A carriage horse named Freddie, who worked in and around Boston, collapsed and died in the street on Sunday in front of “visibly shaken up onlookers.” His owner, Sally Sutherland of the Bridal Carriage Co., buried Freddie before The Dept. of Agricultural Resources conducted an  investigation. A spokesperson for the state agency said Freddie “could be exhumed” if necessary. Freddie, who died at 30, had been pulling carriages in the Boston area since he was 16. Ms. Sutherland said that his previous owner, an Amish farmer “drove him hard. Real hard.”

Photo: Boston Globe

Sally Sutherland told the Boston Globe, “I wanted my horse buried with the rest of his friends and that is where he is at. . . . I don’t really want to talk about this.” Why couldn’t Ms. Sutherland wait to bury her horse until after the investigation? Would it reveal the use of bute (phenylbutazone), a painkiller used in horses, or expose another condition that led to the sudden death of Freddie? Carriage operators claim to love their horses, but people who love their horses would never subject these prey animals to the inhumane, unsafe and inhospitable conditions of an urban work environment. If you still question the rationale for banning urban horse-drawn carriages, please watch the documentary film BLINDERS and educate others about why this anachronistic industry must go. Also, please send a letter to the Boston Globe to express your opposition to urban carriage horses and to ask for an investigation into the cause of death: letter@globe.com.

After reading TheirTurn’s post stating that the American Humane Association “endorses” SeaWorld’s proposal for larger orca tanks, the AHA sent a letter disputing our claim. Following is the relevant excerpt:

“We have not given a stamp of approval to any project. One of our scientists has been asked to serve on an Independent Advisory Panel with other leading experts. The panel has not yet met, and we have not provided any input or recommendations at this point.” 

TheirTurn’s original post was written in response to a news story which stated that the construction of the larger orca enclosures “will be overseen by a group of advisors that include executives from The American Humane Association.” While “overseeing” might not be an official endorsement, the participation of a “humane” organization would lend credibility to this extraordinarily misguided project. Shouldn’t the AHA, like other humane organizations, be using its influence to end – and not prolong – orca captivity?  If the AHA’s “oversight” role was misrepresented in the original news story, then the organization should say so and clearly state its position on the proposed larger tanks.

Finally, SeaWorld picked the AHA for a reason: it supports of the use of animals in entertainment.

Rendering of SeaWorld’s larger orca enclosure

Are you sitting down? SeaWorld’s proposal for larger orca tanks has received a stamp of approval from the American Humane Association (AHA). The AHA, which describes itself as having “been at the forefront of virtually every major advance in protecting children, pets and farm animals from abuse and neglect” will “oversee the building of the facilities,” according to SeaWorld.

Photo: SeaWorld Entertainment

If the AHA were being true to its mission, then it would block the construction of the tanks, not oversee it. It would also join the fight to release the captive orcas into ocean sanctuaries. This is not the first time the AHA has betrayed the animals it claims to protect. In a lengthy Hollywood Reporter article, the organization was exposed for covering up abuse on movie sets. Please contact the AHA, which had $12.8 million in revenues in 2013, to let them how you feel about their tacit endorsement of SeaWorld.

Animal rights activists have taken out full page ads in the Aspen Times asking people to boycott the Aspen Art Museum until it removes the “exhibit” of tortoises wandering around an enclosure with iPads affixed to their shells. The iPads are displaying images of nearby ghost towns. Local activists say that the exhibit not only exploits the animals but also sends a message to people that affixing objects to animals is acceptable. For more background about the exhibit, please see Aspen Art Museum Under Fire for iPad-toting Tortoise Exhibit.

Ad in the Aspen Times

I don’t know if this ad asking for a boycott will reduce attendance or trigger interest in the exhibit. I can’t help but think, however, that many people will see the words “Take the iPads off of the tortoises” and ask themselves, “Why the hell are they gluing iPads to tortoises? That seems wrong.” As I mentioned in a previous post, African turtles belong in Africa, not in Aspen — serving as mobile TV stands. According to the museum, these turtles were “rescued” from a breeder where they were living in an over-crowded pen. Is the artist going to take care of these turtles for life when the exhibit ends?  Doubtful!  This museum should place these tortoises in a sanctuary and then produce a photo exhibit entitled “From Museum Captivity to Freedom.” Here’s an online petition to shut down his exploitive exhibit. Please share.

When SeaWorld’s stock price took a plunge last week, the ratings agency Standard & Poors blamed it on lower attendance due to “the company’s use of orca whales for entertainment purposes.” In response, SeaWorld announced that it is enlarging the orca tanks at three of its parks.

With the orca show being SeaWorld’s main attraction, I understand why the heartless souls who run the company would attempt install bigger tanks to regain the public trust and salvage the show, but could this possibly work, given public pressure to release the whales into ocean sanctuaries? Could bigger tanks really enable Sea World to continue holding whales captive? It’s too soon to say, but the activist community is doubling down – with PETA releasing this new 30 second video about orca activity. Even CNN is joining the fight by re-airing Blackfish, which is what triggered the international movement against Sea World in the first place. Thank you, CNN.