Activists in 26 cities in 8 countries from an organization called Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) are conducting monthly protests against the vegan-friendly fast food chain Chipotle because they believe that their marketing campaign, which exposes factory farm cruelty and suggests that their animals are humanely raised and slaughtered, is fraudulent. As one of the campaign organizers states, “The company is trying to market killing as humane, but there is no escaping the reality that slitting an animal’s throat is violent.” According to an article in Salon.com, “DxE’s protests raise the question of whether, in the frenzy to market and consume more humane animal products, we are completely ignoring the fundamental moral issue. Why, for example, is cutting off chickens’ beaks unacceptable cruelty, but cutting their throats is perfectly fine?”

Millions of the animals slaughtered by Chipotle come from the same factory farms that Chipotle claims to oppose. When Chipotle encourages consumers to pick them over other their competitors on the grounds that their animals are “humanely raised,” they are not only being dishonest, but they are also giving people a free pass to eat animals when they might have otherwise abstained. Even if Chipotle’s animals were raised humanely, which is impossible given the sheer numbers, they all meet the same grisly death. Slaughter is inherently inhumane, which is one of many reasons to advocate for a plant-based diet using free materials like those offered by Vegan Outreach. I would feel a whole lot better about eating Chipotle’s delicious vegan sofritas if they stopped saying that the millions of animals who they raise and slaughter had humane lives and deaths.

Three elephants temporarily escaped from a circus in St. Louis, damaging cars in the parking lot.

Circus elephants escape

While the eye-witnesses who spoke to reporters used the word “escape” to describe the incident, none conveyed an understanding that these elephants are prisoners in the first place, kidnapped from their mothers, chained for most of their lives and deprived of the ability to do anything that comes naturally to them. While the circus spokespeople say that these elephants “are now resting comfortably in their compound,” we know that their “trainers” will punish them by beating them with bullhooks, the weapons used to scare elephants into submission. The use of bullhooks was recently outlawed in Los Angeles. In the absence of bullhooks, elephants would trample their trainers. Ringling Brothers can therefore no longer travel to Los Angeles. On March 21st, One Green Planet published an article on 5 ways you can help end the use of animals in circuses.

Six months after a three-week old tiger drowned at the London zoo, three more tigers were born there. PETA has capitalized on the attention brought by the drowning and the births to call for a boycott of the zoo, which they describe as a “prison with living exhibits.” The zoo director, David Field, defends captivity, saying “The wild is just simply not an option for many species now, with habitats being destroyed and illegal wildlife trade soaring at unprecedented rates. Conservation breeding programmes are the only way to ensure a future for these animals.”

Tiger Cubs at London Zoo

By saying that the “wild is not an option,” the London Zoo director is suggesting that captivity is the only option for some animals. That message only reinforces the point of view that animals in zoos are money-making exhibits, not ambassadors who unwillingly sacrifice their freedom to help to conserve members of their species who live freely in their natural habitats. If we believe in wildlife conservation, then we should be supporting the work of groups like Sea Shepherd that are protecting animals and their habitats. To find out how you can help protect wild animals, please see this list of 10 other wildlife conservation groups.

According to the NY Times, a 4-month undercover investigation by PETA showed that racehorse trainers “subject their horses to cruel and injurious treatments, administer drugs to them for nontherapeutic purposes, use electrical devices to shock horses into running faster and force injured and/or suffering horses to race and train.” As a result of PETA’s investigation, horse racing authorities in New York, Kentucky and New Mexico opened investigations into allegations of abuse by Steve Asmussen, a prominent horse trainer, and his assistant Scott Blasi, both of whom were the subject of PETA’s undercover work. Mr. Asmussen has been removed as a finalists for the Racing Hall of Fame.

Horses who are unlucky enough to “work” in the racing industry spend their short lives being drugged, injured and abused behind the scenes. And, when they can no longer make money for their owners, they are slaughtered for their meat. Like all animals used for entertainment and profit, these horses are treated like commodities, not companions. Please boycott horse and dog race tracks, circuses, aquariums, zoos, rodeos, bullfights and urban horse-drawn carriage concessions. For more information about horse-racing and to find out how you can help, please visit PETA’s horse-racing page.

The NY Times reports that pet store owners in Las Vegas attempted to set their puppies on fire in order to collect insurance money: “Security video (see video blow) showed a woman letting a man in through the back door; he splashed a liquid from two gas cans around the shop, even into the cages, and ignited newspapers. The sprinkler system doused the fire, and firefighters rescued the dogs.

Being burned alive would have been a fitting end to a life in which puppies are kidnapped from their mothers and confined in cages at the puppy mills and in the pet store where they are ultimate sold as merchadise. With homeless shelters for animals killing thousands of healthy animals every year and rescue groups trying to find families for countless animals, why do municipalities even allow the sale of dogs and cats in pet stores? Thankfully, some cities, such as Chicago and L.A., have banned the sale of commercially bred pets. Last Chance for Animals offers advice on how to end the sale of puppy mill animals in your area.