SeaWorld justifies keeping killer whales in captivity by claiming their research studies, which cannot be conducted on wild populations, benefit the species. However, according to an article in Slate, an investigation of SeaWorld’s 52 research papers by Ingrid Visser, a marine biologist with New Zealand’s Orca Research Trust, shows that “SeaWorld may have systematically misrepresented the research resulting from work with captive orcas.” The article lists many examples of SeaWorld’s duplicity, but what stands out the most is their inclusion vitamin supplement and artificial insemination studies, which are “unlikely to be useful to wild populations.”

Photo: CTV News

Companies like SeaWorld and Ringling Bros not only confine and abuse the earth’s largest and most intelligent mammals (whales & elephants), they also portray themselves as advocates and conservationists for the same animals. Their duplicity is maddening. Thankfully, undercover investigations and documentaries like Blackfish are blowing their cover. To see how you can help orcas kept in tanks, please visit Blackfish’ Take Action page.

The cows who produce milk for grocery store chain Harris Teeter eat, breathe and sleep in a deep pool of manure, as shown in PETA’s undercover video of their dairy supplier in North Carolina.

When Harris Teeter’s customers see this ghastly footage of the cows who supply their milk, the shit is going to hit the fan too, not only because the conditions on their dairy farm are so unsanitary but also because the cruelty is so egregious. While this footage is shocking on one hand, it is not at all surprising on the other because we have seen undercover videos of factory farm horrors so many times. Learn more about the investigation and find out how you can help.

In an effort to prevent the public from seeing the conditions in which farm animals are raised and slaughtered, agribusiness is aggressively pursuing “ag gag” and “farm protection” legislation that make it a crime to document factory farms. In a story published in an agricultural trade publication, a spokesperson for the Animal Ag Alliance claims that these bills “show consumers how well animals are cared for.” She also says that undercover investigators stage abuse for the cameras, bring disease onto the farms and “damage animals and crops.” 

Even though animals on factory farms often live in their own excrement, agribusiness uses “biosecurity” as a rationale to keep out investigators. “Biosecurity” was a scary word even before the recent Ebola outbreaks, so using it to scare the public into supporting “farm protection” legislation is pretty crafty – and, of course, totally duplicitous. Agribusiness knows that the public is horrified by undercover video footage which could impact their sales, so they are going to move mountains to keep the cameras out through legislation. We must therefore continue to support the efforts to kill these bills.

Animal Recovery Mission (ARM) of S. Florida is using a $10,000 reward and undercover footage of pigs being terrorized and brutalized to solicit the help of the public in tracking down a man notorious for torturing animals. ARM’s lead investigator, Richard Cuoto (aka Kudo), says that the man, Yurianne Hervis Gonzalez, beats the pigs with sledgehammers and guts them alive.  UPDATE: Mr. Gonzalez has been arrested and is being held on an $80,000 bond.

Dade County is notorious for its illegal horse slaughterhouses.  Now, thanks to the work of ARM, we are learning about horrendous illegal pig slaughterhouses. If you want to learn more about how activists are affecting change in South Florida and/or to support their efforts, please visit ARM.

Brian Ahmed, an egg farmer in Australia, is claiming that activists put the lives of his hens at risk when they enter his farms.  “We need tougher laws that actually penalise those who illegally enter farms and jeopardise the health of our livestock.”

Mr. Ahmed fails to explain how people entering his farm jeopardizes the health of his hens, but he must know that invoking “biosecurity” could help him garner support from unsuspecting lawmakers and from the public, which is largely unfamiliar with factory farms. Photos and videos speak a thousand words, which make undercover investigations the best tool available to educate the public about the horrors of factory farming.