“PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION BELOW – THIS HEINOUS ABUSE MUST BE STOPPED NOW & THE AG-GAG LAW ABOLISHED. If these men are capable of treating animals in such a vile manner; what are they like at home? probable domestic abuse & perhaps worse! These evil sub-humans need to be exposed not protected by an AG-GAG Law. Think about it, only those with something to hide would want this law to protect them from the public finding out what really happens to its animals. If you’re a meat-eater, are you happy to eat a cow that has been violated & horrifically abused???”
February 19, 2014 Posted By Vandhana Bala
MFA has released never-before-seen undercover video of cows being sexually abused at Bettencourt Dairies, Idaho’s largest dairy farm.
The footage is part of a new online ad campaign aimed at defeating the state’s controversial “ag-gag” bill, SB 1337.
The graphic hidden-camera video shows a worker fondling a cow’s vagina while making crude sexual references. It also shows this and other Bettencourt workers viciously beating, kicking, and jumping on cows in order to deliberately inflict pain.
MFA is urging concerned citizens to contact Idaho governor Butch Otter and representatives in the state House to demand that they reject the dangerous ag-gag bill. Watch the shocking video here:
Viewer Discretion – Dairy Industry Tries to Cover Up Factory Farm Sex Abuse
Published on 18 Feb 2014
In direct response to an undercover investigation exposing horrific animal abuse and sexual assault at Bettencourt Dairies, Idaho’s largest dairy factory farm, corrupt lawmakers have introduced a bill to silence whistleblowers and keep the dairy industry’s dirty secrets hidden from public view. Watch and share this important video. Then take action at www.MercyForAnimals.org/Idaho
In late 2012, MFA conducted an undercover investigation at Bettencourt Dairies that exposed a culture of horrific animal cruelty, neglect, and sexual abuse. The investigation led to criminal charges against workers at the facility. Jesus Garza, seen molesting a cow in this newly released video, was convicted in January 2013 of criminal cruelty to animals. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail, ordered to pay a $500 fine, and barred from supervising or providing any direct care to livestock.
This year, indirect response to MFA’s investigation, pro-factory farm legislators in Idaho proposed an ag-gag bill designed to shield animal abusers likeJesus Garza from public scrutiny. If passed, SB 1337 would make it a crime to take photos or video at a factory farm without the owner’s permission. Luis Bettencourt, owner of Bettencourt Dairies, has been lobbying to pass this bill.
“This legislation is a desperate attempt to sweep evidence of animal cruelty and sexual abuse under the rug,” said MFA’s executive director, Nathan Runkle.
“Without Mercy For Animals’ investigation, sadistic animal abuse and sexual molestation would have gone on undetected, unaddressed and unpunished. Idaho has some of the weakest animal cruelty laws in the nation.
Lawmakers should be focusing on strengthening these pathetic laws, not silencing whistleblowers in an attempt to protect corrupt corporations.”
We must put a stop to this dangerous legislation. Click hereto sign the petition calling on Idaho governor Butch Otter to veto this dangerous bill.
As a member of Redwings with virtual adopted horses ( See below about Adoptions) from their centre; I received the grim news through the post. I wish I could show you the appalling & very upsetting pictures the state the horse were found in, but I can’t; however I can tell you how some of the rescuers described the scene:-
“This was the worst cumulative case of horse suffering we had ever witnessed. Seeing the pain & distress of so many horses was worse than you can imagine. This is a tragic & upsetting situation, but we have to share the harsh reality of this crisis. In the hope that we can stop it from happening again…
Scenes from the Somme – stranded in a vast expanse of deep wet mud, surrounded by barbed wire, with no food & no hope the site was reminiscent of a battlefield with all the horrors of war – the horses were utterly desperate.
Death Camp – the Redwings team likened the scenes to a ‘ concentration camp for horses’ with the vulnerable youngsters & their mothers most likely to succumb to starvation & disease.
The Fallen – over 100 horses were so sick, injured & malnourished that they lost their lives.
“Read more from the news below”
Multi-agency operation in South Wales
Redwings Horse Sanctuary, the Vale of Glamorgan Council and the RSPCA have spent over a week working to safeguard the future welfare of more than 400 horses at a location between Bridgend and Llantwit Major in the Vale of Glamorgan.
