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Denmark has banned kosher and halal slaughter. According to British newspaper The Independent, “European regulations require animals to be stunned before they are slaughtered, but grants exemptions on religious grounds. For meat to be considered kosher under Jewish law or halal under Islamic law, the animal must be conscious when killed.” Muslim and Jewish leaders are claiming discrimination, but the Danish government is defending the law, stating “animal rights come before religion.”

Photo from The Independent

In spite of worldwide outrage, the Danish government didn’t intervene in February when the Copenhagen Zoo killed a healthy young giraffe to prevent inbreeding and fed him to the lions. In addition, the Danish government continues to allow the brutal slaughter of hundreds of pilot whales each year in the Faroe Islands. Like every other country that claims to care for its animals while condoning and defending violence toward them, Denmark is being hypocritical. And the government should be held accountable until all forms of animal abuse are abolished. But that shouldn’t stop us from celebrating and promoting their historic declaration that “animal rights come before religion.”

Taking the lead from NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, Chicago lawmaker Ed Burke has introduced a bill to ban horse-drawn carriages. According to the Chicago Tribune, Burke says “They’re a nuisance, they’re a traffic hazard, it’s cruel to the animals, and we should be able to beat New York City to the punch.”

Miracle Mile in Chicago

By forcing horses to pull carriages in the streets with aggressive taxi drivers, ambulances and buses, we are treating them like motor vehicles instead of living, breathing animals. For that and many other reasons, horse-drawn carriages cannot be operated humanely or safely in urban areas. Several major cities, including London, Beijing, Paris and Toronto have already banned horse-drawn carriages, and NYC and Chicago are on the brink of doing the same. But we need to help the horses pulling carriages in other cities around the world from Boston to Mumbai. To find out how you can help, please visit the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages.