Animal Crimes reported this week and Animal Cruelty Reports this week!

Why Animal Rights?

Almost all of us grew up eating meat, wearing leather, and going to circuses and zoos. Many of us bought our beloved “pets” at pet shops, had guinea pigs, and kept beautiful birds in cages. We wore wool and silk, ate McDonald’s burgers, and fished. We never considered the impact of these actions on the animals involved. For whatever reason, you are now asking the question: Why should animals have rights?

In his book Animal Liberation, Peter Singer states that the basic principle of equality does not require equal or identical treatment; it requires equal consideration. This is an important distinction when talking about animal rights. People often ask if animals should have rights, and quite simply, the answer is “Yes!” Animals surely deserve to live their lives free from suffering and exploitation. Jeremy Bentham, the founder of the reforming utilitarian school of moral philosophy, stated that when deciding on a being’s rights, “The question is not ‘Can they reason?’ nor ‘Can they talk?’ but ‘Can they suffer?’” In that passage, Bentham points to the capacity for suffering as the vital characteristic that gives a being the right to equal consideration. The capacity for suffering is not just another characteristic like the capacity for language or higher mathematics. All animals have the ability to suffer in the same way and to the same degree that humans do. They feel pain, pleasure, fear, frustration, loneliness, and motherly love. Whenever we consider doing something that would interfere with their needs, we are morally obligated to take them into account.

Supporters of animal rights believe that animals have an inherent worth—a value completely separate from their usefulness to humans. We believe that every creature with a will to live has a right to live free from pain and suffering. Animal rights is not just a philosophy—it is a social movement that challenges society’s traditional view that all nonhuman animals exist solely for human use. As PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk has said, “When it comes to pain, love, joy, loneliness, and fear, a rat is a pig is a dog is a boy. Each one values his or her life and fights the knife.” Watch a video with Ingrid Newkirk from the 2015 Animal Rights National Conference here. 

Only prejudice allows us to deny others the rights that we expect to have for ourselves. Whether it’s based on race, gender, sexual orientation, or species, prejudice is morally unacceptable. If you wouldn’t eat a dog, why eat a pig? Dogs and pigs have the same capacity to feel pain, but it is prejudice based on species that allows us to think of one animal as a companion and the other as dinner.

The PETA Practical Guide to Animal Rights

Take vital steps to cut thoughtless cruelty to animals out of your life and to educate others around you. Check out the most comprehensive book on animal rights available today! In The PETA Practical Guide to Animal Rights, PETA president Ingrid E. Newkirk provides hundreds of tips, stories, and resources. It’s PETA’s must-have guide to animal rights. Also available for the Kindle! 

Stop Wild Horse Wipeout in Wyoming

In Defense of Animals
The existence of wild horses in the US is in jeopardy. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is at it again, continuing to support the interests of ranchers, and its latest plans involve rounding up horses in Wyoming's Checkerboard lands.

The 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act requires that the BLM remove wild horses from private land, if requested by the land owner. However, the BLM is perverting the Act to remove wild horses from not only private lands, but also from public lands.

If a round up goes forward in Wyoming's Checkerboard lands, the BLM could argue that it should be able to round up wild horses anywhere, when it is absolutely illegal to do so!


Once captured, horses can suffer greatly in the confinements of the BLM. In the past several years "at least 100 horses were killed during the roundup itself or in the months following their capture in the BLM's holding pens," according to American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign.

Along with the cruelty and threat to the makeup of the US wild, there is a huge financial burden to taxpayers for the program. It has been stated that, "Congress appropriated more than $77.2 million to the Wild Horse and Burro Program in fiscal year 2015. Of the total $75.1 million spent, holding costs accounted for $49 million. Roundups and removals cost $1.8 million. Adoption events cost $6.3 million." You can read more about the atrocities  happening in Wyoming here. This simply cannot go on. Click here to take action.