Following a report to the Vale of Glamorgan Trading Standards team, welfare officers and vets moved quickly to assess the horses and provide treatment for those needing it. Over six days (12-17 November), more than 300 horses were removed from the site to places of safety by the organisations involved, with assistance from South Wales police and Bristol-based charity HorseWorld who provided vital support.
These horses will be cared for and receive further treatment as necessary whilst the investigation continues. Redwings have taken immediate responsibility for 19 horses from the site, including 12 orphaned foals.
Sadly, as the operation on site progressed and more animals were assessed, it became clear that a number of the horses were in such a state of suffering that there was only one option for them. Over 100 of the horses had to be put to sleep on veterinary advice.
Redwings Head of Welfare and senior vet Nic de Brauwere said, “I am incredibly proud of the work my team and staff from the other agencies have carried out over the last week to deal with what was an incredibly severe welfare situation. Our interest at all times was to do the best we could for each horse we found, and tragically for some that meant giving them a peaceful end after all their suffering. This operation has been an astonishing feat considering the small number of people involved and the overwhelming number of demands on our time and resources. Our staff worked tirelessly to meet the needs of the animals on the site despite the incredibly difficult circumstances, and we must give special mention to Vale of Glamorgan Trading Standards team who took quick and decisive action in what was nothing less than a state of emergency for these horses.”
Martin Hubbard from the RSPCA said: “This was a difficult and tragic situation that developed very quickly, leaving many of the horses in a desperate condition. It is thanks to the Vale of Glamorgan local authority and to the fast response and hard work of everyone involved that we managed to attend to the animals and get the majority moved to safety.”
Christina Roberts-Kinsey, Principal Trading Standards Officer for Vale of Glamorgan Council, said, “We take all complaints regarding animal welfare very seriously. After visiting the site and witnessing the appalling conditions it was necessary to take this prompt action to prevent any further suffering to the animals. This action would not have been possible without the help and support of Redwings, the RSPCA and South Wales Police.”
This case is sadly typical of the situation right across the UK, where it is believed up to 7,000 horses and ponies are currently at risk of abandonment or neglect. Welfare charities have produced a report into the current equine welfare crisis, which can be downloaded here http://www.redwings.org.uk/news-updatedhorsecrisis.php.
Since January 1st this year we have taken 219 horses and ponies into our care, and we are currently looking after 1300 rescued residents at our Sanctuary sites across the UK.To donate and help us continue to help horses, please text code RWHS00 followed by the amount you’d like to give (eg RWHS00 £5) to 70070, or follow this link to the donation pages, thanks so much.
We are in the middle of an equine crisis situation in the UK. Redwings has justhelped rescue 300 horses from a site in South Wales,a few weeks ago we helped move 46 seemingly abandoned horses from a site in Hampshire, and we are already operating at capacity, with over 200 horses having coming into our care this year already.
Fly grazing and abandonment are two of the major issues contributing to this crisis. We have been delighted to see the fast tracking of new legislation from the Welsh Government to tackle the fly grazing of horses and ponies in Wales and are urgently asking the UK Government to follow suit in England to help stem the tide of unwanted horses across the country.
The new Control of Horses (Wales) Bill was passed in the National Assembly on December 10th and just needs to receive Royal Assent to become law. It grants more powers to local authorities to take action to help fly grazing and abandoned horses. However, the UK government has no such plans in England at a time when thousands of horses are at risk of suffering and death and landowners and local authorities struggle to cope with the problem.
On Tuesday 26th November 2013, MPs held a debate in Westminster Hall and we would like to thank everyone who asked their MP to go along. there was a really good turnout and a fascinating discussion which we hope will have helped pushed this issue up the political agenda. You can watch the full debate here: http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=14264
At the end of September, welfare charities joined forces to remove 46 very hungry and many thin and sickly horses from a bare field in Alton. Eight of the most poorly horses came into the care of Redwings, while the rest found homes at private yards, where the RSPCA is providing for their care.
We very tragically lost Georgiana, only two weeks after her rescue. Georgiana was suffering with salmonella – a disease which several of these horses have – and also had an horrendous small redworm burden. Thousands of small redworms can hide inside the walls of the digestive system undetected, and can suddenly erupt out all at once, causing terrible diarrhoea and internal damage.
