A  animal rights activist in England has threatened to dive in front of Cambridge rowers to protect baby ducklings who are being “mowed down” by fast-moving boats.  The local rowing association says that requiring the rowers to slow down for part of the seasons is “unreasonable.”

Photo credit: Duncan Lamont

Crashing into animals when it can be avoided is inexcusable, especially when it’s being done as part of a recreational activity.  Does the rowing association really think that the lives of ducks are less important than someone’s workout?  When baby ducks are nearby, slow the hell down!

Canberra, the capital of Australia, plans to kill 1,600 wild kangaroos in an effort to reduce overgrazing and minimize dangerous interactions between humans and kangaroos. Lawyers for Animal Liberation ACT, an Australian animal rights group, have persuaded a judge to delay the cull, saying “If the government wants to kill more than 1,600 healthy wild animals, we have to be clear that the science is impeccable before we let them do that.” The activists also point out that their babies will have to be killed, “And remember, those 1,600 deaths don’t take into account the joeys that have to be brutally dispatched by shooters after they’ve killed their mothers.”

Photo credit: Time Magazine

Is a wild animal “cull” ever acceptable? In cases of overpopulation? Starvation? Danger to humans? We don’t cull humans even though we are the most overpopulated species on the planet. Do alternatives to killing, such a birth control and making the environment less hospitable, always exist? As activists, should we formulate our opinions about culls on a case-by-case basis? I don’t know the answers. In this case, Animal Liberation ACT is convinced that the kangaroo cull is cruel and unnecessary, and they need funds to continue to pay for the legal costs to stop it.

The United Nation’s International Court of Justice ruled that Japan must stop its annual whale hunt in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, rejecting the country’s argument that it was conducted for scientific purposes and declaring it to be illegal. Japan stated that it would abide by the court’s decision.  However, Japan, along with Norway and Iceland, will most likely continue to hunt whales on a smaller scale in other areas in defiance of the International Whale Commission’s ban on commercial whaling.

Japan has circumvented the international treaty banning commercial whaling by claiming that they were capturing and killing whales for scientific purposes. How did Japan get away with this for so many years, given that they didn’t produce scientific data; they admitted to selling the whale meet for food; and they used “tradition” as a defense for the slaughter? The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, whose activists have put their lives at risk sabotaging Japan’s illegal whale hunt in the Southern Ocean, put this issue in the international spotlight, which is what ultimately led to the court’s decision. Ironically, the Japanese government, which is responsible for terrorizing thousands of majestic whales before killing them, describes the activists as “environmental terrorists.” Please thank Sea Shepherd for their heroic work by supporting the organization, which will continue to boldly protect wildlife in the oceans.

As part of Sea World’s efforts to restore its reputation after the documentary Blackfish tarnished it, the company hired 15-year old Bindi Irwin, a self-declared conservationist, to be a paid spokesperson. Bob Irwin, Bindi’s grandfather who runs a conservation foundation, used the news of Bindi’s new job to speak out against whales in captivity.

Bindi Irwin promotes Sea World on Good Morning America

Steve Irwin, who made a career out of provoking wild animals for his TV shows, was killed by an angry sting ray in 2006. Will karma pay an unexpected visit to his daughter too? The Irwin moguls appear to be animal abusers disguised as conservationists. Sign the petition asking Bindi to step down as a “Sea World Ambassador.”

According to the Calgary Herald, five activists documenting the roundup of wild horses in western Canada were arrested and charged with mischief for allegedly interfering with the operation. The activists, two of whom are elderly, are accused of preventing the horses from entering the capture pen. But they deny the accusation: “Nobody was tampering with the site. But they told us that us being in that vicinity would prevent horses from going into his trap.” Canada has issued licenses to capture 200 of the approximately 1,000 wild horses for personal use or slaughter. The government says it wants to “reduce the population to reduce their impact on the food supply for other animals.”

Wild horse roundup in Canada

When wild animals inhabit land that we want for ourselves, we often label them as pests, round them up and exterminate them. Even animals who are endangered are at risk. In Southeast Asia, for example, orangutans are being killed as their rain forests are “slashed and burned” to clear the land for palm oil plantations. To find out how you can help protect wildlife, please visit Defenders of Wildlife.