Punish Men Accused of Hunting Protected Bighorn Sheep.
bighorn-sheep-by-philipp-haupt
Target: Billy J. Williams, U.S. Attorney District of Oregon
Goal: Prosecute  the two men accused of hunting and beheading endangered bighorn sheep under federal laws.
Two men have been arrested on charges of poaching after they were found beheading two bighorn sheep which were killed from a herd on private land. Bighorn sheep are among the rarest game animals in Oregon and are on the endangered species list.
Because of their rarity, bighorn sheep are hunted only under the strictest guidelines. Cody Plagmann and Justin Samora are accused of killing two of these endangered animals without permission. Further, the sheep they’re accused of killing came from herd which is permanently protected from hunters.
Demand these men are charged with federal crimes for allegedly killing two endangered bighorn sheep.
Dear Attorney Williams,
Cody Plagmann and Justin Samora are accused of killing and beheading two bighorn sheep from a herd on private land. Bighorn sheep are on the endangered species list and are quite rare in Oregon. As such, hunting them is permitted only under strict guidelines, which Plagmann and Samora allegedly did not follow when they were found gutting the sheep along the side of Interstate 84.
We demand these men are charged with federal crimes for allegedly hunting, killing, and beheading endangered bighorn sheep.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Philipp Haupt
Protect Softshell Turtles From Illegal Harvesting.
florida_softshell_turtle_by_kerry_wixted
Target: Col. Curtis Brown, Director of Law Enforcement for Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Goal: End illegal harvesting of Florida softshell turtles.
Forty softshell turtles were recently captured illegally and found with fish hooks buried in their esophagi, despite a Florida ban on the commercial harvesting of all freshwater turtles. Jie Hua Shen, a Canadian businessman who owns Marine Seafood Inc., pleaded guilty to the crime after the turtles were seized by law enforcement and is being fined $25,000 for smuggling. The fact that such a large-scale importation was attempted despite U.S. and Canadian law demonstrates an urgent need for stricter enforcement and increased protection for softshell turtles.
Freshwater turtles are considered valuable for their meat, which is especially popular in Asia. As a result, illegal trade in turtle parts is flourishing despite laws and regulations aimed at protecting the species. In 2009, Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission estimated that approximately 3,000 pounds of softshell turtles were being imported out of the state every week to be sold in Asian food markets. In response to this growing problem, the commission instated a highly restrictive ban on the commercial harvesting of all freshwater turtles in the interest of protecting not only the state’s endangered turtles but any that might resemble those species, including the softshell.
Jie Hua Shen’s smuggling operation proves that the illegal turtle trade continues to operate behind the scenes despite these protective laws, and stricter enforcement is necessary to protect the Florida softshell turtle from being harvested for its meat. Sign the petition below to demand an increase in law enforcement and better protection for Florida’s softshell turtles.
Dear Mr. Brown,
Forty Florida softshell turtles were recently captured and found with fish hooks buried in their esophagi as part of an illegal smuggling operation. Canadian businessman Jie Hua Shen, the owner of Marine Seafood Inc., is being fined $25,000 after pleading guilty to the crime once the turtles were seized by law enforcement. But a simple fine is not enough to keep illegal harvesting from happening again, and this large-scale importation attempt shows a need for stricter law enforcement and increased protection for softshell turtles.
Freshwater turtles are threatened by illegal trade because of the high demand for their meat, which is especially popular in Asia. In 2009, Flordia’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission banned the commercial harvesting of all freshwater turtles in response to an estimate of approximately 3,000 pounds of softshell turtles being exported every week to be sold in Asian food markets.
Jie Hua Shen’s smuggling operation is evidence that the illegal turtle trade is still operating despite the ban. I am urging you to increase regulations and law enforcement to ensure that the ban is respected. Please take action to protect Florida’s softshell turtles from the threat of illegal harvesting.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Kerry Wixted
Justice for Dog Dragged Behind Horse Cart.
Horses-Cart-Auchtermuchty-by-B4Bees
Target: Ed Beltrami, Chief Crown Prosecutor for Cymru-Wales
Goal: Punish men to fullest extent for allegedly tying a dog to a horse cart and dragging it down the street.
Two men reportedly dragged a dog down the road after tying it to the back of a horse-drawn cart. The dog collapsed while at a red light and the cart driver allegedly yelled for bystanders to kill it. Witnesses say the men were whipping the horses to go faster as the poor dog tried its best to keep up, but its near-lifeless body couldn’t withstand the brutal abuse. Even when the dog’s body gave in, witnesses say the men continued their torment of the poor animal.
The dog was saved by bystanders who ran to its aid, even as the cart drivers yelled for it to be killed. An elderly woman reportedly collapsed at the horrific sight and had to be taken to a hospital for medical treatment.
It appears that these men inflicted pain and suffering on an innocent animal purely for the sake of their own entertainment. This poor dog deserves justice. Demand that the men be punished to the fullest extent and banned from ever having contact with animals again.
Dear Mr. Beltrami,
A dog was reportedly tied to the back of a horse-drawn cart and dragged down the street by two cruel men who appeared to be enjoying themselves at the dog’s expense. Witnesses who ran to the dog’s aid, and ultimately saved its life, say that even when the dog couldn’t keep up and collapsed on the street, they ordered people to kill it.
This is an extreme level of cruelty to animals and the innocent animal deserves justice. We urge you to help ensure that these men are punished to the maximum extent and banned from having contact with animals.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: B4Bees
Dog and Bull to Be Tied Together and Killed in Horrific Annual Tradition!
According to news sources, every August during la Fiesta de la Virgen de la Asunción in the village of Chalhuani, which is located in the Apurímac region of central Peru, villagers strap a local dog who they believe has "misbehaved" to the back of a bull. The bull is then released into a bullfighting ring, where both animals are killed in a bullfight. Not only would such a sadistic "tradition" arguably violate Peru's animal welfare laws, it also is a stain on the country's beauty and international reputation. Please urge Peruvian officials to intervene, then forward this alert far and wide!
Help End Canada’s Commercial Seal Slaughter.
Tens of thousands of baby harp seals are shot and bludgeoned to death in Canada's commercial seal slaughter each year. This is the year that we must end the cruel practice. The U.S., the EU, and Russia have all banned seal product imports—we are at the tipping point!