The Redwings Adoption Club is the fun way to support our charity and make a new friend in the process! A year’s adoption of a Redwings horse, pony, donkey or mule costs just £12.50, which goes directly towards the daily care of your chosen equine and their friends.
The moving story of Faith, who was rescued from Essex after she had collapsed and could not get up by herself – she was taken to Redwings Horse Sanctuary and against all the odds, she survived – watch her story here and read more about her at www.redwings.org.uk.Text £5 to RWHS00 to 70070 to donate to Redwings.
Most animal charities & the public want to see a ban worldwide of wild animals being used in circuses. Now the owner of this circus is circulating his own petition to keep his Malta circus open. So please if you don’t agree with animals performing degrading tricks, kept behind bars & of course the cruelty that has been documented in circuses: PLEASE SIGN THE PETITIONS BELOW. We can’t let this circus continue, if it does through its petition, the flood gates for circuses using wild animals may open again; that would be tragic after all the hard work has been done to stop them!!
Circus promoter says 2013 could be last year for animal circuses in Malta due to the proposed ban.
But circus promoter Silvio Zammit has collected 5,000 signatures as part of a petition to overturn a proposal to ban animal circuses.
The circus has now moved to Ghajnsielem, Gozo, where Zammit hopes to continue collecting more signatures. The petition will then be passed on to the competent authorities.
Zammit, who has been bringing circuses to Malta for the past 16 years, said he could not allow the banning of animal circuses from Malta without taking any action.
“It was a personal initiative after finding out that the government had moved on to publish a White Paper proposing to ban animal circuses,” he said.
See all the animals, such as, Long horn cattle, Donkeys, Lama, Camels, Lions, Tigers, Zebra, Elephant, Giraffe, Baboon, Horses, Ponies, Donkeys performing pitiful & degrading acts; acts they would never do in the wild. The animal acts stop at 12 mins; then the human artists perform!I believe the only thing not seen is the Hippo; but is in a video below!!
He argued that only 390 persons took part in the consultation process initiated by the government, of which 49% said they were against such a circus.
“We know that the majority of these were NGOs, and NGOs do not reflect popular opinion. I am doing this petition on my own. I know that there are many others who would like to sign it, but I have neither the time nor the manpower to go on a nation-wide petition,” Zammit said.
He said he was “very happy” with the number of signatures collected: “This shows that the Maltese do love the circus. They won’t flood the streets of Valletta with placards to support the circus.”
He also said that a number of MPs from both sides of the House visited Circo Orfei this winter.“Some came with their children while others accompanied their grandchildren. They thanked me for the level of the show and all said they had fun,” Zammit said.
He however refused to name them.
The debate as to whether Malta should ban animal circuses for good has been going on for a number of years, with animal rights NGOs insisting that circuses solely operate to maximise profits while completely disregarding the safety of the animals and the adverse effects they may impose.
Animal Rights Coalition said veterinarians only attend to the animal’s physical needs and as a result, the psychological issues brought about by the circuses are not being addressed.
With a number of countries moving to ban animal circuses for good, Zammit said in Italy alone there were 800 circuses. He said the UK was one of the countries which will stop animal circuses as from next year. “But this was the result of many circuses caught mistreating their animals,” he said, adding that the circus he brought to Malta did not see animals performing any tricks and only a minimal part of the show was dedicated to animals.
Zammit argued that the circus animals were born in captivity “and therefore they do not know otherwise. Their trainers threat them like their pets”.
He said Animal Welfare Department officials and veterinarians made regular checks to verify that the animals were well-kept.
Circo Orfei’s travelling team is made up of 60 people, whose living depends on the shows, Zammit said.
“This is their life. They are a community who live on the road and have been doing so for years on end. This is how they earn a living… their bread and butter,” he said.
The Animal Rights Coalition has also called for a full ban on dolphinaria and aquaria. The coalition has said it was unjust to deny dolphins the right to roam free in their natural habitat and called for the ban on dolphinariums as these restrict the creatures to a mere pool.
The Coalition also said that this should extend to aquaria as in this case, animals are likewise being “confined to cages and restricted from roaming in their natural habitat”.
