As Sea Shepherd activists from around the world attempted to block the slaughter of 33 pilot whales in the Faroe Islands, the Danish Navy rounded up and arrested 14 of them. The slaughter is part of a “four century-old tradition” called “The Grind” during which hunters drive 1,000 pilot whales to the shore and hack them to death with hooks and knives. After the activists who were patrolling the waters were arrested, the hunters murdered all 33 whales. Here is video – taken from a safe distance – of a typical drive:

What could be crueler than rounding up 1,000 gentle and intelligent pilot whales and mercilessly slaughtering them? In 2014, can “tradition,” “culture” and “food” be used to justify this barbarism? Scandinavian countries are among the most progressive in the world, so why do the Danish sanction, protect and celebrate this annual bloodbath? Please help Sea Shepherd bring an end to what activist Pamela Anderson aptly describes as a “barbaric, psychotic frenzy.”

A fashion designer in the U.K. is making handbags and iPad cases out of deer skin. In response to the justification that the deer are killed anyway to prevent them from starving due to overpopulation, PETA said, ‘Selling bags made of animals who were gunned down while enjoying a natural life… results only in greedy, arrogant deer skin sellers keeping deer alive each year just long enough to kill them so as to sell more deer skin products.’

photo: Daily Mail

In modern day times, why do we regard someone else’s skin as fabric? The skins of cows, mink, fox, rabbits, alligators, snakes, deer and many other animals don’t belong to us. With all of the alternatives available in 2014, shopping at cruelty free companies like Vaute Couture, Brave GentleMan, John Bartlett and MooShoes would be no skin off your back. Please learn more about the inherent cruelty in the fur business.

As New Yorkers returned from Long Island beaches to Penn Station on Sunday night, we encountered a sick rat who was hobbling very slowly through a crowded corridor. City dwellers are accustomed to seeing rats on the train tracks or on the streets late at night, but we almost never see one inside of a lit building. As a result, many people stopped to watch and take photos. I wanted to spring into action to help this suffering animal, but I didn’t know what to do. A ticket agent directed me to a police officer who said the animal consumed rat poison. He said he couldn’t do anything until the rat died. When I suggested that he put her out of misery or move her out of the busy hallway, he asked, “How would you like me to do that?” I could see that the rat was on her own.

Rat hobbling and dying in NYC train station

I attempted to direct the rat to the wall where she might be less stressed and where people would be less likely to taunt her, but I didn’t have any luck. As I stood there helplessly, I noticed that many people passing by were saying, “Yuck. It’s a rat” without a stitch of sympathy. And that’s when I realized that this rat didn’t have to die in vain. To the people who said, “Yuck,” I responded, “She’s dying from rat poison. She must be in so much pain. I wish I could help her.” I don’t think anyone expected to hear that, and I could almost see the lights go on in some peoples’ heads as their disgust turned into compassion. After a few minutes, a (gorgeous) man in his twenties or thirties, who said he was an orthopedic surgeon, scooped up the squealing rat in a plastic bag and said he was taking her home to die in peace. If I hadn’t been so stunned by his confidence and compassion, I might have pretended to be dying so that he would pick me up and take me home too. This man’s actions spoke louder than my words, but I’m glad to have possibly opened a few hearts and minds by asking people to consider the suffering of the rat. Our interactions with animals – wild or domesticated – always present us with an opportunity to advocate for them and to be their voice.

Three animal rights groups in Thailand are petitioning the fisheries department to deny a zoo license to a planned dolphinarium in the beach resort of Phuket. SEEK Phuket, DolphinProject.org, and the Love Wildlife Foundation have hosted several events to condemn the dolphinarium, including a speech by Richard O’Barry from the documentary film, The Cove. In a statement, the head of the Love Wildlife Foundation said, “We’re basically taking these animals from the wild to die in a show for our entertainment.” The Ukrainian company that is building the dolphinarium is already selling tickets for shows starting in October. In 2011, Thai activists protested the opening of a “swim with dolphins” concession in Pattaya.

Pattaya Dolphin World (EPA Photo)

Captive dolphins are kidnapped from their families in ocean during a brutal roundup; trained to perform tricks through food deprivation; confined for life in small enclosures and deprived of the ability to do anything that comes naturally to them. These intelligent mammals who have sophisticated social lives are reduced to photo ops. If “swimming with dolphins” is on your bucket list, please cross it off and help Rick O’Barry bring an end to dolphin zoos.

On Friday, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service will open a National Wildlife Refuge to nighttime alligator hunting. The Animal Rights Foundation of Florida  (ARFF) which will protest the hunt at the park entrance, said “Refuges should be places where animals are protected from harm and not hunted for fun or profit.” Because guns are prohibited, hunters will be required to “hook or ensnare the alligators” and then kill them with a “pole that shoots a shotgun shell or bullet into the alligator’s brain.” This method, ARFF says, “often leaves them conscious and suffering for a long time before they die.”

Their prehistoric looks and reputation for being dangerous make alligators a target not only for trophy hunters who want to kill them but also for TV personalities who want to wrestle them. But alligators don’t want to die, and they don’t want to wrestle; they just want to be left alone, like every other wild animal. Do people who watch alligator wrestling believe that the animals are willing participants? Learn more about sport hunting and see what you can do.