more connected to my highest self... we all have this in us.. we can all change the world, we can all raise our hands...

For me, i promise you, i will no rest until every cage is empty and every tank is drained...."



This short but powerful speech from Simone Reyes spoke straight to my very soul... and i know why. The simple reason is.. her words are my words, her actions my actions, her promise my promise.

Sharkwater - the Documentary

"We’re just a conceited naked ape, but in our minds we’re some ‘divine legend’ and we see ourselves as some sort of god, seeing we can decide what will live and what will die, what will be saved and what will be destroyed, but honestly we’re just a bunch of primates out of control."
Paul Watson, Sharkwater

Just after coffee, i found myself signing one more petition against 'shark fin soup'. And then one more. So i said to myself "it's about time to talk some more about those beautiful and misunderstood water creatures". There was already an entry here at Animal Voice where the topic of shark finning had been covered some time ago, there you can still find some good information and useful links (some of the petitions are long closed but when you are interested in signing petitions - on all kind of topics - remember it's as easy as typing on your Google search "shark finning petitions", or "sharks petitions" or anything along that line, where there's a will there's a way so i'm sure the person that is truly interested in helping out will find a way, and remember you can always ask me any info or question and i'll try to be as helpful as i can). To get back to that first entry on shark finning just click this link "Stop Shark Finning" .





What i'd like to introduce you to this time is this great documentary from filmmaker Rob Stewart - SHARKWATER:

"In an effort to protect sharks, Stewart teams up with renegade conservationist Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Their unbelievable adventure together starts with a battle between the Sea Shepherd and shark poachers in Guatemala, resulting in pirate boat rammings, gunboat chases, mafia espionage, corrupt court systems and attempted murder charges, forcing them to flee for their lives.
Through it all, Stewart discovers these magnificent creatures have gone from predator to prey, and how despite surviving the earth's history of mass extinctions, they could easily be wiped out within a few years due to human greed." (from SHARKWATER)

You can watch the whole documentary "Sharkwater" here:




USEFUL LINKS AND PETITIONS

You can find more info on how to help these intelligent and beautiful creatures clicking through the following links (remember they are just a few links, when you wanna know more there's lots of information available out there, let Google help you in doing your homeworks...):

- Sharkwater - official website
 ( if you have a website, blog etc, you can use one of their banners to promote the documentary, you found them at this link --> http://www.sharkwater.com/banners.htm )
- Sharkwater - Facebook page
- "Stop Shark Finning" @ Animal Voice
- Stop Shark Finning
- Stop Shark Finning - Petitions page
- Stop Shark Finning - Facebook page
- Petition "We want a worldwide shark fin ban"
- Petition "Tell Dubai to stop hunting endangered sharks"
- Sharktrust
- Sea Shepherd

I'm Back! ..wait, actually i never left...

           photo by Kiara Ganesha (aka Animal Voice)

well well well.... it has certainly passed a long time since my last post here, but there's been a reason which i'm sure most of my readers already know - that reason being Animal Voice presence on Facebook....

To summarize it a bit, Animal Voice project started back at the very beginning of 2007, right here where you are now. At that time i still didn't have a profile neither a page on Facebook, back then MySpace was the place to be and that's also where my project had a high level presence and very busy interactions with other fellow animal lovers. For some reasons i opened an account on Facebook at the end of 2008, and soon after Animal Voice page was created. No need to say (now in 2014) that FB definitely was/is helping out a great deal with the famous 'sharing' option. And all of us involved in animal rescue operations well know how fast and wide we can pass information and pleas of help just by clicking that 'share' button. This was the beginning of me spending more time networking for animals on Facebook, and less here.... in any case, to cut a long story a bit shorter... I'm Back! :)

Many many things happened in these almost three years of not posting on these pages, i'm sure in a way or the other i will update you with some of the events that kept me busy meanwhile - and at the same time i'm sure that the ones that kept on following my work on my Facebook page are aware of me being quite busy out there too. Since i created the page on the famous social network, as of today there are more than 8.300 'fans' connected to it, and that's a number i definitely am happy with but that at the same time i surely wanna see increase - much much much - as one of my motto is 'the more for the animals, the better!' I'm sure i won't be able to pass to you in this one post all of the things i got in mind since last time i saw you guys on these pages, but there are many ideas and projects boiling up, lots of stuff i want to do and want to do better as well.... just to name one of the main changes i got in mind, we can talk about the new approach regarding all animal issues we're going to handle:
i'll be trying to look more on the brighter side... with that meaning i will incorporate in my site more 'good feeling' and positive stories as well in order not only to educate but also to inspire more people to act upon what they learn here. I know i tend to be on the 'hard and graphic' side of stuff, but i did and do so cause that has worked for me - for my Big Change.... and since i'm a stubborn person (lets blame it on me being an Aries.... or an hot blooded italian...) i thought the way to go was mostly that one. But ok, even for hot blooded italians time passes and eventually i might have learned a thing or two while being daily busy since the last 7 years with my project Animal Voice and all that is animal rights/rescue/welfare/etc etc....

