In defiance of growing public demand to end live exports due to animal cruelty, Australia plans to significantly expand the trade by shipping an estimated one million cattle to China each year. If the $1 billion deal is signed, the number of cattle exported to countries in Asia and the Middle East would double from its current levels.

Andrew Wilkie, one of the few members of the Australian Parliament who publicly opposes live exports, described the new deal with China as a “dreadful development” and that the federal government is “a pack of sadists when it comes to animal welfare.”

Photo: Animals Australia

The agreement with China comes just two weeks after Australian media aired footage of Australian cows and sheep being tortured in several countries where the group Animals Australia stationed undercover investigators. While the damning footage once again angered the Australian public, it did not have the effect of curbing the booming live export industry.

Live export supporters, including the Australian government, insist that the incidents documented in undercover videos are the exception. Opponents, on the other hand, say that abuses are routine and that Australia’s regulations fail to protect the animals in countries that have few, if any, animal protection laws. They also argue that the millions of sheep and cattle exported annually from Australia cannot be tracked to their final destinations within the countries to which they are shipped.

Unloaded from live export ship

Of all of the countries where Australia ships live animals, only one of them has citizens who are attempting to stop it — Israel. Over the past couple of years, Israeli activists have taken undercover footage which has aired on national television, and they have used street theater to educate the public about the cruelty both on the transport ships and within the country after the animals are unloaded.

Photo: ישראל נגד משלוחים חיים (Against Live Transports)

Photo:  Against Live Transports

Send an instant message to the Australian Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Visit Animals Australia to take action.

Tourist dollars are vital to Australia’s economy. Until live exports are terminated, boycott Australia.

In a display of animal exploitation rarely seen on TV, filmmaker and self-described conservationist Paul Rosolies lathers a “snake-proof suit” with pig’s blood and gets “eaten alive” by an anaconda in the Amazon jungle. The Discovery Channel, which will air the show in December, is assuring critics that the snake does not die during the stunt.

In the teaser video, we see Rosolies and his crew snatch the snake out of the water and carry her away like she’s their personal property.

Filmmaker and crew kidnap anaconda for TV show

Mr. Rosolies appears to be taking a page out of the late Steve Irwin’s playbook — taunting, tormenting and provoking wild animals for profit under the guise of education and conservation. Best know for his TV show Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin was killed by a stingray in 2006. His 16  year old daughter, Bindi Irwin, continues his legacy of profiting off animal abuse by serving as a paid spokesperson for Sea World,

Please sign the Change.org petition to stop the airing of “Eaten Alive” on the Discovery Channel.

Arriving by electric vintage car to her sold out concert in NYC, music legend Chrissie Hynde announced her support for NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plan to end horse-drawn carriage rides in the streets of Manhattan. The electric car was created by animal rights group NYCLASS as a potential job-saving alternative to horse-drawn carriages.

Chrissie Hynde arrives at her sold out concert in NYC

https://youtu.be/mNoqzFuHxcM

In her statement to the media and fans, Hynde pointed out that New York would not be the first major city to end carriage rides. London, Paris, Toronto and Beijing have eliminated their commercial horse-drawn carriage trades. Paris has one carriage that can be hired in advance for special events.

After horsing around, Chrissie Hynde talks seriously about animal cruelty

Hynde, who regrettably took a horse-drawn carriage ride on the night of her wedding, has spoken out against them in the past. In 2008, she participated in a protest and distributed leaflets to tourists explaining why horse-drawn carriage rides in the city are inhumane and unsafe.

Chrissie Hynde protests horse-drawn carriages in 2008 (photo: Donny Moss)

Mayor de Blasio, who has stated on multiple occasions that he intends to “end carriage rides” in NYC, has indicated that job preservation will be incorporated into his plan. The carriage drivers, who are tour guides, can apply their skills to many other hospitality-oriented businesses in New York that do not involve the use of live animals in the streets.

If you live in NYC, please contact your Council Member

Please sign the two petitions to ban horse-drawn carriages: Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages, NYCLASS

To keep apprised of developments, subscribe to the weekly newsletter of the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages by sending an email to coalition@banhdc.org.

Watch the award-winning documentary film BLINDERS: The Truth Behind the Tradition that exposes the truth behind the tradition of NYC’s infamous horse-drawn carriage trade.

Recent attacks on humans by captive tigers in India, China, Australia and Singapore have shined an international spotlight on the danger and cruelty of keeping one of the planet’s top predators in captivity. In the United States, captive tigers and other big cats have, in the past twenty-four years, killed four children and eight adults.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, approximately 5,000 tigers are being held captive in the United States. Six percent of them reside in zoos and similar accredited facilities. The remainder are warehoused in squalid cages in backyards, unaccredited zoos, sideshows, circuses, private breeding facilities, and even a roadside truck stop.

Tiger in NYC apartment

Thirty-two states have banned private ownership of tigers; 10 require a license; and eight states have no regulation. What little regulation does exist to prohibit and protect big cats in captivity is often unenforced. A federal bill to ban the private possession and breeding of big cats – The Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act – has 114 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives.

https://youtu.be/q-xN0HmXqrk

Of the 5,000 captive tigers in the U.S., only a lucky few will be rescued and relocated to sanctuaries where their needs take priority. In October, four tigers hit the feline lottery with the opening of a new habitat at the Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch in Texas. Ben Callison, director of the Ranch, speaks to Jane Velez Mitchell about the new sanctuary and big cat captivity:

Anastasia & Natalia at Black Beauty Ranch. (Photo: Brandon Wade/HSUS)

Even the best of sanctuaries, however, cannot meet the needs of nature’s top predators. In the wild, tigers carve out large territories based on the availability of prey animals and mating partners. They hunt and, in spite of the fact that they are solitary animals, they sometimes share their kill with other tigers. The run 30 – 40 mph, and they can swim up to 18 miles a day.

Tiger stalking her prey

Contact your U.S. representative and Senators to ask them to support The Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act.

Please learn more about why holding wild animals captive is cruel; boycott zoos and circuses; and speak out.

Please visit Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch’s website to learn more about the tiger sanctuary and support their efforts to provide sanctuary to animals rescued from captivity.

A tiger at a Chinese amusement park dragged an eight-year-old girl into his enclosure and mauled her to death. The amusement park owners withheld the information from the press, but rumors forced them to admit that the event occurred.

Tiger show at Leheledu Amusement Park in China

The tragedy took place just one month after a tiger killed zoo visitor in India in an incident that was captured on camera. That victim was 20 years old.

Tiger at New Delhi Zoo kills man who fell into his enclosure

Both tragedies were entirely preventable, as the victims – the tigers and their human prey – should never have been in a zoo or circus in the first place.

In their natural habitat, tigers hunt for prey, raise their cubs, swim long distances, establish territories and forge relationships. In circuses and zoos, they pace back and forth, unable to perform any of the activities that make their lives worth living.  Zoos and circuses are cruel and exploitive, and they teach children that kidnapping and putting animals behind bars for entertainment are acceptable behaviors.

Please learn more about why holding wild animals captive is cruel; boycott zoos and circuses; and speak out.