Our insatiable appetite for meat is killing America’s remaining wild horses, but passionate advocacy groups from around the country are moving mountains to protect those who remain.

For decades, the U.S. government’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has been rounding up America’s horses because they graze on public land coveted by powerful cattle ranchers. The BLM uses “rangeland health” to justify the roundups, but the 30,000 some odd horses who remain pose no threat to the land compared to the millions of cows and sheep who graze on it.

photo: Catoor Livestock image

From freedom to captivity (photo: Elyse Gardner)

America was built on the backs of horses. They are a national treasure, and we must do everything in our power to protect the few who remain. Please take action today.

The fat man in the back of the bus is not tipping it over, but PETA wants you to think he is.

To capture people’s attention in an era of information overload, PETA is launching a provocative ad campaign that uses fat shaming as a strategy to trigger people to go vegan. The ads will appear on London buses starting in October.

In an interview with a London newspaper, a PETA spokesperson stated that switching to a plant-based diet leads to weight loss and that “People who insist on stuffing themselves with Sunday roasts, bacon, cheese and eggs are throwing their health under the bus.”

In 2009, PETA was widely criticized for launching a similar campaign in which it encouraged human “whales” to lose their blubber by going vegetarian.

Criticism has never stopped PETA in the past, so the organization is unlikely to make any apologizes for its controversial “tough love” approach now. Tapping into people’s insecurities about body image will assuredly offend some people, but the approach could save the lives of many people – and, of course, animals. Do the ends justify the means?

In a statement to Vogue denying that it buys rabbit fur from the factory farms exposed in a new undercover video, fashion giant Burberry says it “will not use fur if there is concern that its production has involved the unacceptable treatment of animals.” Intense confinement and anal electrocution are standard practices in the fur industry. Is either “acceptable” to Burberry?

photo: 2dayblog.com

To make matters worse, Burberry’s use of the phrase “all natural” in defending its use of fur, but “natural” fur is exactly what we are trying to eliminate! Did Burberry think the word “natural” would appease its critics who are advocating for fake fur?

Burberry executives and other fashion houses that use fur are either unaware of the atrocities or are turning a blind eye for the sake of profits. It’s no wonder activists have to jump onto the runway during fashion shows to get their attention.

Please visit endfahsioncruelty.org to take action on behalf of fur bearing animals.

A well-known restaurant in England that accused animal-rights activists of blackmail for protesting its sale of foie gras has taken the “delicacy of despair” off the menu.

The owner of the Bricklayers Arms stands by his right to sell foie gras based on “the laws of supply and demand,” but he will no longer serve it because of the “hatred that has been directed at the pub via social media, email and phone calls” and a six person protest in front of the restaurant on Saturday.

Photo: hemeltoday.co.uk

Hertfordshire Animal Rights, which organized the campaign, thanked the owner for removing foie gras in spite of the fact that he is unwilling to acknowledge that force feeding ducks and geese through a tube inserted down their throats until their livers expand to 10 times their natural size is reason alone to take it off the menu.

Author Margaret Meade once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” The success of Hertfordshire Animal Rights’ anti-foie gras campaign gives credence to these words of wisdom which have inspired and galvanized activists to fight for the animals, even in the toughest of circumstances.