Canada's new prime minister, Justin Trudeau, is supportive of many social issues, including gender equality and fighting climate change. Please join PETA in urging him to extend his compassion further and usher in a new era of kindness and fiscal responsibility by ending federal subsidies of the commercial seal slaughter.


Even if you have taken action in the past on this issue, we need your voice now more than ever. The world has rejected seal products, and it's time for Canada to help sealers transition out of this dying industry, provide them with appropriate compensation, and start funding sustainable industries to benefit rural communities instead.
Justice for Kona the Dog, Stolen and Left to Die in Hot Car. 
franciscogonzalez_mcso
Target: Jenny M. Madkour, Multnomah County Attorney
Goal: Punish the person responsible for Kona’s death and ban them from having animals under their care.
Bill Robbins had good intentions when he left his car and air conditioner running for his beloved dog, Kona. Only minutes later he was shocked to discover both his vehicle and Kona were nowhere to be found.
Surveillance video later depicted an unknown man entering Robbins’ vehicle shortly after he had stopped by his place of work. Kona could be seen happily licking the intruder while they both left the parking lot. Robbins offered an $8000 cash reward for information leading to his dog’s return and later received a tip from a concerned citizen pertaining to his car’s location.
Robbins found the vehicle sealed on a hot Portland, Oregon day and he prayed that Kona would be okay. He found him laying dead on the passenger side floor, most likely due to heat stroke. Days later one Francisco Gonzalez was arrested in relation to the crime. Gonzalez had his own dog with him upon arrest. Kona’s owner reported, “I can’t even believe he had a dog after the way he would treat mine.” Join us and urge officials to rule that the person responsible be barred from ever having another animal under their care.
Dear Ms. Madkour,
Crimes related to animals are often overlooked when other offenses which carry higher penalties are committed alongside of them. Recently, a man named Francisco Gonzalez allegedly stole and abandoned a vehicle but left the owner’s dog trapped inside. The dog later passed away most likely due to heat stroke.
Kona was a loved animal who in no way deserved the suffering caused to him by the individual responsible for this crime. Upon arrest, the individual allegedly responsible had his own dog in tow.
I urge you to make sure that the person responsible for this horrible crime is immediately prosecuted and banned from keeping animals for life life.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office
Make being a spectator at dogfights a felony.

California is one of the last remaining states to not come down fully on the sick business of dogfighting. Most states have not just cracked down on those running dogfights, they are going after those who attend. This helps stop the flow of money that keeps dogfighters in business. Without money for profit, this cruel “sport” stands a far greater chance of dying out completely.

While it is a felony to breed and possess a dog for the purpose of fighting in California, spectators receive a misdemeanor, with pretty mild consequences: very rarely, they can be jailed for up to one year. More often, they face fines up to $5,000. Bear in mind -- $5,000 is a petty sum to these gamblers, who are known to wage far larger amounts of money on a single fight.

We are calling on the California state legislature to join with the many other states that have strengthened their dogfighting punishments, and make spectating at a dogfight a felony crime.

Making spectating a felony would increase the maximum jail time to 3 years, and the fine would increase ten-fold, up to $50,000. This would help take spectators out of the stands at these fights, because the risk would finally outweigh the reward. With your help, we can make a difference.

This petition will be delivered to: California State House and the California State Senate
Cat ransom: College student arrested for demanding $20 ransom for lost kitten
Drunk monkey terrorizes neighborhood; firecracker prank claims macaque's finger - monkey compilation