But Zammit feels that two weights and two measures were being applied when talking about animal circuses and aquaria.
He also said that circuses gave people the opportunity to see animals which would otherwise require them to travel abroad to zoos or safaris.
He insisted that a proper discussion was required and said he agreed that animals like elephants, pandas and monkeys should be banned. “What we have in our circus are horses, ponies, donkeys and tigers,” he said, adding that tigers in captivity lived for an average of 25 years while those in the wild lived for 12 years.
Circo Orfei also has a hippo and an emu as part of their travelling repertoire.
Published on 7 Jan 2013 – This video shows the hippo in the ring, but its towards the end of the video, after the trapeze act! What the hell is a hippo doing in a circus? Bloody outrageous!! Search CircoOrfei on You Tube to see all the animals when not entertaining :-http://youtu.be/GEMx3YVIRmg
Published on 6 Sep 2013 – This is about the lions & tigers in the outside enclosure plus RARE WHITE LIONS & TIGERS?? Are they interbreeding??:-http://youtu.be/K40RjOFsX4c
There will be two circuses featuring animals in Malta this Christmas season, with Circo Viviana ORFEI being set up on Manoel Island and Circo Acquatico in Marsa, just weeks before the ban on animal circuses is expected to come into force.
As well as jugglers, magicians, clowns and acrobats, Circo Viviana ORFEI, brought to Malta by promoter Silvio Zammit, has tigers, horses and ponies, a hippopotamus, camels, donkeys, a zebra, a lama, and ostrich and an emu, among others.
In their advertisements, the promoters of both circuses are saying that they will be here for the last time.
In a statement to the media on Friday, Mr Zammit said the Manoel Island Circus will be giving two or three shows a day between 13 December and 5 January. He points out that Circo Viviana ORFEI is established in Italy and has, for generations, respected tradition and animal rights. All the animals have been born in captivity and the circus owners treat them as other people treat their pets.
Shows by Circo Acquatico, the marine animal circus, were planned to start yesterday evening. Circus Malta, the company owned by Johann Said, is promoting the shows on Facebook and has been selling tickets in Valletta for the past few weeks.
Penguins, seals, pelicans and dogs were seen in Youtube videos of the 2011-2012 show by the same company and snakes, a crocodile and fish were in their 2009 promotional video.
The draft legislation to ban circuses was published early last month and the public was given until 1 December to make comments on it. It was presumed the ban would be in place for this year’s festive season, but organisers managed to bring the circuses to Malta just in time.
The draft regulations address a long-standing bone of contention and seek to prohibit the use of “wild animals” for performances, exhibitions and shows, and also ban the training of animals for such a purpose. It is also proposed, logically enough, to ban the advertising and/or promotion of animal circuses.
The draft regulations – Prohibition of Wild Animals in Circuses Regulations, published by the Ministry for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change – define a “wild animal” as “an animal that is a member of a species not normally domesticated in Malta”.
According to the draft regulations, anyone contravening the regulations will be liable to a prison term of up to a year and a fine of between €30,000 and €50,000, the cancellation of their permit and the closing down of their circus.
Moreover, upon conviction the court will also have the power to order the treatment and the relocation or forfeiture of wild animals that have been used in circuses, with related costs to be borne by the convicted party.
The absolute majority (94 per cent) of those who submitted their views as to whether or not a ban should be introduced replied positively. Some 398 individuals and NGOs participated in the public consultation, which was held in the summer.
There was push for pets in Albany as part of the third annual Animal Advocacy Day. Supporters are calling for tougher animal cruelty laws. Our Megan Cruz tells us how that could mean a state registry of convicted animal abusers.
“So affectionate, gets along great with our other dog and our kids. She’s just been a great addition,” said Susan Kittle. Her and her family adopted Pearl in December. They just wish it wasn’t under such awful circumstances. Pearl and two others had been found mutilated and left for dead on railroad tracks in Albany. One died. The other, Hudson, now lives with the Nashes.
“Too often you hear it on the news – dogs, cats, horses, all kinds of animals that are innocent,” said Rosemarie Nash. “They love you, they love you no matter what. Even with what he’s been through, Hudson still loves people.”
