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