So - this been said.... welcome back to all of my readers and fellow animal lovers... i actually never left... ;)


PS: ... you see that cute kitty-kat on the photo....? mine... mine... MINE!!! ;)
i'll tell you more about him in the next days, just know i scooped him up from the streets while visiting my family in Italy last year (what a story.. you'll hear all about it!), he was very sick and emaciated.. almost a year ago... now he's my super fantastic AND gorgeous kitty-kat named SAFI :)))

Justice for Bozhidar

"Bozhidar (God's gift) was about a year old stray, enduring life on the mean streets of a small village in Bulgaria. Sadists used him as a live target and shot him numerous times. They covered all of his body with gunshot wounds but that wasn't enough for the bastards' sick fun, so they cut his tong and left him on the road to die slowly!

The driver of a passing truck saw the agonizing dog and called local animal rights activists. They reacted immediately but there was nothing much to be done for the poor thing. By the time help arrived he's lost too much blood and his suffering was beyond belief. The dog has been euthanized." (from Bozhidar's petition )

I want people to be aware of what's going on behind each own bubble. If you think it's not your business, you're wrong. Cause the moment you are aware of something, you gotta choose for the Best Option, which in this case means getting the boundaries of our own bubble so large to make of all that surrounds us, in any form and shape - our business. Because that's what it is. Don't lie to yourself, you're the one that harvest at the end of the day......



This, like so many other stories, shouldn't happen. At all.
The fact that there are extremely sick and evil people out there should make everybody aware that this is reality. Don't look the other way when you see this, or when you read Bozhidar' story, because if you do so, that won't make the monsters go away. The monsters need to got out and in plein sight - for everybody to know who they are. We need, all of us animal lovers, to make it a mission not to let stories like this be forgotten, but try in all way to us available to get these sick bastards to justice. People like this have some serious , serious problems in their brain, cause anybody right in its head would simply consider this kind of cruelty insane. These are the same monsters that will enjoy raping a kid, beating a woman and so on. It's proved: who engages in acts of violence towards animals, will most perpetrate more future violence on humans, generally to the defenceless ones, cause these people are sick ball-less unsecure macho pieces of doodoo.. and that's all they can do with their time.

People from Bulgaria, get together and try to bring to justice the monster that did this.
Lately from the east of Europe we are witnessing too many cases of extreme evil cruel violence towards animals, this cannot go on like this. These people are throwing blood buckets on your flags. (not that i personally care about flags in general...)

Please read more about Bozhidar HERE on Facebook, SIGN THE PETITION ,make it go around, share this article and say a prayer for the little one.....

Please, call or send your protest letters to the Bulgarian Embassy in your country and demand authorities to begin acting according Bulgarian Law: http://www.buldir.com/bulgarian_embassies_abroad.html

Also write to:

The President- http://www.president.bg/en/contacts.php
Ministry of Interior- http://www.mvr.bg/en/contactus.htm

And to: minister@moew.government.bg; minister@mzh.government.bg; pr@justice.government.bg; b_dimitrova@justice.government.:

Mayoress of Pernik, Bulgaria, Mrs. Yanakieva: obshtina@pernik.bg

RIP sweet baby............... ♥

What You Can Do to Help the Animals pt.3 - Writing Letters

Some of the greatest Animal Rights activists used to be hunters. Then they woke up. Some of the most powerful members of our movement used to work in the meat industry. Most of us used to eat meat. We changed our ways because we saw the light, not because someone insulted us. This must be top of mind as we write letters.
If we insult and alienate someone who may have eventually, even years down the line, become a supporter, then we are venting our anger at the expense of the animals.

If you are writing a complaint to a show or publication whose work you have enjoyed in the past, do not lose the opportunity to pay a compliment .
Then, gently point out the error of their current ways. Forgive the animal cliche but, "You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar." It is human nature to care more about pleasing a friend who has been wronged than an adversary. The reader of your letter is only human.

The reader of your letter is also probably very busy. Keep notes short. Do not get sidetracked from your main point. You will seem to be waffling.
Save other points for future notes.

Use your spell-checker! Rightly or wrongly, people who can spell are assumed to be more intelligent, more educated and are taken more seriously.

Though for the sake of convenience you are sending an email, provide your full name and return address as you would if writing a letter. Thus your note is seen as coming from a real person with real concerns and cannot be mistaken for one of a mass computer generated mailing. (An exception might be if you are commending a news report aired only on local TV and you do not wish to announce to the station that you are writing from out of state.) If you are writing to a publication which publishes letters from readers you must also include your phone number so that they can verify that you are the writer.

The reputation of the Animal Rights community is improving. However, there is still some perception of Animal Right's activists as odd and angry. If our mission is to change the world, then unfortunately we must care about what people think; we must change their perceptions for the sake of the animals. Thus we must make sure that our letters are always rational, to the point, and preferably concerned or disappointed rather than outraged. Anger tends to put people on the defensive whereas concern and a rational argument can get a decent hearing. For the sake of the animals, we must be heard. We will be heard most clearly not when we are shouting loudest, but when we are communicating in such a way that people are willing to listen.


Some more important tips are offered by Peta:
GUIDE TO LETTER WRITING

&

HOW TO BUILD AN INTERNET ANIMAL WELFARE CAMPAIGN


With regard to that mission to change the world, I leave you with those wonderful words of Margaret Mead:

"Never doubt that a small group of concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."