These two families joined lawmakers and hundreds of animal supporters Tuesday for the 3rd annual Animal Advocacy Day in Albany. Together they pushed to strengthen Buster’s Law – which made aggravated animal abuse a felony punishable by up to two years and a $5000 fine.
“A lot of these animals literally don’t have a voice because they’ve been de-vocalized,” said Assemblyman Jim Tedisco. “A dog here today who was a breeder at a puppy mill, they cut his vocal chords so he wouldn’t bark and make noise so they could catch the inappropriate breeding taking place.”
Senator Greg Ball said, “We have seen that people who start with crimes like that move on to much worse crimes against neighbors, our families.”
“So these bills don’t just protect our furry friends, they’ll protect the larger community,” said Ball.
There’s close to 10 bills that Ball and Tedisco hope will make people pause before hurting our four-legged friends.
Tedisco said, “The state registry is probably most important. We have to identify those people who are doing this type of abuse, put them on a registry so they cannot own an animal anymore until a psychological evaluation and treatment.”
Now while Hudson and Pearl have found their happy ending, many abused animals do not. People at Tuesday’s event hope to get pass these measures before the end of the Legislative session.
“Keep these people off the streets so they don’t do it to any other animal or person,” said Richard Nash.
Tennessee’s proposed “Ag Gag” law suffered a setback Thursday when the state’s attorney general labeled it “constitutionally suspect” and said it could violate freedom of the press and the right against self-incrimination.
The bill, awaiting either Gov. Bill Haslam’s signature or veto, would force anyone who purposefully took pictures or video of livestock abuse to turn those over to law enforcement within 48 hours.
That limits the media, incriminates those who captured the video through trespassing and exposes police to copyright problems should the public ask for copies, Attorney General Robert Cooper wrote.
Haslam has until Wednesday to either sign or veto the bill, his spokesman confirmed, but the governor’s office offered no further comment. If he took no action at all, it would pass into law automatically, with those who broke it facing a $50 fine.
The bill’s author, Rep. Andy Holt, R-Dresden, said he didn’t see a constitutional problem and compared its provisions to forcing medical doctors to report suspected child abuse.
“If people are engaged in criminal activity, it will be abundantly apparent. “No it will not”You don’t have to have two months to provide clarity to law enforcement,” Holt said. “Ask yourself this question: Should an animal have to suffer an abusive situation for two months?” “Those animals will suffer whether being videod or not, if they are already in an abusive situation; often the management don’t know their animals are being abused. To ensure a conviction, evidence has to be collected over a period of time, so people can’t say it was a “one off” act of violence…FFS people…open your eyes. Those who want Ag-Gag laws must want them for a reason!!”
A two-month undercover investigation by the Humane Society led to state and federal animal abuse charges last year against famed Tennessee Walking Horse trainer Jackie McConnell of Collierville. The group released stomach-turning video of McConnell beating a horse and of its legs being chemically burned to encourage the breed’s prized longer, higher gait.
Holt said his bill has nothing to do with that case. Instead, it would prevent video of legitimate animal husbandry being represented as inhumane and used for fund raising, he said.
Humane Society leaders held a news conference earlier Thursday at Gaylord Opryland Convention Center, where the group is holding its Animal Care Expo. They denounced Holt’s bill and called upon the Tennessee attorney general’s office to investigate the walking horse industry.
“We need to know what perversion looks like and not be a part of any activity to either celebrate it, encourage it or somehow honor it,” said Dr. Michael Blackwell, president of the online Humane Society University.
Mike Inman, the Celebration’s CEO, didn’t respond to messages left Thursday but has said that walking horse trainers found McConnell’s actions deplorable. He said the industry is striving for 100 percent compliance with the federal Horse Protection Act.
“At last, a Judge who actually cares enough about animals, to use the powers given to him; to encaserate this sick bxxxxxd!! Lets just hope Judge Timothy Hicks, uses his influence & balls, to put this depraved repugnant pig, who is a fourth time offender; behind bars for the maximum number of years possible! This is yet another case which points out the obvious…these rancorous reprobates, can’t be cured, don’t want to be cured & will re-offended; given the opportunity…so judges should be making sure these repulsive sickos are not given the convenience to re-offend so easily!!
Animals do not have a voice, they cannot give consent before a human has sex with them; therefore it is rape! Raping an animalis yet another valid reason, why every state & city should be setting up Animal Abuse Registers! Just as Peodophile Registers are used, police can cross reference names & keep tabs on animal rapists, abusers etc. Animal charities such as the ASPCA, RSPCA etc. can use the Register to check names of job applicants or before adopting out animals. History has proven many times, that some offenders start a life of crime by abusing or raping animals, then turn predator to human victims. So…FFS…what more proof do the powers that be need; before they get Animal AbuseRegisters implemented ASAP??
Please note the petitions at the bottom of this post, please sign & share.
Kurtis Peterson, 37, was caught by a friend having sex with a blue heeler and a pit bull in April and June 2012
Told a detective he was ‘just playing’ with blue heeler when he became aroused
A convicted sex offender from Michigan has been sentenced to one-to-15 years in a state prison for repeatedly having sex with dogs.
Mental case: Both the judge and Peterson’s attorney have agreed that the 37-year-old has serious mental issues, but he was sane during the incidents and competent to stand trial Crime against nature: Kurtis Peterson, 37, was sentenced to one to 15 years in state prison for repeatedly having sex with dogs
Kurtis Peterson learned his fate on Monday when Judge Timothy Hicks went above state sentencing guidelines to keep the repeat offender in a controlled environment to prevent him from re-offending.
Under state guidelines, Petersonwould have been sentenced to time in a county jail and probation, but because he had already served 321 days behind bars, Petersonwould have been released almost immediately.
Silent victims
The 37-year-old Muskegon man pleaded no contest last March to ‘the abominable and detestable crime against nature,’ also known as sodomy or bestiality, and charged as a fourth-time habitual offender.
Peterson’sattorney, Belinda Barbier, said in court that her client has serious mental health issues that require long-term counseling, and the judge agreed that the defendant has ‘pretty low cognitive ability.’
However, experts at the Michigan Center for Forensic Psychiatry earlier examined Petersonand determined that he was sane while sexually abusing the animals, and he was competent to stand trial.
The first incident involving Petersontook place April 2010 at his apartment at 230 Amity Avenue in Muskegon when he was caught kneeling naked behind his blue heeler on his bed, having sex with the pet, according to testimony by an eyewitness cited by MLive.com.
In early June, the same witness said she walked in on a nakedPetersonapparently having sex with a white pit bull on the floor of his living room. The 37-year-old man was arrested a short time after the second incident.
Silent victims
Testifying at a preliminary hearing about the April incident, the witness, Joyce Yeaw, said Peterson told her he was ‘just hugging his dog,‘ but the woman said it looked like a lot more than an embrace between an owner and his pooch.
Yeaw testified that she and a friend stopped by Peterson’shome to return car keys they had borrowed from his roommate when they caught him in the act. She said she called 911, but no arrest was made until June.
‘He was having sex with the dog,’ Yeaw said in court at the time. ‘It was disgusting.‘
Muskegon police detective Peter Boterenbrood, who interviewed Petersonafter the June incident, said that Peterson told him he was ‘just playing with the dog’ in April, but he became sexually aroused from accidental contact with the animal’s rear.
Court records show that Petersonwas convicted of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct in 1996 in Allegan County, and in 2010 for carrying a concealed weapon and making a false report of a felony.
“This heartless pig, has to be sent down for this, the dog growled, oh boo bloody hoo!! Was the growl even aimed at him? Probably not, as the dog was playing with another dog at the time. Crikey, you want to hear my dogs when they all start playing, especially if it’s one toy that all 3 of them want at the same time; the smallest one barks the loudest, my tiny Chihuahua! But if you were walking past on the opposite side of the gate that you can’t see over, one would think they were killing each other fighting!! But their dogs, that’s what they do when they get excited, they try to scare the other dogs off by a growl, but it’s playful growl; more like a “come & get it if you dare” type of growl!”
“What the hell was this knob head doing, walking around with a shotgun, in his hand, in the first place?? Was it in case he came across a polar bear hiding in the bushes?? Get him sent down for killing the dog & carrying a firearm outside in a public place!; what if those dogs were playing with young kids at the same time, doesn’t bear thinking; about does it??”
Cutlershot and killed a one-year-old Labrador retriever named“Wrigley,” back on December 24, 2012,
Wrigley was with his guardian, Denverschool teacherStacey Ernat, who had stopped at a friend’s home in Marne while on vacation. Wrigley was outside, playing in the snow with another dog at the time.
Cutler defended his actions, stating that the young dog had growled at him and that he feared for his safety, so he got his shotgun and opened fire.
Ernat was devastated by the shooting.
Not long after her dog’s death, she described what happened after Wrigley was hit to WTVR News,
She was curled up in a ball, really scared and confused why she was hurt so bad, so I picked her up and I held her an I told her it was gonna be okay,
Cutlerwill be sentenced on May 6 – he could face up to two years in prison.” Keep your fingers crossed folks!”
For many, the day signifies hope – a new season, a fresh start, a promise of a good year. Millions of fans from all over the nation flock to stadiums to cheer on their favorite baseball heroes. Many of these fans are children who look up to the athletes as role models and emulate their behaviors.
Undoubtedly, the Tigers, like so many other animal enthusiasts in the U.S., did not realize that cub photo ops represent the very opposite of “hope”.
Not only do the photos send the wrong message that handling a wild big cat and treating it like a “pet” is an acceptable thing to do, and frighteningly, despite the fact that 17 adults and 5 children in the U.S. have been killed and nearly 300 other people have been injured by captive big cats within recent years, many people added comments to the Facebook posting that express enthusiasm for owning a tiger, but these photo op’s also represent less than a hopeful situation for the poor cub.
After all, he was brought to the ballpark by Dade City‘s Wild Things Zoo, a private zoo that shamefully allows the public to swim, bottle feed and cuddle with tiger cubs and has repeatedly been cited by theUSDA due to poor veterinary care, improper cub handling, and unacceptable fencing, among other disturbing issues.
Dozens of U.S. traveling zoos and roadside exhibitors profit from charging the public a fee to pet and pose with tiger cubs and other large big cats.
People don’t realize when they patronize these facilities that they are contributing to a huge public safety and animal welfare problem that exists in the U.S. today.
After the cubs grow too big and dangerous for handling, all too often they could be kept in someone’s backyard; sent to aroadside zoo; bred incessantly to further fuel the cub handling trade, or could even be killed.
In one notorious incident of severe cruelty, investigators found more than 90 dead tigers, including 58 cubs stuffed into freezers, on the property a self-professed animal “rescuer” who charged admission for people to visit the tigers.
This is why passing theBig CatsandPublic SafetyProtection Act – a nationwide ban on private big cat ownership and breeding that will soon been reintroduced in Congress-is so important.
The Detroit tigers now have a key opportunity to use their national voice to turn this around and pledge that they will, in the future, choose not to pose with tiger cubs because they would never knowingly want to support an industry that thrives off the exploitation of big cats.
This would be a most appropriate way to kick off a season of hope. -TC
SACRAMENTO – A statewide cattlemen’s group is facing criticism over a bill it’s sponsoring in the state Legislature to require those who document agricultural animal abuse to share the information promptly with law enforcement.
The California Cattlemen’s Association is behindAssembly Bill343, which would give people who “knowingly or willingly” take photographs or video of abuse 48 hours to provide copies to the local police or sheriff’s department.
The bill is a way for the industry to be proactive in stopping abuse by responding to it more quickly and preventing further suffering for animals, asserted Justin Oldfield, the CCA’s vice president of government relations.
“The entire intent and emphasis behind the bill is to prevent further animal abuse and protect animal welfare and food safety,” Oldfield said. “The merits of the bill really stand out for themselves. Anybody who wants to know what the bill does or doesn’t do should just read the bill.”
However, the legislation by Assemblyman Jim Patterson, R-Fresno, has drawn fire from the Humane Society of the United States, which contends it is merely an effort to discourage people from gathering evidence of animal abuse.
“In short, this is a bill intended to suppress whistleblowers, pure and simple,” HSUS spokesmanPaul Shapiro said. “For that reason it should be rejected.”
The bill comes after a spate of undercover videos taken by representatives of animal welfare organizations have given a series of black eyes to livestock industries. Last year, for instance, videos depicting abuse at dairies in Central California and southern Idaho had industry officials scrambling to convince consumers that the incidents were isolated.
A landmark $500 million agreement was reached in November to settle a slaughterhouse abuse case that led to the biggest meat recall in U.S. history in 2008. The civil settlement with the owners of Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. came after a widely circulated video shot by an undercover operative showed “downer cows” – those too weak or sick to walk – being dragged by chains, rammed by forklifts and sprayed with high-pressure water to coax them to slaughter.
That video footage was gathered over a six-week period, Oldfield noted. If the operative had shared the information with law enforcement sooner, “think about how many cows wouldn’t have suffered … and been put into the food supply,” he said.
The bill doesn’t require original copies of videos to be handed over to police, Oldfield said. It also protects employees by applying the state’s current whistleblower protection laws to those collecting such evidence, the CCA asserts.
But requiring evidence to be brought forth within a 48-hour window is unreasonable, Shapiro counters. Sometimes it takes weeks to document a pattern of abuse, he said.
“Just in the same way we wouldn’t ask law enforcement to immediately blow their cover and go public with all their evidence two days into their investigation, the same is the case here,” he said.
Asked if he believes undercover activists should be given the same authority as police, he said, “I’m just using it as an example to illustrate that if you’re building a case of a pattern of abuse, it can often take weeks.”
Oldfield said the CCA is willing to negotiate on the length of time, but “it’s not going to be six weeks.” He added that even one instance of abuse is a crime in California, eliminating the need to prove a pattern.
Assembly Bill 343
Proposal: Require those who take photos or video of agricultural animal abuse to notify law enforcement within 48 hours.
DUE TO THE NATURE OF THIS BLOG - SOME PICTURES & VIDEOS CAN & WILL BE VERY GRAPHIC - SO PLEASE, VIEW THIS BLOG AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.
You can find out more about me & this blog by reading "ABOUT THIS BLOG" on the menu (when i finish it) lol
PLEASE NOTE.....
Not all of my posts will be current news, or even about animal abuse! I do like to share other animal news, uplifting stories or videos; some that are funny or just touch the heart!
If I have anything to say on any post, you will see it in bold blue writing. I try to remain a lady, but it's hard to contain my anger & emotions at the some of the stories I post; I don’t have a heart of stone, tears stain many articles I write!
Lastly, my apologies for any errors; I am learning whilst posting, so if you find anything that doesn't work or a broken link, sorry, I'm only human!!!!
ABOUT THESE POSTS
I would just like to make readers aware, that I search for stories on the internet; regards animal abuse etc. I copy stories etc. from the internet; assuming these stories are correct at time of publishing. Having said that, sometimes the press get it wrong! So I just want to add that at the time of me posting a news story, I presume all the facts seem present & correct.
Please note....all people mentioned in this blog, are presumed innocent, until proven otherwise, in a court of law.
For anyone wishing to connect to me via my Facebook page...PLEASE NOTE, ONLY PEOPLE I ADD AS ANIMAL ADVOCATES CAN SEE MY WHOLE PAGE...I do this out of respect for those friends I have who do not wish to see graphic images, videos or links of animal abuse!
As 99% of my page is animal related; anyone not in the above group of friends; will only see a limited amount of posts!!
DUE TO ANIMAL HATERS...I WILL ONLY ADD PEOPLE WHO CAN PROVE WHO THEY ARE via Facebook, Wordpress, Twitter etc. & WHO HAVE A GENUINE INTEREST IN ANIMAL WELFARE... i.e. if your Facebook page has absolutely nothing to do with animals, I see no point in joining my page. My Facebook is solely for animal welfare, I am not interested in playing games etc. I don't mean to sound rude but I am not interested in the amount of friends I have, its the quality of those friends that count.
PLEASE DO NOT SEND REQUESTS FOR YOUR FRIENDS TO JOIN. I do not want anyone to be upset by graphic images etc.
My aim is to educate & raise awareness to the horrors animals face, at the hands of humans, every day, around the world!!
We can not hope to achieve better laws, to protect animals, unless we unite as one, to speak up for those who are voiceless!!
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DUE TO THE NATURE OF THIS BLOG - SOME PICTURES & VIDEOS CAN & WILL BE VERY GRAPHIC - SO PLEASE, VIEW THIS BLOG AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.
STOP ANIMAL ABUSE 
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